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Loons clinch MLS Cup Playoffs spot with 2-0 win over Vancouver

andy greder, pioneer press
·5 min read

Minnesota United captain Wil Trapp popped a bottle of champagne and sipped it inside the locker room at Allianz Field on Sunday. An ice bucket with a handful of bottles sat at the ready, but there weren’t many drinking buddies around when interviews were conducted after the Loons’ 2-0 win over Vancouver clinched an MLS Cup Playoffs spot.

The Loons had spent the last five weeks winless and needed a win or a draw Sunday in the regular-season finale to secure a Western Conference playoff spot. They did it with their first clean sheet since mid-July and their first two-goal game since late August. Franco Fragapane’s goal in the first half put Minnesota ahead, and Jonathan Gonzalez’s goal provided insurance in the second half.

“Relieved,” manager Adrian Heath said.

The Loons locked in the sixth seed and will travel to third-seed FC Dallas for a first-round match at 8:30 p.m. Oct. 17. They became the only Western Conference club to make the playoffs in the last four postseasons, but fell short of their preseason aim of earning a top-four seed this fall.

“The champagne is good, but we’ve got work to do,” Trapp said. “… Look, we expected to make the playoffs. It’s maybe a little unfortunate or not ideal that it took us to the last day to do so. But I’ve found that when you have to play meaningful games at the end of the season, before you get to the playoffs, you start to understand what that looks like.”

A cooler full of beers and hard seltzers also sat nearly untouched, and plastic sheets set up to block the spray had already been taken down. When they clinched a playoff spot at home in 2019, some beer spray coated the dressing room’s ceiling.

“I didn’t really have any (champagne), unfortunately not,” goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair said. “… But when we win the next few games and make it in the playoffs, I think the champagne will taste a lot better than the one now.”

The Loons’ lead came in the 17th minute, with Emanuel Reynoso’s press and poke to Fragapane starting a counter attack. The Argentine took it himself, slotting a right-footed shot past Thomas Hasal.

With a lead and knowing a draw would still mean a spot in the playoffs, Minnesota brought in more midfielders to clog up space in the middle of the park. Gonzalez’s addition led to a shift from a 4-2-3-1 to a 4-3-3, and Joseph Rosales gave fresher legs as Robin Lod had a shorter shift in his return from a calf injury.

“Adrian made a very, very smart call in putting in an extra midfielder, but that also helped us find the weak-side pocket in attack, too,” Trapp said. “Jona, first couple of passes, he plays Robin into a great position a couple of times. He did a great job obviously finishing on the goal.”

The subs combined for the insurance goal, with Gonazalez’s first in MLS came off a cross from Rosales to make it 2-0 in the 77th minute.

In the locker room, Gonzalez’s phone buzzed with a steady stream of notifications from well-wishers for his goal. “It’s good, a lot of family, really happy for them and the fans, they help me out,” he said.

Coming into the season, Minnesota was one of seven clubs league-wide to make the playoffs in the last three seasons. That number was nearly cut in half this season, with New England Revolution and Seattle Sounders knocked out before Decision Day. Portland fell short Sunday.

It’s now down to four league-wide, with Minnesota joining Philadelphia, New York City and New York Red Bulls.

That short list shows how hard it is to be a consistent and current playoff team, but it’s more noteworthy that Seattle and Portland have dropped out than, say, Red Bulls remain in, because those Cascadia teams have trophies and finals appearances to show for their runs.

Trapp knows the Loons can be an “afterthought” in the broad league landscape. “But at the end of the day it doesn’t matter,” he said. “If you can win games and move forward – it’s four games to win MLS Cup, let go ahead and do it. I think we have the quality, the group of players that can do that.”

BRIEFLY

Loons supporters unveiled a tifo for the club’s TV broadcasters Kyndra de St. Aubin and Callum Williams before Sunday’s game. That pair have been mainstays in the commentary booth since the move to MLS in 2017. With the league’s broadcast rights going to Apple TV in 2023, clubs will not have dedicated broadcasters going forward. …. Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan took the bullhorn and spoke to United supporters during halftime of Sunday’s game. The appearance was part of the Dark Clouds’ nearly $9,000 fundraiser for the Minnesota Indian Women’s Sexual Assault Coalition. … Lod returned from a 2 1/2 game absence due to a calf injury; the Finn came back into central midfield with Trapp, with Kervin Arriaga suspended for yellow-card accumulation. … Minnesota improved to 12-4-4 this season when scoring the first goal. … Loons players joined into the “black out” crowd, which set a new club-record-high attendance of 19,441. Dayne St. Clair and Trapp had on clothes to match supporters. “If the fans are going to wear it, we can as well,” the Canadian goalkeeper said. “For us, I want to put Vancouver away and have a funeral for them.”

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