Preview: Minnesota (5-5-5) squandered a late lead at home last Saturday to the Fury in a 3-2 loss. But a Miami FC loss meant the Loons maintained a four-point lead for the fourth and final playoff spot.
Players to watch: Minnesota forward Christian Ramirez scored his North American Soccer League-best 15th goal of the season last week. Ramirez has scored in five consecutive games against Ottawa, including postseason play. The focus is on the defense, which returned Kevin Venegas to the lineup yet conceded the most goals since early August. Meanwhile, Ottawa (4-6-5) ended an eight-match winless streak. Giuseppe Gentile, Ryan Williams and Danny Mwanga all scored their first goals in Fury FC colors. Mwanga's game-winning effort was goal No. 100 in franchise history. "It's going to be a battle," Mwanga said. "They're going to have a sour taste in their mouth coming here after what happened in Minnesota.''
Numbers: Minnesota has won just once on the road in 12 tries this season. The Loons will try for their first road win since April, and the first win in TD Place since August 2014.
Looking ahead: Minnesota announced it has secured more than 8,000 season ticket deposits in the four weeks since confirming its jump to Major League Soccer in 2017.
DAVID LA VAQUE
