Minnesota United focuses on winning the one trophy left to them

Following Minnesota United’s win at San Diego two weeks ago, the Loons were riding high. They were about to play a U.S. Open Cup semifinal, and they were within striking distance of the lead in the race for the Supporters’ Shield.

In the span of four days and two losses, though, their chances at both of those trophies disappeared.

“We thought we had a good chance at winning, or competing, for three trophies, and now we are only [alive] for the last one,” Loons midfielder Robin Lod said.

With three games to go in the regular season, starting Saturday at Colorado, Minnesota is down to only one option for hardware — and MLS Cup is maybe the hardest trophy of all to take home. There’s a reason that just two Supporters’ Shield winners, over the past 13 seasons, have also taken home the playoff title: The Cup tends to reward the hottest team at the end of the season, not the best team over the full year.

The Loons don’t have a major trophy to their name, and they’re beginning to stand out in this regard. Of the six MLS teams that have never popped the post-trophy Champagne, Minnesota has been in the league the longest. It will soon be a five-team list because either Nashville or Austin is about to end its own trophy drought, in the U.S. Open Cup final.

“For myself and I feel like for the club, we’ve been doing steady work,” Lod said. “We’ve been getting to the playoffs year after year, but now it’s the final step that is probably the hardest one for sure. But I believe in this team and I truly believe we can do it.”

The one consolation prize that Minnesota can shoot for is a spot in next season’s CONCACAF Champions Cup. The Loons are one of only three MLS teams never to make it into the intracontinental championship, and the other two are Charlotte (in its fourth year as a club) and San Diego (an expansion team, and one that’s probably going to claim a spot in next year’s competition in its first try).

It might be a tall ask. Minnesota trails San Diego by three points and Vancouver by one in the West standings, and that’s not to forget Los Angeles FC, which has a three-game winning streak and two games in hand on the Loons. In the East, Philadelphia, Cincinnati, and Miami are all ahead of Minnesota as well — though Miami has already qualified for the Champions Cup, by virtue of finishing as runners-up in the Leagues Cup.

“It’s really important because it’s something the club hasn’t played yet, and we are really eager to get there,” Lod said. “It would be a unique experience for the club, for the fans, and for the players, and everybody. So it’s huge, and that’s something we are aiming for, for sure.”

Small consolation though it may be, something like a spot in the Champions Cup would be the next step for Minnesota. The Loons have been laser-focused on building a club; the next thing they need to build is a trophy case.

Veteran Loons midfielder Hassani Dotson tore his meniscus March 22, and Minnesota put him on its season-ending injury list. With his contract up at the end of the year, it looked like his time with Minnesota was over.

Just don’t try to tell that to Dotson.

Dotson said that he always thought he’d return, and was “caught off guard” by the Loons putting him on the out-for-the-season list.

“Just with the timeline that I was hearing, I thought I was always going to be able to come back if I didn’t have any major setbacks,” Dotson said.

The Loons’ schedule has slowed down enough that Dotson does have some time to get back to full strength. It’ll be a month before the Loons start their playoff push, and almost two full months before the conference semifinals (for the teams that win their first-round best-of-three playoff series).

“The team’s been doing really well this season,” Dotson said. “I’m not trying to step on any toes, but I’m here to try to compete and help them give something off the bench – and I’m eager to show my teammates I still can offer something.”

8:30 p.m. Saturday, Dick’s Sporting Goods Park