With their new head coach fresh on the job and seeking every meaningful competitive moment, Minnesota United plays not one but two games on Wednesday.
Its second team, MNUFC2, represents the franchise in a Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup game in Chicago while the first team plays an international friendly at Allianz Field against Irish side St. Patrick’s Athletic F.C., from suburban Dublin.
Both games start at 7 p.m. The friendly will be streamed live on MNUFC.com while the U.S. Open Cup opener for both the Loons and the Midwest Premier League’s Chicago House A.C. will be streamed live on ussoccer.com.
The first team plays against St. Patrick’s without six players — including Finnish national team members Teemu Pukki and Robin Lod — who are away on international duty this week.
“I’m not seeing it as a friendly,” new head coach Eric Ramsay said. “Obviously, it’s early on in my time here. I want time to work with the players. I want to see them in a competitive context. The opposition will be decent, so there’s a really good chance for us to approach it as a proper game.
“I’m hearing the stadium probably won’t be full, but I think there will be good attendance, so it will feel like a proper game. And the players and we as staff need to approach it that way.”
The Loons will return to MLS play on March 30 at Philadelphia.
MNUFC2 is one of 11 MLS Next Pro teams entered in the venerable U.S. Open Cup. Eight MLS clubs will compete as well. The league and U.S. Soccer reached an agreement after MLS balked at continuing its participation, citing too many other competitions — including the new Leagues Cup — now crowding the schedule.
