United FC-Club León of Liga MX preview

A look at the exhibition match between Minnesota United FC and Club León of Liga MX.

July 18, 2015 at 5:32AM
Juliano Vicentini (77) of Minnesota United FC and Jemal Johnson (11) fought for the ball in the first half. ] CARLOS GONZALEZ cgonzalez@startribune.com - July 15, 2015, Blaine, MN, National Sports Center Stadium, Soccer, Minnesota United FC vs. Jacksonville
Minnesota United FC's Juliano Vicentini, No. 77. (Mike Nelson — Star Tribune/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

7 p.m. vs. Club León of Liga MX (EXHIBITION) at NSC Stadium in Blaine

TV: No live stream or broadcast

Last time out: The United blanked the Jacksonville Armada 4-0 on Friday of last week at NSC Stadium in front of a record crowd of 9,412.

United at a glance: Minnesota (18 points) is tied for third place in the NASL combined standings. The United pose a deep scoring attack — 21 of its goals this season have come from 12 different players. Forward Pablo Campos leads the club with four goals, which is tied for fourth-best in the NASL. Forward Christian Ramirez has three goals and two assists. He had one goal and one assist against the Armada. His assist came on a goal from Daniel Mendes, who's tied for third on the team with two goals. Goalkeeper Sammy Ndjock has a current shutout streak of 104 minutes.

Club León at a glance: Saturday's match marks the return of former United star Miguel Ibarra, who was transferred to the Mexican first division club last month. Ibarra will play the first half for Minnesota and the second half for León. Ibarra had been with the United since 2012 and earned the 2014 NASL Golden Ball. He became the first second division player to appear for the U.S. national team since 2005. The midfielder scored 16 goals and had 11 assists in 93 matches with the Loons.

Next time out: Minnesota faces the San Antonio Scorpions, the defending NASL champion, on the road at Toyota Field next Saturday.

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Jason Miczek/The Associated Press

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