March 1, 2024 – Major League Soccer (MLS) – Minnesota United FC News Release
GOLDEN VALLEY, Minn. – Minnesota United on Saturday returns to Allianz Field for the club’s 2024 MLS Season Opener, presented by SeatGeek. The Loons welcome the defending MLS Cup champions, the Columbus Crew, in front of what is expected to be a capacity crowd inside the Midway Neighborhood venue.
MNUFC enters Saturday afternoon’s contest against the champions having captured a 2-1 victory at Austin FC last weekend – notably the only road team in MLS during the first weekend of the season to earn a win. Midfielders Robin Lod and Alejandro Bran both scored to help the Loons secure three points. The Loons’ early press and fast-paced ball movement caught Austin off balance, setting a dominant tone that lasted for nearly the entire game.
The Ohio side is one of the strongest in MLS, having three notable players in Cucho Hernandez, Darlington Nagbe and Diego Rossi. The Crew also secured three points last weekend against Atlanta United, with Hernandez scoring the lone goal and Patrick Schulte holding firm in goal for the shutout.
Both Minnesota and Columbus started 2024 hot, calling for a true test of grit in just the second week of the season. Can the Loons continue to keep up the high-paced press with success, or will the defending champions fight back with their potent offense?
INTERIM HEAD COACH CAMERON KNOWLES ON HOW THE TEAM BRINGS MOMENTUM FROM AUSTIN WIN TO SATURDAY AGAINST COLUMBUS CREW…
“I’ve been saying it to a lot of the guys, it should give them a lot of belief in the way that they can play. We know that the energy in this stadium [Allianz Field] is going to be fantastic at the weekend. To get off to a start like that with three points [against Austin FC last week] and being the only team in MLS to win on the road could give us a lot of confidence and energy leading into this game.”
INTERIM HEAD COACH CAMERON KNOWLES ON WHAT MNUFC CAN SHOW TO FANS AT ALLIANZ FIELD AGAINST THE DEFENDING CHAMPIONS…
“We’ve got to go toe-to-toe with them [Columbus Crew]. If you want to be the best, you’ve got to beat the best. Right now, they’re the best team in our league and we’ve got to show up and bring the best version of ourselves to that game.”
GOALKEEPER DAYNE ST. CLAIR ON MANAGING THE EXCITEMENT OF THE HOME OPENER…
“Similar to any game, we know that we get to sing ‘Wonderwall’ at the end of every win. We have a lot of new guys, so to be able to share that experience, I think…
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