By: Bridget McDowell // @BCMcDowell
Minnesota begins the fabled Third Year in MLS with a five game road trip. While the idea of the Loons playing away conjures an image of cartoon figures in wing kits trudging along under their own personal rain clouds, one Dark Cloud draws us out of our corners to participate in a game that forces us to rediscover our optimism. Or, at the very least, to rationalize our pessimism.
Bruce ‘du Nord’ McGuire (no relation to club owner, Dr. Bill McGuire — though he does have a brother named Bill) is a MN Dark Clouds OG and a pro at keeping Minnesota fans focused. At various points through the season, McGuire invites his Twitter followers to guess how many points the Loons will earn over that period, logs the entries and regularly updates the total of still-standing entrants.
I play every time. Unofficially, with no record and, thus, no mental consequences that can’t be shoved aside. But I am a committed, recorded entrant (one of 220, as of Friday evening) in the 2019 du Nord How Many Points for MNUFC In The First Five Games Contest.
I predicted seven points, officially.*
*Unofficially, I predicted that plus or minus six; I’ll tell after Week Five.
In 2017, the Loons took just four points from their first five matches on a draw at Colorado and a win at home against Salt Lake. Last year, a rare two-game win streak earned the Loons six points, away at Orlando and home against Chicago.
So if there were a single home match among these five, I would add two more points, but with Vancouver, San Jose, LA Galaxy, New England and New York Red Bulls all on the pre-Allianz docket, I’m fairly comfortable with an optimistic seven point total. That’s two wins and a draw. Or one win and four draws. (A lot of ties will really win over the Minnesota Vikings fanbase.)
One draw and two wins, based on a few incredibly generalized observations:
- I see one point coming out of the opener in Vancouver. While the Loons went undefeated in preseason, there is still the question of how a re-built defense and re-shuffled midfield will come together when it counts. My biggest concern is how flexible Loons’ gaffer Adrian Heath will be with his formation when (not if) adjustments are needed. On the other hand, Heath has leg up on Marc dos Santos who is practically rebuilding his new club from the ground up with very few preseason tune-ups. So I’ll just call that a draw.
- The Week Five match in New England is one the Loons are most likely to win, if preseason was any indication. A United squad heavy on new guys experiencing their first matchplay as a unit, dismantled a more veteran Revolution side for a confidence-boosting win. Winger Miguel Ibarra notched the only goal of the evening (discounting a Revs own-goal), but the attack seemed fresh, the defense solid… Judging from limited club updates and just a few minutes of highlight video.
- Rewind to Week Three in San Jose. The veteran Loons will go in with a huge chip on their shoulders thanks to previous years’ results and the newcomers (Ike Opara and Ozzie Alonso, especially) will carry in the commitment and leadership to funnel that steam toward a positive result – the win that any club but San Jose should get in San Jose.
Alternate scenario: The Loons win convincingly in Vancouver and go on to draw the remaining four, bringing seven points into the first match at Allianz Field, which nearly 20,000 fans will walk into for the first time with low expectations, but ready to party.
Either way… Come. On. You. Loons.
Featured image: @MNUFC
Follow and chat with me on Twitter // @BCMcDowell
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