D.C. United head coach Troy Lesesne says his side deserved the win that snapped their winless streak as they aim to keep their momentum against Minnesota United.

D.C. were on an 11-match winless run, losing eight, including a heavy 5-0 thrashing at Orlando City before their 2-1 comeback win against Nashville on Saturday.

The victory lifted them to 12th in the Eastern Conference, and another win could put them in touching distance of the playoffs.

Lesesne was pleased to finally put their torrid run behind them, saying: "I try to stay away from really obvious statements, but everyone knows the last couple of months haven't been what we wanted.

"There's performances in there, but we didn't see three points. There were so many individual performances that willed that to happen, and they've been fighting, they deserve this."

Meanwhile, Minnesota snapped their six-match losing streak with a 1-1 draw against Houston Dynamo at the weekend.

The Loons moved into ninth in the Western Conference, though they still remain without a win in any of their last eight MLS outings.

However, head coach Eric Ramsay remained optimistic and is keen to build on the result to get them back in contention.

"It was a really important point," Ramsay said.

"I'm incredibly pleased with the application of the players, their aggression, their intent to spot the run we're on at the moment, so we take a lot from that."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Minnesota United – Robin Lod

Robin Lod scored his sixth goal of the season in Minnesota's draw on Saturday, his fourth season with at least six goals.

No other player in the team's MLS history has more than two seasons with six or more goals.

D.C. United – Cristian Dajome

Cristian Dajome's brace in D.C. United's win over Nashville on Saturday was the seventh multi-goal game by a D.C. United player since the start of the 2023 season, but the first by somebody other than Christian Benteke.

MATCH PREDICTION: MINNESOTA UNITED WIN

The home side have won all five meetings between Minnesota and D.C., with the last meeting a 2-0 home win for the Loons in 2022. Minnesota have outscored D.C., 7-0, in their three meetings at home.

Minnesota United ended their club-record six-match losing streak with a 1-1 draw against Houston on Saturday but remain winless in eight straight (drawn two, lost six), the longest regular-season winless run in the team's MLS history.

Meanwhile, D.C. snapped their 11-match winless run with a 2-1 victory over Nashville on Saturday. D.C. have not won consecutive matches within a single season since a four-match winning run in April 2023.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Minnesota United – 54.2%

Draw – 23.5%

D.C. United – 22.3%

Minnesota United head coach Eric Ramsay believes they will bounce back from their recent disappointing run against LA Galaxy on Sunday.

The Loons have not won any of their last six matches in MLS, losing each of the last five on the bounce, and dropped to eighth in the Western Conference.

Minnesota have been without players due to injury and international duty, but with some of those starting to return, Ramsay is hopeful it will be the spark they need to snap their losing streak.

"In the grand scheme of this difficult run that we're on and the circumstances that surround it, there were elements of the last performance where we looked back at our best," Ramsay said.

"I think it's as simple as welcoming players back from injuries and internationals to get us back to the feeling before all of this took place.

"That's a very realistic take on the situation, though we will look back at this period with some real regret and disappointment that we haven't picked up the points we could and should've done."

Meanwhile, the Galaxy's four-game winning streak was ended by Los Angeles FC in Thursday’s El Trafico derby.

Now three points off top spot, having slipped to third, head coach Greg Vanney was left to bemoan LA's failure to create chances at the Rose Bowl.

"I'm not interested in being a possession team for the sake of passing the ball around," Vanney said.

"We need to use possession to put the opposition on their heels to score goals, to bury them and make them feel like we're relentlessly coming at them, not so they can set up and be comfortable and turn us over and go the other way."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

LA Galaxy – Gabriel Pec

Gabriel Pec scored against Los Angeles FC and has now been involved in a goal in five straight appearances, tied for the second-longest active streak in MLS.

The Brazilian is the second Galaxy player this season to record a streak of five games with a goal contribution, after Dejan Joveljic in February-March.

Minnesota United – Bongokuhle Hlongwane

Bongokuhle Hlongwane has recorded a goal and an assist in two consecutive away matches, one of two players (Lionel Messi) to do so in consecutive road games this season.

Only two players in MLS history have a goal and an assist in three straight road games – Junior Agogo in 2000 and Ante Razov in 1999.

MATCH PREDICTION: LA GALAXY WIN

The Galaxy won six of their first eight matches against Minnesota United (drawing two) from the Loons' MLS entry in 2017 through August 2021. Since then, LA have won just one of seven meetings with Minnesota (drawn three, lost three).

The Galaxy's 2-1 defeat to LAFC on Thursday was their fourth loss of the season, and the second against their derby rivals. They have not lost two straight matches since last October, with the second of those defeats coming against Minnesota.

However, Minnesota have lost five straight regular-season matches for the first time in club history.  The Loons had suffered only three defeats in 16 league matches this season prior to this run (won eight, drew five).

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

LA Galaxy – 49.9%

Draw – 25.3%

Minnesota United – 24.8%

Nico Estevez believes FC Dallas are building towards a big result against a top team as they travel to Minnesota United on Saturday.

Dallas are winless in their last four games and have not won on the road yet this season, leaving them 12th in the Western Conference with 13 points.

Estevez said he was pleased with the performances he has seen away from home so far and is hopeful they can turn that into their first win.

"I think it's important because overall, we have performed very well against the top teams in the West," said Estevez, as quoted by the Big D Soccer substack. 

"I think we were unlucky not to have more points than we have. We have to take those positives, but as I said to the guys, is all these little steps that we are making, and we're feeling better about how we're competing against top teams."

Meanwhile, Minnesota got back to winning ways last Saturday with a 3-1 victory over Sporting Kansas City.

With other teams around them not playing this weekend, the Loons have the opportunity to leapfrog Los Angeles FC into second and close the gap to leaders Real Salt Lake to two points.

They are missing players due to international duty, but head coach Eric Ramsay is confident his side are in a good position to get a positive result.

"We will do what we can [against Dallas] with a group of very hungry players, but it's a testing position [to be without so many players through internationals]," said Ramsay.

"Hopefully our squad is stronger for that. We've given ourselves a bit of breathing space [with the win last weekend], but I'm genuinely excited about how we shape up and see what we can produce."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Minnesota United – Robin Lod

Lod came off the bench to score against Kansas City on Saturday, his seventh straight regular-season home match with a goal contribution, tying Darwin Quintero for the second-longest run in club history.

Only Lod himself has had a longer streak, contributing to a goal in 13 straight at home in 2020-21.

FC Dallas – Asier Illarramendi

Illarramendi completed 91 of his 99 pass attempts at Los Angeles FC on Saturday. The last Dallas player to complete more passes in an away match was Javier Morales (96) at Colorado in October 2017.

MATCH PREDICTION: MINNESOTA UNITED WIN

Minnesota have only lost one of their last 10 meetings with Dallas (W5 D4, incl. playoffs) dating back to September 2020. Dallas had won five of the first seven meetings between the sides prior to September 2020 (L2).

The Loons’ win over Sporting Kansas City on Saturday took them to 28 points from 15 matches this season, six more than they have ever had at this stage of a season in club history.

Meanwhile, Dallas are winless in their first eight away matches this season (D2 L6), equaling the second-longest road winless run to begin a season in club history (also eight in 2012). Dallas only went longer before a road win in 2000, failing to win any of their first 11 away from home that year.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Minnesota United – 53%

Draw – 24%

FC Dallas – 23%

Eric Ramsay believes Manchester United have all the ingredients to go to the next level under Ineos – but Erik ten Hag’s former coach felt he had to leave for a dream first managerial job at Minnesota United.

The 32-year-old swapped Uniteds following March’s derby defeat at Manchester City, with his move to the Twin Cities seeing him become the youngest permanent manager in Major League Soccer history.

It is an exciting new chapter in an impressive coaching journey that led Ramsay to Swansea, Shrewsbury and Chelsea before joining Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s coaching set-up in June 2021.

Initially focused on individual players and set-plays, the Welshman’s remit broadened over time and he is looking forward to putting his experiences into practice as Minnesota’s second-ever head coach.

“I have never been desperate to be a head coach by a certain age or a certain point,” Ramsay told the PA news agency ahead of his first match in charge against Los Angeles FC this weekend.

“But I felt naturally I was sort of gravitating toward that opportunity coming.

“I’ve had some opportunities over the course of the last two years to go into the Championship or League One and for whatever reason haven’t pursued those.

“The club itself is phenomenally well set up. The ownership is really stable. I think that’s incredibly attractive for a first-time head coach.

“From a club perspective, the league and the wider US context, in terms of the competitions being held here in the coming years, the general feel around the sport, I think it’s as perfect an opportunity as I’ll get.”

Ramsay also had a stint working with Wales during his time at United, where he felt like he squeezed in a lot at an institution that garners “endless attention” and “feels like no other club”.

The 32-year-old never got caught up in the background noise – “if you as a coach were to be too drawn into that then you’d lose focus on what you’re there to do” – and enjoyed his time there despite the difficult spells.

“To have the opportunity to be one step removed from three managers and Michael Carrick, working at Man United over two-and-a-half years, I don’t think you’re getting better preparation for your own role as head coach because it’s a really trying set of circumstances with a lot of intensity,” Ramsay said.

“(Erik) is obviously incredibly focused, has real conviction as to how he wants the team to play, how he feels the group should be managed, as you’d expect of anyone who hits that level as a manager.

“Obviously, he’s had some difficult circumstances to deal with this year, so hopefully once that gets cleaned up then we’re going to see the trajectory recaptured that we saw last year.”

Injuries have proven the main difficulty in a bumpy season and Ten Hag is under the spotlight heading into Sunday’s FA Cup quarter-final against rivals Liverpool.

But Ramsay is confident better times lie around the corner at Old Trafford, having been impressed by new co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his Ineos team.

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“As has been presented in the media and as I’m sure you’ve heard lots of people say, the Ineos vision for Man United is really exciting,” Ramsay said.

“They, as well, have a lot of conviction in how elite sports teams should look and feel.

“There is a genuine Ineos way that I think the combination of that and the way in which Erik wants to operate, it could be a really exciting combination.

“I think you’ve got some phenomenally bright people now attached to the club, through the likes of Dave Brailsford and the people that they will inevitably bring in to wrap around the existing structure.

“So, I do think all the ingredients are there for the club to really move on to the next level.

“I said this to the Ineos guys as I was leaving, I’m loathed in some senses (to go) because I think I was probably a nice fit for the way in which they wanted to go about things.

“I felt like it would take a lot from them and their way of working.

“But, personally, I felt like this opportunity from my individual perspective was one that I couldn’t turn down in spite of all that positivity around the club.”

Eric Ramsay has left Manchester United to join Minnesota United and become the youngest head coach in Major League Soccer history.

The 32-year-old Welshman, who was a first-team coach under Erik ten Hag at Old Trafford, is the latest British coach to cross the Atlantic, joining the likes of Phil Neville and Dean Smith.

In a statement issued by Minnesota United, Ramsay said: “I’m incredibly excited to be joining a club with such a strong football culture, a fanatic fan-base and a brilliant infrastructure.

“I’ve spoken to a lot of the club’s staff throughout the process and you can’t help but feel everyone’s passion for moving the club forward.”

Ramsay joined Manchester United as a coach under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in 2021 and also served as an assistant coach to the Welsh national team in 2023.

He started his career working with junior levels at Swansea and also acted as interim head coach at his home-town club Shrewsbury before moving to work with the Chelsea Under-23s.

Ramsay became the youngest British coach to earn his UEFA Pro Licence in 2019.

Minnesota’s Chief Soccer Officer Khaled El-Ahmad said: “After an extensive search that included dozens of impressive domestic and international candidates, we are confident that Eric Ramsay is the best choice to lead our club.

“His experience working with top-level players, coaches, and sporting staff at both the club and international level – as well as his alignment in playing style and development philosophy – all fit with the vision we have for the future of MNUFC.”

Eric Ramsay is set to take over at Minnesota United and become the latest British coach to take a management job in Major League Soccer.

The 32-year-old will become the youngest ever head coach in the United States and Canada’s top division when the Manchester United coach completes his move to the Twin Cities.

PA understands Ramsay has agreed a deal to take over at Minnesota following next weekend’s Manchester derby and the Welshman will swell the number of British head coaches in MLS to six.

Gary Smith is in charge of Nashville, John Herdman is at Toronto and ex-England international Phil Neville recently took charge at the Portland Timbers having previously managed Inter Miami.

Dean Smith, the former Aston Villa and Leicester boss, is another recent appointment by an MLS club having joined ambitious Charlotte FC in the winter.

The 52-year-old took charge of his first competitive match on Saturday as they won their season opener 1-0 at home to New York City FC, who are coached by fellow Englishman Nick Cushing.

“If somebody asked for my advice, I would say to anybody in England come to MLS,” Cushing, who previously managed Manchester City’s women’s team, said.

“Just purely based off, firstly, the challenge is like the Championship in the sense of its really competitive.

“The opportunity to win is there if you have a good strategy, good structure, good sort of way of working. You have to back your coaching, your staff and your recruitment.

“But also we’re playing in the Carolina Panthers stadium in front of 65,000. It’s amazing.

“The games never stop. The games will go for 96 minutes. They don’t die down. Apple TV, the infrastructure around this league is excellent, so I don’t think we can affect the perception on that end.

“I’m sure Dean will say in three, four, five months’ time that this was a great move for him because he will see that you get to see the whole of America, the challenge is great.”

Smith pipped former Chelsea and Everton boss Frank Lampard to the Charlotte post and British coaches of all ages are paying increasing attention to MLS.

“I’ve had a lot of people ask if I need any more coaches wanting to get out here,” the former Villa boss said.

“I’m still on the board of the LMA (League Managers Association) so I’ll do a talk for them on what it is like.”

There are also Brits in senior positions in MLS, including DC United’s Scottish general manager Ally Mackay and NYCFC sporting director David Lee.

The latter joined New York Red Bulls from hometown club Exeter in 2011 and then went on to become one of the first employees at NYCFC three years later.

Lee has seen marked change in approach during his time in MLS, from clubs being more open-minded to more experienced coaches wanting to move Stateside.

“I would say that five to seven years ago there was a perception that foreign coaches didn’t work,” Lee said.

“Over time, clubs started to realise that it’s not where you’re from, it is just how good you are. There is a core American coaching tree in MLS, but more clubs are being more adventurous.

“The level of our league has increased to where it becomes more interesting for English coaches than it would have been five years ago.

“The standard has improved, budgets have improved.

“I’d have been surprised if five years ago you could have got someone like Dean Smith into this league. That is a big change.”