Minnesota United once again could not carry their momentum from home wins into any sort of result on the road. They were embarrassed in a 5-1 loss to the now playoff bound Philadelphia Union. Manager Adrian Heath went as far as to say “It was like men against boys at times….”.
Darwin Quintero and Angelo Rodriguez were some of the few positive spots in the squad, although they only had one goal to show for their efforts. The rest of the squad looked disinterested and lacking of energy. The 5-1 scoreline is good determinant in the difference in energy and competitiveness of the two teams.
Preview: Minnesota United FC Vs. Colorado Rapids
When: Saturday, October 13th, 1:00 pm CT
Where: TCF Bank Stadium, Minneapolis
Watch: Streamed on ESPN and FOX Sports North
Now that the Loons are eliminated from the playoffs, it’s time to give some minutes to unknown players to see what they contribute to the team moving forward. Rookies Wyatt Omsberg and Mason Toye should see minutes as the season winds down to gauge their development. They both have been on loan at times this season but not for extended periods of time. If they are going to be with the senior squad they should be at least seeing substitute appearances.
Francisco Calvo, the left-back, experiment will have to be put on hold as he is with Costa Rican national team, although he is likely to feature for the Ticos at left-back. Eric Miller or Jerome Thiesson should be in line to replace him.
As for the center-backs, Wyatt Omsberg should get a start at one of the spots. Brett Kallman should occupy the other center back position, which would allow Michael Boxall to slide out to right-back if needed.
In the midfield Fernando Bob and Maximiniano will most likely get the start. Although replacing one of them with Rasmus Schuller might help the team be more balanced. Schuller is more an attack minded midfielder than Bob and Maxi and could help win the ball in the midfield and help transition into offense. The Loons at times this season have seemed disconnected between defense and offense.
Angelo Rodriguez, Miguel Ibarra and Darwin Quintero are almost certainly locks to start at forward. The question is who will start at the other forward position. Romario Ibarra should get the start if he is healthy. He has arguably been a better signing then Angelo Rodriguez but has had trouble staying healthy. If Romario is unable to go Abu Danladi would be a another candidate to start, although he also has some injury concerns. If both are unable to go perhaps Mason Toye gets a start?
Projected Line-up
Projected Line-Up(4-2-3-1)
————–—Rodriguez———–—–
-—Romario—Quintero—–Ibarra–
—–—-Maximiniano— Bob–——–—
Thiesson—-Kallman-Omsberg–Boxall
———–—-Lampson———–—–
