A week off from league play felt like a month. San Diego FC is finally back on the pitch, taking on Minnesota FC in a crucial clash for second place in the Western Conference.

During a month when most leagues around the world go quiet, MLS intends to play through the international break, causing teams to miss important players. Whether playing in June is the right call or not is up to league officials to decide — head coach Mikey Varas is focused on one goal: securing three crucial points on the road.

As always, let’s dive in!

Depleted Squads

Both teams will be without crucial pieces of their squad when they face off against each other at Allianz Field in St. Paul, Minnesota, on Saturday. Minnesota will put their squad depth to the test, with up to six regular starters missing due to international duty, forcing significant changes to more than half of Saturday’s lineup. For San Diego, a mix of international duty and injuries will keep key starters off the field.

Chucky Update

San Diego will miss Chucky Lozano as the Mexican international recovers from a recurring hamstring injury. Reports indicate that he has begun solo ball drills, a promising sign that aligns with earlier updates suggesting his injury isn’t as severe as the previous strain. with another week and a half off looming after the Minnesota game, he may be on track to return to action for the very important Vancouver clash later this month.

Time to Get Creative

Latest reports indicate that center-back and the cornerstone of the defense, Paddy McNair, came back with a hamstring injury after representing his native Northern Ireland last week. This puts SDFC in an interesting scenario because the ‘McDuo’ – McVey and McNair, have both been relatively healthy all season long and haven’t had to give up their starting roles. Varas will most certainly get creative with the back line, as he has a plethora of choices to choose from on the bench. It may finally be time to see Franco Negri back on the field or Jasper Loffelsend getting minutes again.

The midfield for SDFC will look different this time around as well. Both Luca de la Torre and Anibal Godoy are participating in the Gold Cup, which means they will be unavailable for the remainder of the month. Lately, Alejandro Alvarado has been making an impact when he gets the chance, so he will most likely get another opportunity to start this weekend. The other midfield spot is a bit tricky to fill. Onni Valakari is back from representing his native Finland and is the likeliest candidate to slot into the midfield role.

With the return of Ingvartsen and the injury to Lozano, the offensive starting positions just got even more competitive. Tomas Angel, Milan Illoski, and Alex Mighten all make wonderful choices up front. Undoubtedly, the one who has earned a start is Milan Iloski. The San Diego native has been on fire lately, scoring off the bench. He recently netted a goal against Club America in a friendly last weekend.

Minnesota’s Lineup Woes

It’s a blessing and a curse to be able to roster players worthy of international call-ups. Minnesota will definitely feel the impact of the international break, as they will be missing a handful of starting players, including star goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair and leading scorer Tani Oluwaseyi. The two will be representing Canada and will not be available in June. St. Clair has been excellent this season, leading the league with eight clean sheets.

Oluwaseyi has scored eight goals and provided five assists this season. He is the cornerstone of the Loon offense, and replacing him will be a challenge, to say the least. Kelvin Yeboah will have a tough task on his plate as he takes over for Oluwaseyi in hopes of proving himself as ‘the next man up’. Yeboah can be dangerous in front of the net, always looking to find space and get in behind the defense using his strength and speed. The Italian international tallied four goals and one assist on the season.

Perhaps the biggest challenge for the Loons will come in trying to replace star defender, Michael Boxall, if he ends up missing the game due to representing New Zealand. The Minnesota captain is a key pillar in a system that prioritizes defense above all else. The club clearly views Boxall as an important piece of the puzzle. “Michael has been a pillar on our team’s roster and a strong part within the Twin Cities community since he joined the club in 2017,” said chief soccer officer and sporting director Khaled El-Ahmad.

Defense First

It’s no secret that Minnesota gives up a lot of possession to opposing teams. In fact, they are dead last in the standings in terms of keeping the ball. The Loons simply do not make it a priority. So, how have they been able to retain third place in the West with the worst possession percentage in the league? It’s simple – they don’t give up many goals.

Minnesota is second in least goals allowed with 16. They also have a +10 differential when it comes to goals scored (26). The Loons tend to play in a false 3-4-3 formation that sees five in the back. The wingers play defensively much more than offensively, which forces teams to push forward with numbers. Minnesota has been great on the counterattack, peppering balls into the box and finishing their chances. The expected goals (xG) metric suggests they are finishing the chances they are supposed to.

Keys To The Game

San Diego will enjoy possession given to them, but will need to be clinical in their transitions to ensure they don’t get caught on counterattacks. The absence of many regular starters will give a chance to hungry players off the bench who are sure to impress as they fight for starting roles. Expect a possession-dominant game with the chance of end-to-end action if Minnesota decides to play a little looser in the back and attacking soccer in the front.

Dmitry Anisimov

Dmitry Anisimov is a San Diego native who played soccer up to the college level when he represented the SDSU Men’s Club Soccer team. Growing up in San Diego, Dmitry is a fan of all the home teams but he specifically couldn’t wait until San Diego got an MLS team. Once that dream became reality, Dmitry married his love for writing and the game of soccer to portray a voice of the San Diego soccer community. There is a deep-rooted love of soccer culture in San Diego and Dmitry hopes to bring it to light through his pre and post-game coverage of all things San Diego FC.