Minnesota United hoping recent hot form carries into FC Dallas
The international break couldn’t have come at a worse time for Minnesota United, a side that had turned around a dour start to the MLS season and was just beginning to rattle off results.
Now the hope is for Minnesota United that they continue their solid form from before their three-week layoff this weekend at FC Dallas.
(Speaking of bad starts to the season, FC Dallas is having a pretty bad campaign as things stand right now with a 1-3-3 record and six points as they sit at the bottom of the Western Conference).
But for Minnesota United, a club that went winless in their first four games of the season, the last three matches where they have taken seven points is a sign of this club’s potential. After all, this is a team that was just minutes away from advancing to MLS Cup a season ago.
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And all Minnesota United has done since then is reload and address needs.
“It’s been a little bit different for everybody. The likes of [midfielder Emanuel] Reynoso and people like that who have been on rehab, have been able to get some proper work in without thinking about the game at the end of the week,” head coach Adrian Heath told reporters on Friday.
“That sort of dictates what you do. Two or three of the other guys who’ve needed a rest have had plenty of time now to recharge. The group is in good spirits. Now we’ve got to try and keep the momentum going of two wins and a draw in the last three games.
“We’re going to Dallas, we know it’s not going to be easy, it never is this time of year. Fortunately, the weather here is preparing us for it, which is a little bit unusual but as I said, it’s been a good couple of weeks.”
So while Minnesota United is just a single point above FC Dallas in the table, their two wins and a draw from their last three matches shows a team turning things around from their sputtering start the year. They also have a lineup that makes them potentially one of the deepest and most talented attacking sides in the league if the pieces can get fit and start clicking.
The hope is that the aforementioned Reynoso, so important in last season’s run to within a game of MLS Cup, can get fit and participated in the weekend match against FC Dallas. But Minnesota United is also counting on new signings Franco Fragapane and Adrien Hunou to begin to ease into the team now and make more of an impact.
Both attacking players are big pieces of a team with legitimate hardware ambitions this year.
“Not only have they been able to get some fitness, a little bit for Franco because he came in on the back of a lot of games in a short period of time, we managed to give him a little bit of a rest to recharge,” Heath said.
“Adrien was a little bit different, he hadn’t played for several weeks and we’ve been able to get some work into him. Now we’re just trying to integrate them into the group. They’re both really good lads, they’ve done really well so we’re looking forward to seeing them on the field with the teammates.”
Follow Kristian Dyer of ‘MLS Multiplex’ on Twitter @KristianRDyer