Minnesota United FC at FC Dallas Preview

October 16, 2022 – Major League Soccer (MLS) – Minnesota United FC News Release

GOLDEN VALLEY, Minn. – As the lone Western Conference club with the longest active playoffs streak at four, Minnesota head to Dallas for Round One of the Audi 2022 MLS Cup Playoffs. For Minnesota United, the trek to the Cup begins in Frisco, Texas. The two squads split the regular season series, with one apiece, each on the road. The Loons defeated FC Dallas in Toyota Stadium for the first just earlier this year, but the home game saw MNUFC lose 3-0. Despite not having won an away game since August, Minnesota finished the 2022 season with the most amount of road wins in club history. If MNUFC can replicate the performance against Vancouver that got them into the playoffs, they’ll stand more than a chance against a Dallas team they beat on the road earlier this season.

ADRIAN HEATH ON WHAT HE HAS MADE OF FC DALLAS’ SEASON

“It’s Nico’s [Estevez] first year and I think it’s a real positive for them. They’ve sold players in the past and now they’ve been starting to buy a few now, obviously [Alan] Velasco, a lot of money and obviously very good talent. [I’m a] big fan of [Jesus] Ferreira, I think [Paul] Arriola’s a really good MLS player as well. So, they’ve got quality. It’s never easy going to Dallas. It’ll only probably be 90 degrees there on Monday night, not the usual 140. With the team that they’ve got and the conditions that are generally there, it’s never an easy place to go and I don’t expect it to be easy on Monday.”

BRENT KALLMAN ON GETTING THE CLEAN SHEET AGAINST VANCOUVER

“It was good. We watched quite a bit of film, we reviewed a lot of things that were not going well in the San Jose game as a back-four and as a group. The instructions that we got on how to remedy it and then our application of going out and actually doing it were spot on. We did a really good job of execution what they [coaching staff] wanted from us and I think it really paid off in the game against Vancouver.”

DJ TAYLOR ON HOW THE BACKLINE PREPARE FOR FC DALLAS

“It’s kind of more of me staying more compact than I usually would. If Boxy [Michael Boxall] or BK [Brent Kallman] or any center-back steps out, I have to cover them and that’s the first priority letting the ball go wide and then we defend the cross. So that’s going to be my mentality, just staying compact if my center-back has to step up to help them deal with the attackers.”

STORYLINES PRESENTED BY BMW

The Travelers: As the sixth seed in the Western Conference playoffs, Minnesota will have the privilege of traveling for as long as they can continue to win, unless seventh-seeded Real Salt Lake finds a way through their Texas matchup against Austin. The Loons will have to find the road form that was a hallmark of their summer success, but which has recently eluded them. As has been noted several times on these pages in the past, the Loons secured a club-best 19 points and six victories on the road this year; however, each of those past acknowledgements came with the caveat that there were more regular season games to play. Minnesota’s drop in form in September was not helped by their work on the road, as the Loons lost each of their last four road games of the year by a combined score of 10-1. This is not to say that they are faced by an impossible task; among the many positive signs, one of Minnesota’s six road victories this season was in Toyota Stadium itself, as they vanquished some past demons for their first road victory against Dallas in club history. Four of those six wins came against playoff teams. The Loons found their goalscoring form against Vancouver on Sunday; the road resilience must come back next.

OPPONENT BREAKDOWN: FC DALLAS

For Dallas, the end of the regular season was a bit of a mixed bag. Wins against MNUFC and LAFC showed that they have the grit and skill to take down playoff-caliber teams, but a draw with San Jose and a loss to Colorado will have left fans surprised and a bit worried. While the Earthquakes managed a bit of good form to end the year, they still finished last in the Western Conference; Jesus Ferreira and Paul Arriola should have handled them with relative ease. While Colorado missed the playoffs by just 4 points, they failed to consistently impress this year, making Dallas’ loss to the Rapids a cause for concern. Their Decision Day win over Sporting Kansas City ultimately locked down third position in the West, likely lightening the mood and easing some of the doubts about the team’s form going into the postseason. Still, shaky form can play with the mind of even the best players, especially with the added pressures of a single elimination playoff game on the horizon.

PLAYER AVAILABILITY REPORT:

Minnesota United

OUT:

B. Dibassy – Thigh (out for the season)

H. Dotson – Knee (out for the season)

J. Hayes – Lower Leg (out for the season)

P. Weah – Knee (season)

QUESTIONABLE:

N/A

MINNESOTA UNITED FC @ FC DALLAS

TOYOTA STADIUM | FRISCO, TEXAS

10.17.22 | Audi 2022 MLS Cup Playoffs | Round One

8:30 p.m. CT (FS1, Fox Deportes; Radio on 1500 ESPN)

2022 Record

MIN: 14-14-6 (6-10-1 on the road)

DAL: 14-9-11 (10-3-4 at home)

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