Minnesota United's harsh welcome to MLS can't damper expansion team's excitement
PORTLAND, Ore. — By the time the away supporters section in Providence Park filled up with blue and black on Friday, it was pouring rain and a teeth-chatteringly cold.
About 200 supporters made the trip from Minnesota to see United play in their first-ever MLS match, and among them was Nicholas Bisbee. With a black cap that said “North” but no shirt, he stood up front helping leading the True North Elite and Dark Clouds supporters groups in songs directed at the Timbers Army.
“We’re from Minnesota. It’s cold and it’s hard,” said Bisbee, who co-founded True North Elite. “It’s frozen up in Minnesota and what it comes down to is this: our boys don’t go down easy. They fight for every inch, it doesn’t matter what the score is, we fight for every single inch.”
https://twitter.com/caitlinmurr/status/837847042302996480
Friday night might’ve been the perfect welcome weather-wise, but the Timbers had a tough reality check in store for Minnesota United, handing them a tough 5-1 defeat in the Loons' MLS debut. For much of the match, Minnesota United looked unable to find their footing, until a late goal by Christian Ramirez gave Minnesota’s traveling fans reason to cheer.
"We knew today was going to be tough,” Minnesota coach Adrian Heath said. “I’m sure the narrative will be that these are the harsh realities of the league. And it is to an extent, but I think the 5-1 score doesn’t really reflect how the game went.”
Indeed, three of the Timbers’ goals came in the last 10 minutes as Minnesota were desperately chasing the game in search of an equalizer.
Timbers head coach Caleb Porter agreed that the 5-1 score line didn’t do justice to how close the game was earlier on.
"I do think it was closer than 5-1. I said that to Adrian after the game,” Porter said. "They’re a good team. They’re gonna beat some teams. I thought they showed some real bright spots."
That Ramirez, one of United’s holdovers from their lower-division NASL squad, was the goal-scorer is perhaps a positive sign — it helps prove the squad has talent, even many of them aren’t proven stars in MLS.
https://twitter.com/FOXSoccer/status/837886326036803584
But there is still very much a learning curve ahead in MLS and the Timbers proved that emphatically.
"For some of our guys who are new, it gives them an idea of what this league is,” Heath said. “But when I look at our long periods of possession, that gives me a little optimism, that we can actually keep the ball with the players we’ve got in the team."
The experts have bet against Minnesota United and, one match into the team’s MLS era, the experts have yet to be proven wrong. But Friday was never really going to be about the scoreline. Minnesota United are now an MLS team, playing soccer on the highest level in the United States.
For the 200 fans who made the 1,800-mile trip from Minnesota, it was about their home team reaching new heights. It’s a team that many of them have been following since it joined the NASL back in 2010.
"As a fan its huge — we’ve taken a step to the next level,” said Andy Frost, who was among those who traveled from Minnesota for Friday’s match. "We’re not the Premier League, we know that, but as the same time, it’s huge as a community to see our team make it to the next level. I think Minnesota’s going to be a big market and a team that's going to have something to say in MLS.”
Minnesota United may not have said what they wanted in their first match, but they’ve got another 33 games to go this season. Welcome to MLS, Minnesota.
