Match Preview - Minnesota United
Game Info
Kickoff: 6:10pm CT
Watch: Apple TV
Location: Allianz Field - St. Paul, MN
All-Time H2H Record
Austin FC has a 6W-2D-5L all-time record against Minnesota United.
This is the “return leg” of the 2026 regular season series between these two clubs following the first fixture at Q2 Stadium that took place on opening night back in February. That match ended in a 2-2 draw after Minnesota striker Kelvin Yeboah headed home the equalizing goal in the 90th minute.
Allianz Field has been “Q2 Stadium North” since Austin FC entered the league in 2021. The team’s four wins in Minnesota are the most road victories for the club in any non-Q2 Stadium venue, including last September’s U.S. Open Cup semifinal.
Minnesota United Recent Form
It’s now been over two months since the opening day fixture between these two clubs at Q2 Stadium, where the trend of Austin FC allowing late goals (as we highlighted on Episode 305) this year began.
To be fair, that goal was at least in part due to the fact that Robert Taylor suffered an injury moments before Minnesota took off on the counter attack that resulted in the equalizing goal. While I still believe that Austin FC deserved to win that match, we have learned time and time again that in this sport what you “deserve” does not always reflect the final result.
Since that contest, Minnesota has progressed up the table and into fifth place in the Western Conference entering the weekend, with a record of 6W-2D-3L for a total of 20 points. However, from my point of view the Loons lack a signature win thus far, with only two of their six victories coming over teams currently above the playoff line (FC Dallas and FC Cincinnati). When you add further context to the Cincy game, where the Knifey Lions were without their talisman midfielder and MVP candidate in Evander, it paints an even clearer picture. To this point, the Loons have beat up on bad teams and struggled against the upper echelon of opponents in MLS.
For example, Nashville SC dismantled them 3-1 in early March and Vancouver Whitecaps absolutely throttled them 6-0 a week later. LAFC took them down 1-0 at Allianz Field without Heung-Min Son and most recently, San Jose hung four goals (with three coming in eight minutes) on them in the U.S. Open Cup Round of 16. The final tally there is a 0W-0D-4L record with a -12 goal differential. No shame in losing to this group of teams, but it is important to note that they haven’t proven they belong in that tier.
I don’t bring these points up to claim that Minnesota is not a good team, rather to highlight that Austin FC has performed at least as well, if not more impressively, than the Loons against like competition. At least when it comes to the most talented rosters in MLS, clearly Minnesota has dealt with the lesser competition much more competently than ATX.
Minnesota has plenty of depth at multiple positions that they deploy in a variety of ways. Let’s start with leading goal scorer Kelvin Yeboah, the 26-year-old striker who is off to a blistering start with seven goals to his name in 11 matches. After the departure of Tani Oluwaseyi last summer, the door was opened for Yeboah to take over full time duties up top for the Loons, and he’s made the most of it. Yeboah is a burner with elite speed and physicality for his position at the MLS level. He times runs well on the counter-attack and feasts on the many opportunities that Minny plays into the box, both from live play and off set pieces.
Plenty of those opportunities come from the foot of Joaquin Pereyra, who I believe is the most talented player on the Minnesota roster. While he has yet to score in 2026, he does have four assists and has generated eight big chances on the young season. Don’t let his lack of goals fool you, he possesses a fantastic left-footed shot and can uncork chances from outside the box that are incredibly threatening. Last season he recorded a brace in a 3-0 win over Austin at Q2 Stadium and scored the Loons lone goal in the USOC semifinal.
Minnesota plays a very distinct style, and while it isn’t as strictly defined as it was last year under former coach Eric Ramsay, the Loons still rely heavily on the counter attack. With just 43.6% average possession, this team is more than content to sit back and wait for opportunities to get out on the break.
This is where the speed they have at the wing back positions really pays dividends. It starts with Anthony Markanich who is an incredibly offensive-minded left wingback and the main reason Joseph Rosales was “expendable” for this team in the offseason, leading to his trade to Austin. In his 58 games for Minnesota, Markanich has 16 goals and four assists. He pushes the pace and challenges defenses to make difficult decisions when he has the ball at his foot. New arrival Kyle Duncan, who has been even more important with Bongokuhle Hlongwane absent the last few matches, will also fly up the right side of the field to tilt numbers in Minnesota’s favor. Duncan has got himself on the scoresheet already in 2026 with one goal in his 610 minutes.
Making Minnesota play with the ball stifles their offensive energy and can make them uncomfortable – limiting turnovers in dangerous areas and making the Loons break down a set defense is always key to gaining an advantage on this team.
Austin FC Recent Form
Are you getting excited yet? Well, you should be. Austin FC is currently the only team in the Western Conference on a win streak with back-to-back 2-0 wins over Houston Dynamo and St. Louis City SC. It’s not much, but they’ve made up ground on every team over the last two matchdays. Pair that positive momentum with the return of Brandon Vazquez, Owen Wolff, and Dani Pereira to the team sheet and we are finally at the moment we’ve been waiting for all season – a (mostly) healthy Austin FC lineup.
While Owen and Brandon were eased into action slowly with both players logging less than ten minutes against St. Louis, it’s becoming clear that this team is on the brink of full strength. Despite some incredibly lackluster performances, the season is still young and Austin FC has plenty of time to make some noise, particularly with the remaining contests before the two-month World Cup break hits at the end of May.
The return of arguably Austin’s two best players means that the narrative has shifted from who can Austin start in order to survive to how can we get all of our most talented players on the field at once. In Episode 304, I hinted at my preference for a starting lineup, one in which Dani Pereira comes off the bench to accommodate the shift of Joseph Rosales to the midfield. This also allows Biro to remain in the starting spot at left back. The 4-4-2 look has been effective for Austin so far, and I anticipate sticking with that formation for the foreseeable future. Of course, that means that the two “striker” positions would be occupied by BV and Myrto Uzuni, who is on fire as of late, with seven goal contributions in his last five league games.
At times last season, that pairing looked disjointed and some of the early struggles that Uzuni has had can be attributed to him being put in uncomfortable spots. Uzuni is not a traditional striker, he operates much better as a poacher, utilizing his relentless motor to make off the ball runs that draw defensive attention and slot him into dangerous positions. The coaching staff will have to figure out the best way to get the most out of their two most expensive players who occupy similar space, but I have faith (especially after Uzuni and Christian Ramirez seem to have figured some things out) that the new dual striker look can work well.
One of the reasons I have faith in that is due to the return of Owen Wolff, whose presence in the midfield should improve the ball movement and chance creation for ATX. Owen is going to be the key to “unlocking” this offense, one that has struggled mightily with competent and threatening possession in the midfield. Providing Wolff with two targets, one who is fantastic in the air in BV and one who is excelling in his “poacher” role, sounds really fun and is something I have been yearning for since the start of the season. Wolff’s return also might jump start the goal scoring abilities of Facundo Torres, who previously recorded 37 goals across three seasons with Orlando City SC.
Owen and BV will still have some rust and conditioning issues to work through in the coming weeks and I’m certainly not predicting a start for either player after just one week. But I do expect more time for both of them as Austin travels north for what I perceive to be a very winnable game this Sunday.
Injury Report
ATX:
Robert Taylor (Out - Knee)
Jayden Nelson (Out - Lower Body)
MIN:
Kyle Duncan (Questionable - Lower Body)
Julian Gressel (Out - Lower Body)
Carlos Harvey (Out - Lower Body)
Peter Stroud (Out - Lower Body)
Minnesota United Players to Watch
James Rodriguez - Oh yeah, that guy. The biggest name on the Loons roster has yet to be mentioned in this article because his availability for Sunday is up in the air, as it has been for basically every game this season. The 34-year-old Colombian midfielder is on a half-season contract with Minnesota to stay in shape for the upcoming World Cup. While nobody expected him to come in and play huge minutes, the Loons and their fans had to have been hoping for a bit more than they’ve gotten to this point, which has seen Rodriguez play just 104 total minutes across four appearances and one start. When he’s been out there, the talent is evident. This is a player with experience in all of the “big five” leagues, with seven league titles to show for his exploits in Europe. If he’s able to play on Sunday it will be a boost to the Loons offensively and a likely downgrade defensively.
Drake Callender - Cast aside by Inter Miami last season, Callender swapped places with Dayne St. Clair in the offseason, becoming the Loons new starting goalkeeper. He’s been great for Minnesota thus far, ranking sixth in MLS in goals prevented (G-xGOT) per FotMob, allowing 2.9 fewer goals than expectation through 11 games. Compare that to St. Clair in Miami, who is 21st and has allowed 1.5 more goals than expected with the Herons. Callender prevented 0.59 goals in the opening night matchup between these two teams and has carried that over into what’s been a complete performance through the first third of the 2026 season.
Austin FC Keys to the Game
Don’t Play Into Their Hands - The Loon’s distinct counter-attacking and high-pressing style suits their personnel well. Limiting turnovers against a Minnesota United team that is top four in possession won in the final third will be a huge aspect in keeping the Loons chances on net to a minimum. On top of that, making Minnesota play more with the ball makes a lot of sense. They struggle to break defenses down when the opposing team is set and much prefer an open game where they can deploy their speed on the wings to disorganize opposing defenses. Austin FC has been more than happy to play a more defensive style on the road, so I anticipate tactics that lean into that. But with the reintroduction of Wolff, Pereira and Vazquez, don’t expect a boring Austin team that would be content to walk out of Allianz Field with a 0-0 draw. I think the Verde & Black will be pushing for three points here, something that has eleuded them thus far in 2026.
Predictions
ZG- 1-1 Draw
E- 2-1 Austin FC
