Hometown Sports: Has Minnesota United broken the Minnesota Curse?

I’ve been watching the Minnesota United Football Club since 2018, back when they didn’t even have their own stadium. Just as all Minnesota sports teams are prone to do, they’ve disappointed their fans for many years.

Minnesotans have watched as the Vikings manage incredible comebacks and fall short, the Timberwolves made the playoffs for the first time last season since Kevin Garnett was head coach, the Lynx make it to the finals just to lose as a result of controversial officiating and the Twins haven’t won a playoff game since like the 90s, leading baseball fans to call them “the T’s” (because they have no wins).

The Loons started off the year stronger than they ever have, winning seven and tying four of their first 11 games. However, keeping with Minnesota tradition, they began to collapse, losing eight of their next 10 games. 

Playoffs weren’t guaranteed for the Loons after their summer losing streak, but a crucial 4-1 victory against Saint Louis FC turned their fortunes around, locking their place in the Major League Soccer playoffs as the sixth-seed.

The Loons have made the playoffs four times in their seven year club history. Of those appearances, there’s only been one season when they made it past the first round — until this year. 

MLS Cup Playoffs started Oct. 23 with Minnesota’s first match coming against Real Salt Lake Oct. 29. The Loons won the game despite being the underdog with a ranking three points below the Lions. 

MLS write ups claimed the Loon’s came in hot. The game eventually ended 0-0 after 90 minutes, forcing a penalty shootout. 

The Loons captured the win in penalty kicks 5-4 after two Utah players missed their kicks. Minnesota’s Goalkeeper Dayne Saint Clair’s impressive shutout helped secure the victory.  

With the MLS first round format of a best-of-three series, the Loons traveled home to play their second match at Allianz Field in Saint Paul, MN. Nov 2.

Despite the do-or-die stakes for Real Salt Lake — teams who win the first match of the series have a 90% success rate of moving on — us Minnesota fans still had doubts.

The second game also went to penalty kicks after the teams were tied at one after regular time. Goals came from Minnesota’s Joseph Rosales and Salt Lake’s Emeka Eneli.

The Loons were able to secure the first round win on their home field after taking the shootout 3-1. My dad watched from our usual seats and called me after to tell me about the game. 

“The stadium felt like one singular breath hanging on every kick,” he said. “As the shootout went forward, we all held our breath, hopeful that this was the moment the team broke through. With the final save, the stadium erupted, and we sang “Wonderwall” in one voice.” 

It’s a tradition when the Loons win to sing “Wonderwall” by Oasis to celebrate the victory. With so few home wins this season, this one was extra special. 

All of us Minnesota United Fans have been holding our breath since series play ended. It’s sudden death, and Minnesota sports teams tend to let the fans down in the playoffs. We all hope the Loons can push past the Minnesota curse and make it to the conference finals. 

Minnesota United will take on the Los Angeles Galaxy on Nov. 22 at 5p.m. Streaming will be available on Apple TV.