Shades of franchise's inaugural home game, Minnesota United braces for Snopener II

Snopener II arrived Saturday night at Allianz Field, six years after the original brought Minnesota United a 6-1 loss to fellow expansion team Atlanta United in its inaugural home opener at TCF Bank Stadium.

Down came the snow on Saturday as opening kick approached, covering a field heated 50 to 65 degrees 10 inches beneath the surface.

"I do remember it," Loons coach Adrian Heath said before Saturday's game. "It's not very often you get six or seven (goals allowed) in your first game in charge. I've been here seven years. Hopefully it won't come to that again."

Atlanta's Josef Martinez scored three times and Miguel Almiron twice as snow fell hard. "Every time I think back to that game," Heath said, "I find it ironic that we had Scandinavians who couldn't stand up and they had about seven South Americans who were dancing on the snow. Obviously it was a little bit of a shock to us on the day. That was then. This is now. I fully expect us to be ready."

Groundskeepers used leaf blowers Saturday to clear off lines designating the 18-yard penalty box, the midfield stripe and end lines an hour before the game. Heath also urged his players all week to wear the correct cleats, encouraging them to wear what he calls "proper football boots" with metal spikes rather than plastic "slippers."

Loons starting goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair planned to wear latex medical gloves under his goalkeeper gloves to keep his hands warm and studded cleats to keep his footing firm. "I always wear studs, anything I can do to eliminate slipping," St. Clair said. "It means a lot more when I slip."

The Loons trained a week ago on the Allianz Field as part of a fan open house and the grass was slippery, even without any falling snow. Finland's Robin Lod was asked if the snow and the cold suits his Scandinavian sensibilities.

"No, to be honest," he said. "You to take concern with what you wear, but that's football."

Before Ted Lasso?

The club held a moment of celebration — asking fans to applaud and cheer rather than be silent — for Bud Grant, the NFL Hall of Fame, Vikings legendary head coach and … would-be soccer team owner? Grant died Saturday at age 95.

In September 1994, Grant and a German friend in the sports industry considered buying the Minnesota Thunder amateur soccer team, intending to move it into fledgling Major League Soccer. This was riding the wake of the highly successful World Cup held in the U.S. that summer and the launch of the first major outdoor pro soccer league in 1996.

Grant's group had fleeting discussions with Thunder management as well as National Sports Center and MLS officials about expanding the Blaine stadium from 6,000 capacity to 15,000, but nothing became of it.

Almost 30 years later, Minnesota United is worth $565 million, according to Sportico's MLS franchise valuations.

"I don't know anything about soccer," Grant said from his Wisconsin cabin back then. "My grandchildren play it, but all kids play soccer these days. It's not something I'm looking for. I'm retired. I'm up here mowing the lawn. That's more important. … I'm not going to invest any money in a soccer team and know nothing about it. If I could help somebody meet somebody and get a franchise here, I'd do that."