The soccer wasn’t nearly as beautiful as the falling snow at Allianz Field for the Loons’ home opener. Both Minnesota United and NYRB scored off set pieces, created very little beyond that, and went home with a 1-1 draw that probably suited both teams. Possession was 51/49 in favor of the Loons and both teams produced 1.4 xG; it’s about as draw as draws get.
No one wants to drop points at home, obviously, but given the conditions, the Eastern Conference opponent, a little rust coming out of the early season bye week, and the continued process of figuring out what this team is now that it’s no longer Emanuel Reynoso and His Band of Merry Men, I suspect Adrian Heath didn’t lose too much sleep over the result.
Looking Back
- I’m oddly encouraged by the Loons playing badly and getting a draw out of it. There were defensive mistakes from almost the entire backline, the offense is still finding its way without a gravitational center, the subs came too late, and yet, they got a point out of it. Obviously they can’t play like that all season and expect to win enough games, but getting a point when so many guys were off the boil is a pretty compelling sign to me.
- The Loons opened the scoring off a corner, which was remarkable for a pair of reasons. 1) It was the first non-penalty goal allowed by New York this season and 2) it came from about a yard out. Prior to this game, NYRB had been the league’s best in terms of forcing shots from distance at 23.5 yards. The Loons drove that down to 11.2.
- 20-year-old John Tolkin — blonder than an underbaked pie crust — was immense for New York. He’s expected to be part of the USMNT set up before long and after last night I see why. He and Bongokuhle Hlongwane were going after each other all night, laughing with each other during dead ball situations, and genuinely seeming to relish the challenge the other presented. It was really fun to watch, but is also a great sign for Hlongwane’s confidence starting to grow.
- Hassani Dotson looks like he put on serious upper body muscle during his layoff and the Loons looked instantly more dangerous when he was on the pitch. I’ve mentioned elsewhere that if Heath is steadfast in his desire to play a 4-2-3-1, a double pivot of Dotson and Arriaga is their best pairing to balance attack and defense. Last night has me more sure than ever that’s the case.
Looking Ahead
I don’t want to take too much away from last night since it was such an unplayable pitch in large sections, but a few patterns are starting to emerge, even just two games into the season.
- It’s too soon for me to say this team is better without Reynoso than they were with him, but one thing I will say is that they certainly seem more engaged throughout the game. Where in the past, the offense had a habit of devolving into Reynoso and 10 passengers, causing some players to check out a little bit, the lack of a singular focus is forcing everyone to be more aware of what’s going on and the benefits are showing on both sides of the ball.
If that energy remains a hallmark of the 2023 Loons and they start to piece together a plan on offense, this team could be surprisingly good. Big ifs, but there’s a path to success now in a way there didn’t seem to be one at all a month ago. - I think we’ve seen both why Minnesota was so interested in acquiring Micky Tapias and why Pachuca was willing to let him go. He reads the game quite well, he covers ground better than Michael Boxall does, he has a strong clearance, he does a lot of things at an extremely high level…and we’re now 2/2 on games where he almost single-handedly caused a defensive crisis.
His teammates have bailed him out both times so far, but it feels like only a matter of time before someone makes him pay for an underhit back pass. This is something the coaching staff absolutely has got to get a handle on ASAP. - He was far from the only Loon to underwhelm, but Robin Lod was poor again, and that’s worrisome to me. He thrived when he played up top, on the right wing, and as a defensive midfielder, but all of those have clearer roles than the #10 or quasi-shadow striker(?) role he’s being asked to play now.
Keeping him as the central attacking midfielder not only means the Loons aren’t getting good production out of a key offensive position, they’re sacrificing Lod’s quality at other positions to do it. With neither Mender Garcia nor Luis Amarilla really staking a claim to the striker position, it may be time to move Lod back up top and try some new faces as the ignitor. Or… - I know I’ve been driving this bandwagon for quite awhile, but it’s really time to move away from the 4-2-3-1. Yes, my preference would be for something exotic, but even a plain 4-4-2 gives some offensive structure the team has lacked without sacrificing defensive steel to do it. It’s worth noting that Minnesota has two healthy center backs and four injured ones, so it’s entirely possible we’ll see the team move to a 3-5-2 or 5-3-2 when health allows.
Up Next: @ Colorado (0-2-1, 1pt)