D.C. United might not know exactly what to expect out of Minnesota United FC today, but it feels like a safe bet that they’re expecting goals and chances at both ends. Sometimes MLS teams are simply too worried about conceding goals, and their games become boring due to the focus on reducing risk wherever possible. The Loons are not that kind of team. Minnesota has scored 2+ goals in 6 of their 8 games this year, but they’ve also given up 2+ goals five times. Despite spending on some major defensive improvements, Minnesota is essentially the team they were last season. For the Black-and-Red, the most likely scenario that ends in 3 points is winning a shootout. Get yourself ready, because today could be wild. Key player: Luciano Acosta Like we just said, Minnesota doesn’t do boring. They’ve scored 17 times in 8 games, but they’ve also given up 15 goals. It seems fair to think that this one could end up being about which team can finish with more precision, because it’s highly likely that there will be a heap of chances at both ends. That’s where Lucho comes in. We know that Wayne Rooney is carrying his weight, and the Loons are dreadful at defending set pieces, so there might be a goal out there for one of the center backs, but this feels like a game that might require another threat to come through. Acosta has had a bit of bad luck, with goal-bound shots deflected, but more than anything he’s just not seeing as many openings to threaten in 2019. That probably needs to change today, and it very well could. MNUFC is probably game-planning for Acosta, but that 15 goals against figure is a solid argument that their successful plan to mute Zlatan Ibrahimovic was an outlier rather than the norm. The opportunities should be there for him to do real damage today, but it’s on Lucho to seize them. Location: Allianz Field (St. Paul, MN) Kickoff time: 1:30pm Eastern Projected D.C. United starting 11: (3421) - Bill Hamid; Frederic Brillant, Donovan Pines, Steven Birnbaum; Leonardo Jara, Chris Durkin, Junior Moreno, Paul Arriola; Wayne Rooney, Luciano Acosta; Quincy Amarikwa Bench: Chris Seitz, Jalen Robinson, Akeem Ward, Ulises Segura, Zoltan Stieber, Lucas Rodriguez You are counting that bench correctly. We’re hearing that United took Chris McCann along in hopes that his hamstring would possibly be recovered enough to dress, but after some tests upon arrival in Minnesota, they’ve opted not to risk him. With injuries still a factor and Griffin Yow away with the US u17s, we’re down to 17 in the squad. The lineup itself is a bit of a guess. Ben Olsen is probably going to rotate somewhere, given that the win in Columbus was the important game of this two-game Midwest swing, but guessing where is probably a fool’s errand. It could be Jara making way for Segura, or Ward getting a start as a wingback on either side, or Rodriguez starting over Acosta, or Robinson over Brillant...or all of the above. Projected Minnesota starting 11: (4231) - Vito Mannone; Romain Métanire, Ike Opara, Brent Kallman, Francisco Calvo; Osvaldo Alonso, Jan Gregus; Ethan Finlay, Darwin Quintero, Romario Ibarra; Angelo Rodriguez Some suspension-enforced midweek rotation means Adrian Heath can freshen up his team with Calvo and Gregus, which isn’t great news. The only real question marks here are on the left wing (where it could be Miguel Ibarra if Heath wants a pure winger, or Rasmus Schüller as a more simple possession option whose job is to fill in when Quintero roams) and up top, where Rodriguez could be rested for Abu Danladi or Romario Ibarra. Referee: Nima Saghafi Available TV: Fox Sports 1 Available streaming: Fox Sports Go, Fox Soccer Match Pass For listings in other countries, check out LiveSoccerTV.com. What do we have to say about it? : We’ve got Filibuster ready to go, and will have Opposition 11 and our predictions coming up this morning. What are you drinking? : I might just be having some Stok iced coffee? I spent a lot of yesterday out in the sun and wind, so I’m probably going to sleep in. This is the place for all your pre-game, in-game, and post-game discussion. Vamos winning a goal-fest!<doc-sep>“As I keep saying after games, we need to learn from some performances,” Rooney said. “Today we didn’t learn. Again in the second half, it seems to be a mental thing where we come out and we’re hanging on. There was space for us to play; we rushed it a bit too much at times.”<doc-sep>Two songs stuck out from Minnesota United’s celebration of its historic first win at Allianz Field on Sunday. The first was obvious and overdue. After two draws and a scoreless 81 minutes to start a third game, the new stadium in St. Paul’s Midway was quickly becoming the site of only middling results. And it was begging the question: When would Loons supporters be able to sing “Wonderwall,” the Oasis song that became its adopted anthem back in 2011? But with a late goal between Romain Metanire and possible late touch from Angelo Rodriguez in a 1-0 win over D.C. United, the wait ended for an announced crowd of 19,620. The singalong was cathartic for a club that felt the stress of hosting letdown draws with New York City in its April 13 opener and then with the Los Angeles Galaxy on Wednesday. Video: #MNUFC supporters sing “Wonderwall” after #Loons’ first win, 1-0 over D.C. United, on Sunday at Allianz Field in St. Paul. Special moment for the club and its fans. pic.twitter.com/tamyo7Wh4x — Andy Greder (@andygreder) April 28, 2019 RELATED: Why Wonderwall? The story behind the Minnesota United singalong The second song was a surprise and slapstick. In the Loons’ dressing room after the win, Minnesotans Brent Kallman and Ethan Finlay cranked up the volume on “I Wanna Rock” by Twisted Sister. “We’re back, baby!” Finlay shouted as Kallman sang: “Turn it down, you say. All I got to say to you is time and time again is no!” To turn up the music, Minnesota needed to produce its second consecutive clean sheet — a first in the two-plus year MLS history of the club. They ran its home shutout stretch to 206 minutes by keeping star striker Wayne Rooney and D.C. off the scoreboard. The Loons (4-3-2) were able to end a three-match winless streak, which included a giveaway 4-3 loss to Toronto FC on April 19 that produced a heated scene in the locker room after the game. They were able to beat Eastern Conference-leading D.C., the last remaining undefeated MLS club on the road this season. Instead of a draw, Sunday’s game was setting up as a loss in the 22nd minute. D.C. appeared to take a 1-0 lead with a header from Donovan Pines, but a video review showed teammate Frederic Brillant’s left arm inhibited United goalkeeper Vito Mannone from jumping to make a play on the ball, and the goal was disallowed. Moments earlier, Mannone made a sprawling save on a Lucas Rodriguez strike from outside the 18-yard box. The ball went wide for Rooney, who sent in the cross Pines connected with. This was the best chance for either team in a sleepy Sunday afternoon game that Mannone drank Red Bull to get energized for. As a blasé first half spilled over to the second, the Loons didn’t produce a shot on goal until its talisman, Darwin Quintero, left the game with an apparent left lower leg injury in the 51st minute. He suffered the knock in the 32nd minute but tried to stay in the game after a halftime cortisone shot. Substitute Miguel Ibarra injected the Loons’ attack with vigor, threatening almost immediately with the Loons’ first shot on goal in the 58th minute. It needed Bill Hamid’s fingertips to push it over the crossbar. The Loons’ pressure kept mounting, with Metanire’s cross going through Rodriguez and past Hamid in the 82nd. It was the club’s first goal in front of its intense supporters sections on the south stand. Rodriguez laughed postgame when asked if he got a touch on the pass. “As a forward, I’ll always say, ‘yes,’ ” he said through a translator. Before that goal, center back Ike Opara admitted his mind briefly wandered to the what-if of a possible third straight draw in front of a third sellout crowd. He knew what the moment meant. Before coming to Minnesota in an offseason trade from Sporting Kansas City, Opara had witnessed the celebration on the losing side and said he thought, “This is pretty cool.” While the FS1 national telecast aired “Wonderwall” live — as ESPN intended to with the season opener — they pulled Opara aside for an interview during the rendition. “I didn’t really get to experience the full; it was great from what I saw,” Opara said. “It was loud.”<doc-sep>
D.C. United had plenty of the ball, but suffered a 1-0 defeat against Minnesota United FC today at Allianz Field. A hugely controversial first half VAR decision waved off a Donovan Pines goal, and the home side finally took charge of the game in the late stages, getting an 82nd minute goal on a cross that may or may not have been touched by Angelo Rodriguez. The match began slowly. Within the first 15 minutes, D.C. and Minnesota both had spells of possession and attempted to execute dangerous opportunities, but neither could establish themselves as the frontrunners. In the 21st minute, a corner initiated a goal-scoring opportunity for United. Wayne Rooney played short corner to Junior Moreno that Minnesota struggled to clear. Lucas Rodriguez lurked, forcing Vito Mannone into a great save, but in punching it out, Mannone enabled Rooney to cross the ball back into the box, and Donovan Pines soared above a crowd to score. Celebrations were cut short for Pines, though, as referee Nima Saghafi disallowed the goal after watching VAR replays, with Saghafi claiming Frederic Brilliant’s arm stopped Mannone from getting to the ball. United continued to look dangerous on set pieces, but from open play the game had little to offer in the first half. Bill Hamid didn’t have a save to make as Minnesota were held two long-range Jan Gregus efforts that were both blocked by defenders. The 57th minute saw a rejuvenated Minnesota experience a sudden energy boost thanks to substitute Miguel Ibarra that flipped the game’s roles and force Hamid to a top save. Angelo Rodriguez held off Pines to dish the ball to Ibarra, whose strike pushed Hamid to save the day by getting a slight hand on the shot. Ibarra’s shot initiated a dominant spell from the home side, upping the momentum on the pitch and leveling the match. D.C. were on the back foot for much of the final half-hour, but were still not giving away many chances. At the other end, a rare surge forward Luciano Acosta to break through and strike, but the ball was slightly over Mannone’s net. While the buildup was well executed for United, the visiting side failed to fully retrieve control after giving up their dominant edge mid-second half. In the 82nd minute, Minnesota’s relentless pressure proved successful. Romain Metanire gained possession on the right, and crossed into the box to Angelo Rodriguez. Whether Rodriguez made contact or not, his attempt managed to get the ball past Pines and Hamid. Rodriguez sprinted to celebrate, claiming the goal and giving the Loon’s their first win at Allianz Field. United will take a much-needed week back in the District, with their next game this coming Saturday at Audi Field against the Columbus Crew. Box Score MLS Regular Season (Game 10) Minnesota United FC 1 (Métanire 82) D.C. United 0 Lineups: MNUFC (433): Vito Mannone; Romain Métanire, Ike Opara, Brent Kallman, Eric Miller; Jan Gregus, Osvaldo Alonso, Rasmus Schüller; Abu Danladi (Hassani Dotson 85), Angelo Rodriguez (Ethan Finlay 90), Darwin Quintero (Miguel Ibarra 51) DCU (3421): Bill Hamid; Frederic Brillant (Quincy Amarikwa 85), Donovan Pines, Steven Birnbaum; Leonardo Jara (Ulises Segura 46), Chris Durkin, Junior Moreno, Paul Arriola; Luciano Acosta, Lucas Rodriguez (Zoltan Stieber 78); Wayne Rooney (C) Bookings: MNUFC - Métanire 19 DCU - Birnbaum 45