Houston 0, Minnesota 0: The team everyone wanted?
The Loons played the way that fans wanted them to play. Which is not to say that they won, or that they're going to the playoffs.
Watching Minnesota United on Saturday, I was struck by one thing: I think this is how fans wanted Minnesota to play.
There the Loons were, controlling the game, and not just in their own penalty area. Minnesota spent much of 2024 and 2025 as a squad that was exceptionally unconcerned about ball possession and pressing, that was willing to play in a low block defensively and settle for a few high-danger counter-attacking chances, which - when combined with exceptional success from set pieces, and a bias towards creating extra set-piece opportunities - was enough for them to be pretty successful.
It felt like there was a ceiling there, though. And no matter how much the Loons insisted that defensive solidity was just as valid of a method of controlling the game as ball possession, it seemed always on the verge of breaking down. Even a well-thought-out smash-and-grab plan is still 1) smashing and 2) grabbing.
That wasn't what we saw on Saturday. What we saw on Saturday was the Loons, on the road, in a playoff chase, taking it to a playoff-caliber team (admittedly, one amidst a terrible run) all over the field.
