Minnesota will travel to Frisco on Saturday to play FC Dallas. With Dallas on short rest, Minnesota has an opportunity to take points, but it won’t be easy.
FC Dallas return to league action for the first time in a few weeks, fresh off a disappointing elimination from the CONCACAF Champions League. The visitors, Minnesota United, secured their first MLS victory and will be feeling confident heading into Dallas.
The Central Midfield
With new addition Sam Cronin arriving in the Twin Cities on Monday he’ll likely be available against FC Dallas. The question is, where will he fit in?
If Adrian Heath feels that Cronin is ready after one week of training, then he’ll start, as he’ll likely be Minnesota’s best midfielder. His pairing in the midfield though, is another question.
There are several options to choose from, in Collen Warner, Rasmus Schuller, and Ibson. Ibson doesn’t look like a 90 minute player at this point in his career, so that will likely rule him out for the start. Schüller is an intriguing option, though the best central midfield pairing possible seems to be Warner and Cronin, to battle against the Dallas attack.
The Left back spot
The other new addition from Colorado, Marc Burch, also arrived in the Twin Cities on Monday, and took part in Monday’s training session.
Though Burch will likely be available to play, it’s still a question of whether Heath would rather start Burch or Justin Davis. Davis has started every match that he was available for, but the opposition may also be a factor in seeing a switch.
Against a dangerous team like FC Dallas, Heath may want to go with the veteran Burch over Justin Davis, who’s still relatively inexperienced at the MLS level.
Solid defensively, Burch also provides more offense than Davis with his impressive crossing ability, and should probably get the start this weekend.
Next: Minnesota United: 3 key takeaways from the RSL match
The Left wing spot
Though Bashkim Kadrii had his moments against RSL, the left wing spot is still one that is up for debate, especially considering the opposition.
Kadrii seems to offer more going forward, but if Heath decides to play for the draw, Miguel Ibarra’s superior defensive efforts may earn him the start against a dangerous FC Dallas squad.