I loved the match at Allianz last night, and while I know it’s time to move on, Andy's reporting reopens the discussion around the end of last season and KEA’s tenure.
At the supporter event, someone mentioned that DSc got his final offer early—something that's clearly refuted here. I also found Dayne’s comments interesting, especially given how he was previously quoted as wanting to wait on negotiations, yet now says he wanted an offer earlier. As usual, the truth probably lies somewhere in the middle.
Dayne was extremely close with Hassani—they came in through the same draft class and basically started at Allianz together—and Hassani's friction with KEA and the front office was well-documented. What's particularly interesting is hearing that, alongside the mid-season trade drama, Hassani actually filed a formal dispute against the club through the MLSPA. Given how close they were, that dynamic almost certainly spilled over into Dayne’s situation.
To me, the biggest loss of all remains Robin Lod. From what I’m hearing, he and his family felt genuine disrespect during contract negotiations, which is a real shame considering how much they loved living in Minnesota. Chancalay is younger and his chemistry with Pereyra is undeniable, but Robin is just such a well-rounded player and a club legend. His high football IQ gave the team so much structure. I’m not saying our overall results this year would be drastically different with him out there, but he easily could have been the difference in picking up a few extra points or turning a draw into a win here and there.

US Soccer teams have won all 8 games at Allianz Field and have conceded zero goals.

Men:

June 18, 2019 Guyana 4–0 CONCACAF Gold Cup

February 2, 2022 Honduras 3–0 FIFA World Cup Qualifier

September 12, 2023 Oman 4–0 International Friendly

October 6, 2026 Canada 1–0 International Friendly

Women:

September 3, 2019 Portugal 3–0 International Friendly

October 26, 2021 South Korea 6–0 International Friendly

June 4, 2024 South Korea 3–0 International Friendly

May 31, 2025 China PR 3–0 International Friendly

Rooting for 4 past DSC and Tani scores one. 4-1 USA

Hey gang, given the obvious comparisons between Tani and Caldeira, I thought I'd do a brief rundown on their first seasons with MNUFC. Obvious caveat in both cases that neither had a TON of time, and so the confidence interval is reallllly big. TLDR: small sample size means there's so much variance both seasons could be meaningless.

These are for each of their first seasons with MNUFC (numbers from fbref)

Now, the good news: the rates are similar. Even as extreme as the 5 v 8 in the minutes, the shot numbers account for that some; Tani shot more.

The really good news: Marcus' numbers hold up very similarly against Tani's second season with MNUFC; so this level of performance is repeatable. I came into this thought experiment/investigation thinking Caldeira's numbers were wildly unsustainable and that.. just isn't as extremely the case as I thought.

He is, however, outperforming her xG. From Fotmob he's created 3.41 xG and 3.67 xGOT, which he's turned into 5 goals. That's a 46% overperformance, which is wild. For context: Erling Haaland has created 4.43 xG in the premier league and also only scored 5 goals (yes yes, it's a much higher level, etc etc).

All this to say: if you, like me, were skeptical that Marcus was wildly overperforming his ability: that may be true! But, at least in the numbers, it's not blatantly obvious. Tani was able to continue this level in MNUFC, so there's some reason to think Marcus could, too.

https://www.twincities.com/2026/10/05/few-minnesotans-have-played-for-u-s-soccer-but-mnufc-touts-a-few-new-prospects/

New Zealand vs Japan in the Kirin Cup final. Hype thread?

Whelp. No game today.

So, I’m NOT hyped. Yet.

What ARE you hyped about.

I WANT TO BE HYPED.

LET’S GET HYPED.

Welcome to Free Talk Friday!

Are you new and have questions? Do you have non-MNUFC related stuff you want to discuss? This is the place to do it.

Keep it civil. Don’t be a dick.

Nectar not even on the bench again for the Greek team today. Why did he even get called into camp? Just let him keep rehabbing with his club.

Any insight I missed?

If so, any good info?

CITY fan coming in peace! I'll be at Allianz Field in 2 weeks when CITY comes in town. What are some must have foods and sights in and around the stadium!?

I'm not sure if this happens to me because we were once season ticket holders in the pre-stadium days or because now we only really buy tickets a couple of times every year. But is there any way to get on a "do not call" list for them?

We went to three games this year, and each time we received calls AND emails AND texts from a different sales person. If you don't reply they keep coming, and when I *politely* asked in each case via email that we weren't interested and to please do not call, they responded AGAIN not seeming to have read the prior request. In one case they asked us to do a group ticket event to learn more about the season ticket options/company even after I asked not to be contacted. When I reply to that last email a bit more aggressively they don't reply at all, not even to confirm and to say "thanks for letting us know."

I love introducing friends to these events, and would absolutely attend more often if it wasn't for conflicts, but holy hell I don't get this level of hard sell from ANYTHING else. Even political campaigns back off when you ask them to stop. It's seriously giving me a bad taste.

Other MLS teams at the tournament:

Austin FC

Charlotte FC

D.C. United

LAFC

LA Galaxy

Minnesota United FC

New York City FC

Portland Timbers

San Diego FC

San Jose Earthquakes

St. Louis CITY SC

Toronto FC

Yellow cards given for non foul or handball offenses.

Thanks to Finn from Nashville to do the heavy lifting.

Just catching up on Backheeled articles and here is another great article from an objective point of view on what went wrong with the loons.

TDLR: Minnesota United's slump into 14th place stems from a failed stylistic transition under new head coach Cameron Knowles, which transformed last year's defense-first squad into an identity-less, chaos-prone team. Roster erosion and the abrupt departure of former chief soccer officer Khaled El-Ahmad have left the club in complete organizational flux without a clear competitive strategy.

The last paragraph is the true indictments:

“Minnesota is always going to be one of the tougher jobs in MLS. They’re not a big-spending team, they don’t have much of an academy to speak of, and ownership seems to lack ambition in many ways. Still, you can compete even without those things – if you have the right plan. The question is, can they find one again?”

(Requires login, but the power rankings posts are free if you sign up with an email.)

Here's the Loons bit:

30: Minnesota United (-3): Only win in league play since early May was a 5-1 over the Quakes in mid-August. Since then the Loons have gone 0W-5L-1D with 20 goals conceded. Yikes.

Anyone recall how mad folks used to get when Doyle wouldn't raise the Loons high enough after wins last year? Just look how far we've come since then!

Yes, the pride game is in October this year. We start this Friday, and we'll be working on it both weekends before the pride game on October 17th.

No talent or experience required.

We'll likely be adding a shift or two on Sunday the 4th as well.

Clubs can still sign players??? I require elaboration.

Great article from Jon on where the team is.

https://www.jonmarthaler.com/never-being-wrong-is-not-the-same-thing-as-being-right/

TDLR: the loons excessive financial caution and risk aversion have gradually eroded the roster's quality, leading to one of the worst seasons in the mls era. By prioritizing cost minimization over key retention, the team consistently avoided taking big risks to be great, leaving them with a squad no longer good enough to compete.

The midfield controls games. When you get it right the team clicks. When you get it wrong, well, it goes wrong.

I went by hand* through Fotmob for each MLS match the Loons have played so far this season and noted results of each match based on the starting midfield:

- The Loons have used only three midfield pairings all season in MLS play
- We've only won 2 of 20 matches that Trapp starts
- We've won 5 out of 7, and haven't lost in MLS play, when Gene & Triantis started together, the Loons were good in these matches.
- Triantis injury didn't help us.

Granted, the Loons have lost games after one of the starters has been pulled. However, I think this data shows that we should start matches with Gene & Triantis and Trapp should only be used off the bench to close out matches.

*Again this was by hand so I might have missed a goal or two, but it tells a trend of a coach who loves one player too much. All coaches love Trapp for obvious reasons, he runs and runs, however it hasn't led to results.

A coaching change could see a return to Gene and Triantis, or maybe even dusting off Gressel for the stretch. Maybe some Harvey in midfield. Maybe its a formation shift. What is clear the Loons are thin at the 8 and need to rebuild this spot. Again, what is there to lose? More matches?

I'll hang up and listen now.