Will the real Minnesota United please stand up?
Minnesota United, one of the hottest teams in MLS over the past two months, are looking to get back on track this weekend against the league-topping Seattle Sounders.
It is no easy task for Minnesota United against a Seattle Sounders side that is atop the league with 29 points (8-5-0 record).
In their season opener, Minnesota United lost 4-0 to the Seattle Sounders. There will certainly be motivation on that front from Minnesota United to atone for that loss but also to make amends following their 2-0 loss to the Colorado Rapids two weeks ago.
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“There was truth spoken and I thought that one or two people let themselves down. I thought that as a group, and individually, we were poor,” Minnesota United head coach Adrian Heath told reporters at training this week.
“I don’t think we wanted to win badly enough, and [Colorado] did. Against a team, I feel, are inferior to our team, so that was the disappointment. People were told. We had a few days over the weekend to work really, really hard and hopefully we’ve learned a lesson or two.”
It is bold talk from Heath to refer to the Colorado Rapids as “inferior to our team,” especially since Robin Fraser’s team has been among the most consistent in the entire league this past year. But Minnesota United expected more from the match and looked disjointed in the loss.
Minnesota United’s hot streak
Coming into the fixture at the Rapids, Minnesota United had 15 points from their last seven matches. Their new pieces were clicking, such as recent signing Franco Fragapane, and the team’s four losses to start the season was a distant memory as they began to accumulate results.
Now following a setback and a poor performance at the Rapids, Minnesota United is facing a team that made MLS Cup last year and has set the league’s mark for most points in their first 13 matches this season – all without a loss.
The Sounders certainly are a huge test to see if Minnesota United’s hot streak before their Colorado setback has true staying power.
“It’s never easy against them. I know whatever team that they have, they might have a few injuries and might have a few guys away, but the one thing about them is they’ve got a really good academy, they’ve got a really good second team,” Heath said.
“They’ve got young quality players, like [Joshua Atencio] who is coming through now. They’ve got good players. The fact that they’ve come in undefeated, they’re coming in full of confidence. And it’s always difficult. I never expect anything other than a really difficult match, home or away against the Sounders.”
Follow Kristian Dyer of ‘MLS Multiplex‘ on Twitter @KristianRDyer