Minnesota United might say that they’re not using player absences as an excuse during their five-game losing streak — but they sure sound like they can’t wait for it to be over.
Asked what the club needed to change, manager Eric Ramsay said, “To be honest, I think it’s as simple as welcoming players back from injury, welcoming players back from internationals, and getting back to how we felt prior to all this having taken place. And that’s, I think, a very realistic take on the situation. Obviously, we look at this period with real regret and real disappointment that we haven’t picked up points that perhaps we could or should have done. But ultimately, there’s a big set of circumstances around that, which has made that really difficult, and those set of circumstances are about to come to an end.”
The Loons are beginning to turn the corner, in terms of player availability. Midfielder Alejandro Bran, who played the final twelve minutes for Costa Rica last night in Austin, Texas, caught a flight and was in the starting lineup on Wednesday night. Minnesota is targeting Sunday’s game against the LA Galaxy for the return of Teemu Pukki from injury.
Canada, which plays Venezuela on Friday, could be the final domino to fall; if the Canucks lose Friday, Minnesota could get Dayne St. Clair and Tani Oluwaseyi back for Sunday’s game as well.
Even beyond that, the MLS transfer window opens July 18. One new player, forward Samuel Shashoua, has already been training with the team for a few weeks, and the Loons will clearly be looking to bring in others as well — hopefully for them, as quickly as possible.
“I’m sure Eric [Ramsay] would like some decision headaches on who he’s putting in the lineup,” defender Michael Boxall said.
‘Back to basics’ defensively
Ramsay came in preaching defense, and for a few months, it worked. In his first 14 games in charge, the Loons gave up more than two goals only once.
Over the past four games, though, the Loons have given up twelve goals — including five against Dallas, three against Portland, and three more against Vancouver. It left the manager frustrated, and ready to go back to the beginning with the team’s defensive focus.