Can the Loons win the MLS Cup? Eric Ramsay Thinks So – Twin Cities

Eric Ramsay’s message was calm and matter-of-fact (minus the occasional expletive) after Minnesota United beat Real Salt Lake in the first round of the MLS Cup playoffs on Saturday.

The Lens head coach addressed his players in the Allianz Field locker room ahead of the Western Conference semifinals against the Los Angeles Galaxy on November 23 or 24.

“Three wins away,” Ramsay said of the remaining stages to lift the MLS Cup on Dec. 7. “We can (expletive) beat anyone in this league. And you know that we are looking for a good match for Galaxy.

Goalkeeper Dane St Clair, who made two huge saves in the 3-1 penalty win to end the second game, agreed with his coach’s sentiments, which the club shared in the video after careful editing.

“We’re definitely happy, but we’re not satisfied,” St. Clair said. “We know we can go into the Galaxy… and get results and move on. At that point, it wasn’t just about this team making the playoffs or winning (and) getting out of the first round. If we’re going to do this, let’s go all the way.”

The sixth-seeded Lens’ first test comes against the second-seeded Galaxy, who have scored the third-most goals (69) in MLS this season. Los Angeles routed the seventh-seeded Colorado Rapids 5-0 at home in Game 1 and pulled away with two stoppage-time goals to claim a 4-1 road win in Game 2 on Friday night.

The Loons are 0-1-1 against the Galaxy this season. They tied 2–2 on May 15 at Allianz Field, but Minnesota’s expected goal advantage was 2.5–1.0.

Then, on July 7, the Galaxy won 2-1 at Dignity Health Sports Park, but Minnesota was without St. Clair and forward Tanya Oluwaseyi (both capped for Canada) and midfielder Wil Trapp (hamstring). tendon).

“Over the next two or three weeks we will take stock of the performances against them, especially the first one,” Ramsay told his team about the May draw. “And this (expletive) even. This is a team that can be beaten, especially with the way we look at the moment.”

Ramsay wasn’t shy about speaking highly of his team last month, and rightfully so. MNUFC have scored the third-highest points per game (2.1) since MLS play resumed following the League Cup in late August.

If the Loons beat the Galaxy, they will likely play either first-seeded Los Angeles or fourth-seeded Seattle Sounders in the Western Conference finals. The East has two favorites: Inter Miami, who set the points record this season with Leo Messi, and reigning MLS Cup champion Columbus Crew.

MNUFC will remain losers the rest of the way, including on the road. But each of the next three rounds are one-off matches, creating more opportunities for bad luck.

However, the Loons will have to wait three weeks for their next game as they will not be able to play Game 3, which was scheduled to be played Friday in Utah. The playoffs will be suspended next week for FIFA’s international window. The remaining eight clubs in the league will have a week to prepare for the conference semi-finals.

“I have to say it’s strange because you feel like you’re reaching the climax of the season and we have a real rhythm and I’m sure the Galaxy feel the same,” Ramsay said of the break. “As I’ve done in those situations where the schedule seems a little off, I’ve tried to take it as a positive, give the guys a little bit of a break and try to help the group continue to develop.

“We are probably more than (the Galaxy) a team that is at a much earlier stage in our evolution (and) would probably benefit from training time,” Ramsay continued. “Every time we’ve had big training periods, what you see on the other side is the best version of the team that came in, so we’ll approach it that way, but there’s definitely some disappointment.”

Originally published: November 3, 2024 12:06 pm CST