Can Loons win the MLS Cup? Eric Ramsay thinks so

Eric Ramsay’s message came across in a calm, matter-of-fact way — except for a casual expletive mixed in — after Minnesota United swept Real Salt Lake in the first round of MLS Cup Playoffs on Saturday.

The Loons’ head coach was addressing his players in the dressing room at Allianz Field, looking ahead to the Western Conference semifinal against Los Angeles Galaxy on either Nov. 23 or 24.

“Three wins away,” Ramsay said of the stages left to capture MLS Cup on Dec. 7. “We can (expletive) beat anyone in this league. And you know we are a good match for Galaxy.”

Goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair, who made two massive saves in the 3-1 win in penalty kicks to end Game 2, agreed with his coach’s sentiment, which was shared in a video by the club after some careful editing.

“We’re definitely happy, but we’re not satisfied,” St. Clair said. “We know that we can go to Galaxy … and get a result and continue to move on. In this moment, it wasn’t just about making the playoffs for this team or winning (and) getting out of the first round. If we’re going to do it, let’s go all the way.”

The sixth-seeded Loons’ first challenge is second-seeded Galaxy, which scored the third-most goals (69) in MLS this season. L.A. demolished seventh-seed Colorado Rapids 5-0 at home in Game 1 and pulled away with two stoppage-time goals for a 4-1 road victory in Game 2 on Friday night.

The Loons went 0-1-1 against Galaxy this season. They played to a 2-2 draw at Allianz Field on May 15, but Minnesota had an expected goals advantage of 2.5-1.0.

Then on July 7, Galaxy won 2-1 at Dignity Health Sports Park, but Minnesota was without St. Clair and forward Tani Oluwaseyi (both with Canada on international duty) and midfielder Wil Trapp (hamstring).

“Over the course of the coming two or three weeks, we will have a look back at the performances against them, particularly the first one,” Ramsay told his team about the May draw. “And it’s (expletive) even. They are a beatable team, particularly with how we are looking at the moment.”

Ramsay hasn’t been shy to speak highly of his team in the past month, and rightfully so. MNUFC averaged the third-highest points per game (2.1) after MLS play restarted play post-Leagues Cup in late August.

If the Loons get past the Galaxy, they likely would play either top seed Los Angeles FC or the fourth-seeded Seattle Sounders in the Western Conference final. The East has two favorites in Inter Miami, which set a points record this season with Leo Messi, and defending MLS Cup champion Columbus Crew.

MNUFC will be underdogs the rest of the way — and on the road, too. But the next three rounds are each one-off matchups, creating more what-if possibilities for upsets.

The streaking Loons, however, will have to wait three weeks for their next match, due to avoiding Game 3, which would have been Friday in Utah. The playoffs will then pause for the FIFA international window the following week. The remaining eight clubs league wide will have a week to train for the conference semifinals.

“I’ve got to say it’s strange because you feel like you are hitting the climax of the season, and we’ve got a real rhythm and I am sure Galaxy feel the same way,” Ramsay said about the break. “As I have done in these situations where the schedule feels a little bit off is to try and take it as a positive, give the lads some time off and try and help the group continue to evolve.

“We, probably more than (Galaxy, are) a team that is much earlier in their evolution (and) will probably benefit from the training time,” Ramsay continued. “Every time we have had big chunks of training, what you see on the other side is a better version of the team that went in, so we will approach it that way, but there is some frustration for sure.”

Originally Published: November 3, 2024 at 12:06 PM CST