Minnesota United head coach Eric Ramsay says the club are "onto a good thing" despite their nine-match winless streak as they prepare to face the San Jose Earthquakes.
Minnesota ended a six-match losing run against Houston Dynamo last weekend with a 1-1 draw but could not build on that in midweek as they let a lead slip in stoppage time against D.C. United to lose 3-2.
Sitting ninth in the Western Conference with teams below them are starting to close in, but Ramsay, who is starting to come under pressure due to this run of results, remains optimistic.
"I always see hope," Ramsay said. "We've got a group that is very willing to throw themselves into a challenge and a coaching staff that are largely very positive and constructive.
"We're doing everything we can to make sure that we roll from one game into another. We look at ourselves hard in the mirror, but we're also realistic, and I am absolutely adamant that we're onto a good thing here.
"The big thing is we remain calm and level, with lessons learned, and everything still intact."
Meanwhile, San Jose sit rooted to the bottom of the table having collected just 14 points this season.
Despite winning just one of their last 12 matches, interim head coach Ian Russell says he sees improvement in the team, especially defensively.
"We've had three games in a week, and you want to focus on each game, but that's really hard," Russell said.
"Defensively, we're better, but we've got to get the attack going. It's a fine line. It's a matter of every player buying in defensively, staying compact, small details.
"If you do that as a collective, you start seeing results and, defensively, we've been pretty good."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Minnesota United – Tanitoluwa Oluwaseyi
Minnesota's 3-2 defeat to D.C. on Wednesday marked the second time in club history that the Loons lost an MLS match when leading entering the 90th minute, also doing so at home against Seattle in August 2018.
Oluwaseyi scored the opener in that game, netting for the eighth time this season, and he will be key as they look to bounce back.
San Jose Earthquakes – Jacob Jackson
San Jose have lost four straight, and nine of their 11 road games this regular season (winning one, drawing one). The Earthquakes have allowed at least four goals in five of those 11 games.
Jacob Jackson has endured a torrid run in goal, and he will be keen to enjoy a shutout before the Leagues Cup break.
MATCH PREDICTION: MINNESOTA UNITED WIN
San Jose won each of their first four meetings with Minnesota, spanning the 2017 and 2018 seasons. Since 2019, the Earthquakes have managed just one win in 10 meetings with the Loons in all competitions (drawing four, losing five).
Minnesota are winless in a club-record nine straight regular-season matches (drawing two, losing seven) following a 3-2 loss to D.C. on Wednesday. The Loons have lost three straight home matches for the first time in the club's MLS history.
Meanwhile, San Jose's 14 points through 24 games this season equals the fourth-fewest at this stage of a season in MLS history, behind only the MetroStars in 1999 (nine), D.C. United in 2013 (13) and Chivas USA in 2005 (13).
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Minnesota United – 56.1%
Draw – 22.7%
San Jose Earthquakes – 21.2%
Inter Miami 3-1 Philadelphia Union: Messi stars with brace on injury return
Lionel Messi led Inter Miami's comeback, getting a brace and an assist on his return from injury in a 3-1 win over Philadelphia Union.
The Argentine had been out with an ankle injury he sustained in the Copa America final, but he slotted straight back into the line-up after an eight-match absence.
Philadelphia made a dream start against the Eastern Conference leaders, with Mikael Uhre latching onto a loose clearance from Tomas Aviles before coolly slotting in from the edge of the D after just 58 seconds.
Messi got his first goal in the 26th minute, with Luis Suarez cushioning the ball to him before he rounded the defender to level the score.
He then gave Miami the lead just four minutes later – Alba, in acres of space down the left, squared it to Messi for a first-time finish through Jack Elliott's legs.
Suarez thought he had scored a third just after the break with a lovely bending effort into the near post, only to be denied by a tight offside in the build-up.
But he would get his goal in the 98th minute, with Messi unselfishly setting him up instead of going for a hat-trick, and the Uruguayan swept it into the back of the net.
Miami now have a 10-point lead over FC Cincinnati at the top of the Eastern Conference, while Philadelphia sit in 11th place.
Data Debrief: Back with a bang
Miami have not exactly been missing Messi during his injury absence, with Suarez, who netted his 17th goal of the season this game, picking up the goalscoring mantle in the meantime, but it was a welcome return nonetheless.
The 37-year-old became the fastest player in MLS history to reach 15 goals and 15 assists, doing so in 19 games. Sebastian Giovinco previously held the record (29 matches).
Seattle Sounders v Sporting Kansas City: Schmetzer wary of ‘dangerous’ visitors
Brian Schmetzer was under no illusion that the Seattle Sounders’ upcoming MLS fixture against Sporting Kansas City will be anything but easy.
The Sounders returned to winning ways in style, comfortably dispatching Leagues Cup winners Columbus Crew 4-0 away from home last time out.
Schmetzer’s side find themselves sitting fifth in the Western Conference table, with the advantage of having four of their remaining six MLS fixtures at Lumen Field.
And the Sounders head coach insisted their home form would be critical until the end of the season, but he acknowledged the task awaiting his players in their next game.
“It is critical. We need to tell the players the importance of home games because last year Sporting KC came here and beat us and it gave them life, while also putting them on a little bit of a run,” Schmetzer said.
“They have an Open Cup final to look forward to, so they are a dangerous opponent. We want to make sure that we get as many points as possible in these home games because we have this advantage.
“They are a similar team to us. It is the MLS, there are ebbs and flows in every season with every team, so we have to be careful.”
Kansas City, meanwhile, are riding the crest of a wave having gone unbeaten in their last three matches in all competitions, including securing a place in the US Open Cup final.
But their latest result saw them concede an 89th-minute equaliser against the New York Red Bulls, taking their total to 22 points dropped from winning positions this season, the joint-most in the MLS.
But despite that late setback, head coach Peter Vermes is relishing the battle against a side right in the thick of the playoff picture.
“We have had a lot of good matches against each other over the years,” Vermes said.
“I always think that if you are a fan, or just an innocent bystander watching the game, it always winds up being something that you enjoy because it’s always a good game to watch.
“Both teams try to play and there is a lot of competition between the two teams. It’s physical but it’s never dirty and all of us enjoy participating in those kind of games.”
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Seattle Sounders – Albert Rusnak
Rusnak netted his first career MLS hat-trick in Seattle’s 4-0 win over Columbus last time out.
He became the first Slovakian to score an MLS treble, the 51st different country to have at least one of its representatives score a hat-trick in regular season MLS play.
Kansas City – Johnny Russell
Russell has scored a career-best seven regular season goals against the Sounders, including netting one in the meeting between the sides in June.
Only Chris Wondolowski (12), Robbie Keane (nine) and Fanendo Adi (eight) have scored more regular season goals against Seattle than the Scot.
MATCH PREDICTION: SEATTLE SOUNDERS WIN
While Seattle are predicted to emerge victorious according to Opta’s data-led simulations, the Sounders have lost back-to-back home matches, both against Los Angeles FC, in the Leagues Cup and US Open Cup.
Seattle have only lost three of their last 17 matches going back to the beginning of May, with all three defeats coming at the hands of LAFC (W10 D4 L0 vs. all other teams).
Kansas City have enjoyed recent trips to Lumen Field, however, winning four of their last five visits to Seattle (L1) after recording just two wins in their first 11 matches against the Sounders in all competitions (D2, L7).
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Seattle Sounders – 53.5%
Draw – 23.8%
Kansas City – 22.6%
Glenmuir stay perfect in Zone I of daCosta Cup after 2-0 win over neighbours Garvey Maceo
Glenmuir High extended their perfect start to the Inter-Secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA)/Wata daCosta Cup as they blanked neighbours Garvey Maceo 2-0 in a lopsided Zone I affair in May Pen, Clarendon, on Saturday.
Ricardo Binns’ third goal of the season in the 29th and Orel Miller’s seventh of the season in the 40th was enough to seal the three points, which kept Glenmuir atop the standings on maximum nine points.
The defeat, Garvey Maceo’s first of the season, saw them slip to third on six points as Foga Road (seven points) jumped to second after a 6-0 beating of Porus High.
Glenmuir’s Head coach Andrew Peart welcomed the win.
“I am pleased with the win and the maturity shown by the players. For most of them its three years so as they get older, you expect more of them and I thought they showed that. One of the key things for us was not to get the game stretched and I thought we did that well,” Peart said in a post-game interview.
“It is step by step where our title ambitions are concerned; for us, the main thing now is to get out of the group and then we go from there. Yes, we plan long term but we are working short term so its day by day for us right now,” he added.
It was expected to be a close contest between two of last season’s semi-finalists, but Glenmuir had other ideas and should have won by a wider margin.
The Champions Cup holders dominated proceedings from the start as they were enterprising in the attacking third and created numerous chances, though they struggled to apply the finishing touch.
It wasn’t until close to the half-hour mark that they inevitably broke the deadlock from a sustained attacking spell, when Binns headed into an empty net after a decent first touch kept the ball alive ahead of the advancing Garfield Tomlinson in goal for Garvey Maceo.
The lead was doubled 11 minutes later courtesy of Miller, who sidewined his way through four defenders before driving a firm left-footed effort past the hapless Tomlinson to make it 2-0 at the break.
Down, but not out, Garvey Maceo showed more purpose on the attacking front on the resumption and created a few half chances, which amounted to nothing.
From there, the contest offered very little to write home about as Glenmuir showed very little in attack, seemingly content with what they already had, while Garvey Maceo did little to trouble their opponents defensive line.
Garvey Maceo’s head coach Lester Hibbert believes indiscipline led to their demise.
“We gave them instructions to stay with their markers because Glenmuir was doing a lot of movements. When we started the game, we kept them behind the ball but we lost the discipline and conceded two goals, so we just have to brush ourselves off and come again for the next game on Wednesday,” Hibbert said.
Saturday’s results
Vere Technical 0, Kemps Hill 2
Glenmuir 2, Garvey Maceo 0
Foga Road 6, Porus 0
William Knibb 5, Holland 0
Maggotty High 1, Newell 0
Mannings 9, Godfrey Stewart 0
Alston 1, Troy 0
Herbert Morrison 3, St James 0
Anchovy 1, Rusea’s High 0
B.B Coke 1, Munro College 0
Lennon 0, Clarendon College 2
Irwin High 3, Green Pond High 3
Spot Valley 2, Cedric Titus 0
Port Antonio 2, Wycliffe Martin High 0
Grange Hill 1, Black River 2
Maldon 0, Cornwall College 1
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