Minnesota United FC sits fourth in the combined North American Soccer League standings meaning, if the season ended before Saturday, the Loons would be a playoff team.
Eight matches remain, however, and the Loons (36 points) are only ahead of Miami FC by four points for the final postseason spot. And the Sunshine State boys have played one fewer match. Indy Eleven sits above Minnesota by three points — the amount earned by a victory.
Minnesota coach Carl Craig, while valuing home-field advantage in the playoffs, said jockeying for a spot isn't the focus.
"You go for the win each game, but there's no need to be stupid about it," Craig said. "We're worried about the playoffs. If other teams start dropping, we'll worry about position."
Getting defensive
A 4-0 rout by Miami FC on Aug. 6 forced Minnesota, which has led the NASL in scoring the past two seasons, to assume a different identity.
The Loons have possessed the ball less than the opponent in each of the past six games. But they have allowed just three goals in that span and played to a draw or victory five times. Twice, Minnesota did not allow a shot on goal.
"That was the turning point for us to figure out that we had to get back to the grinding, ugly, defensive side of the game," midfielder Jamie Watson said. "It's fun to score goals because those plays become the highlights. But what you don't see sometimes are the guys who are willing to leave with their jerseys completely dirtied up and covered in sweat because they've run around and made nuisances of themselves defensively."
The defense maintained solid results despite a mix of six players lined up in four variations the past half dozen matches.
