Fern Mc Costigan: February 2020

Thursday, February 27, 2020

The Minnesota Loons looking to write a new chapter in 2020

Adrian Heath the manager of Minnesota United is back and seen as one of the league's sides considered to be the dark horse of this upcoming 2020 with a possible run not only to the postseason but into the finals.

Last season the Loons displayed an amazing game and a season that earned them a trip to their first-ever postseason in their third year since coming into Major League Soccer in 2017 as an expansion team.

Now with last season almost winning the prestigious Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup loss to the defending champions Atlanta United in Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia, this team sent a message to the whole league about their might.

With major League Soccer celebrating its 25 years since its foundation, the Loons will be looking seriously for several trophies among one of them the US Open Cup, Western Conference finals and most coveted the MLS Shield.

The way this club armed itself during the offseason and delivering a promising preseason, somehow tells me a lot of this club's intentions to win it all this season as well become a headache to its foes in both conferences, no more they will be considered as an easy foe.

Despite the departure of their Talisman Darwin Quintero on trade to Houston Dynamo, the Loons front men didn’t hesitate to substitute this important player with another top-class player in Paraguayan forward Luis Amarillas on loan from Velez Sarsfield.

So far, the club has embarked on getting players left and right to reinforce every position as well boost manager Heath game plan for this 2020 season that for sure looks promising for the Boys from the state of the Thousand Lakes.

For the 23^rd side that came in 2017, these have embarked in a commitment to excel, among the first order of business was to assure a number of notable players to new contracts to have the majority of last season base to front a contested season.

The arrival of midfielder Jacori Hayes from FC Dallas, midfielder Raheem Edwards Chicago Fire, Uruguayan defender Jose Aja Chile’s League Union Espanola, forward Aaron Schoenfeld from Tel Aviv Maccabee, midfielder James Musa from Phoenix Rising and defender Noah Billingsley.

Talking about challenges the main one will be who will be the goalkeeper to substitute the absence of Italian Vito Mannone on loan to Danish side Esberg FB and last season winner of the title of Goalkeeper of the year.

With American Tyler Miller coming from a wondrous season for the LAFC, Fred Emmings a debutante with the big team with a Home-Grown contract and Canadian Greg Ranjitsingh from Orlando SC, the Loons will not have a problem substituting Mannone.

My conclusion I don’t doubt the Loons finishing in third place or fourth like their previous season as well making it into the Western Conference playoffs with a run in the finals of its conference and maybe going all the way to the finals.

The way this club has armed itself and with a positive preseason, somehow tells me that this group is up and ready to deliver mayhem to MLS this 2020.

Photos Credit, Courtesy and Property of © Minnesota United Football Club 2020

Photos Credit and Property of © Copyright Major League Soccer. com 2020

Wednesday, February 26, 2020

Real Salt Lake vying for positive challenges and results in this 2020

For manager Freddy Juarez the man delivered a wondrous season at the helm of RSL, by getting the club into the postseason and eliminating the Portland Timbers breaking the winless streak against the Rose City team and reaching the semifinals.

With a step near the Western Conference finals losing to their archrivals the Seattle Sounders, Real Salt Lake proved that nothing is impossible and these with hard work can deliver anything despite the odds being against them in the course of a challenging season.

A squad that saw the departure last season of their Talisman one of its iconic players under the arches, goalkeeper Nick Rimando retiring, the job for manager Juarez somehow does not seems easy but in the end, the man cannot make it that difficult as he can get the ideal lad.

for interim manager Juarez to produce a turnaround in the end of the season and seizing the last spot in the postseason, somehow his work speaks aloud of this man hard work and blueprint plans he may bring to the side of Rio Tinto Stadium.

However, the road to the promised land is paved with a lot of obstacles and numerous challenges but for manager Juarez is business as usual and with a new crew and the majority if his returning base, RSL for sure can deliver another positive run this 2020.

As the club is readying for a challenging season ahead, among the question mark is who will defend the arches and take over their legendary keeper Nick Rimando, as the club brought the likes of Zac MacMath from Vancouver Whitecaps.

Very well the club has a couple of promises in HG keeper David Ochoa and Andrew Putna both youngsters will be looking forward to starting a competition against newcomer MacMath that looks like the probable starter come opening day.

In addition to reinforcing the defensive game with two newcomers in Alvin Jones from OKC Energy and Ashtone Morgan from TFC joining a core of veterans in Donnie Toia, Aaron Herrera, Eric Holt, Marcelo Silva and Nedum Onuoha.

As defense wins games and for RSL other priority is to boost their offensive game, the incorporations of veteran Justin Meram from Atlanta United seeing little action and Venezuelan Jeizon Ramirez as a Designated Player from Deportivo Tachira from Venezuela’s Professional league.

As the club embarked to assure a good number of las season players to new contracts and making manager Freddy Juarez as the club manager back in early December, this club front men expect this club to have another good run in this upcoming 2020 season.

Still the challenges being plenty in the Western Conference welcoming a new member from music City in Nashville SC, the odds of this club getting into the postseason are within reach but with a lot of competition.

Maybe they can finish in seventh place nabbing the last spot in the playoffs in the West and make another run that last season was interrupted abruptly by the Seattle Sounders in semifinals, still, the way the club played, in the end, is to give it a lot of plaudits.

For the Claret and Cobalt, there’s a lot of positives in this upcoming 2020 season, not as champions but as a contender and a menace to many in both conference opponents, a team to watch very closely.

Photos Credit, Courtesy and Property of © Real Salt Lake 2020

Photos Credit and Property of © Copyright Major League Soccer. com 2020

Tuesday, February 25, 2020

Sporting Kansas City cannot wait for this season to kickoff

After seven uninterrupted years in the postseason, 2019 was a bit scarce for SKC and seeing their run come to a stop after the team had its struggles but for manager Peter Vermes he is up and ready to front another contested season.

So far, the club directives being hard at work in getting the ideal players to come to Children’s Mercy Park to try to make some noise and maybe reach that desired spot in the league finals denied many times in the past.

The arrival of several players important to the blueprint project put in by manager Peter Vermes and looking forward to making an impact and not see this team display a sorry season is among one of his goals in this 2020.

However, Vermes is aware of the competition in both conferences and the way many clubs have armed their arsenal’s come kickoff this first weekend of March when Major League Soccer is celebrating its 25 years since its inception.

Still, one thing this squad one urgent sense of competition and they are not easy prey to its foes, but in this 2020 with new franchises being welcomed in MLS, the competition is good as manager Vermes sees it but they need to step and be better!

As the team prepares for its 25^th season, for the league pioneers, Sporting Kansas City somehow is looking forward to a return to its old glories and they would like to wrap it up with their third MLS Shield.

The club as mentioned before being hard at work to build an armada for Peter Vermes entering into his eleventh season at the helm of SKC, the man is pumped up to deliver mayhem to all of its league foes from day one.

Among one of the most impacting arrivals to the Midwest side was of Mexican international striker Alan Pulido as the former player for Levadiakos and Olympiakos of the Greek league and later Tigres and Chivas from Liga MX.

Considered as one of the most mentioned signings in this edition, SKC also added new players in defender Winston Reid on loan from English side West Ham United, defender Amadou Dia from Phoenix Rising, defender Roberto Puncec from Rijeka, Gady Kinsa and goalkeeper Ricardo Sanchez.

Adding the likes of promises in goalkeeper John Poulskamp, plus a couple of draftees in the recent SuperDraft in midfielders Jaret Townsend from Washington and James Kasak from Virginia Tech plus assuring the services of goalkeeper Tim Melia to a new contract.

For SKC reinforcing their backfield and adding an upgrade in its attack, the former Wizards are looking forward to a productive season and a run to the postseason if everything falls according to manager Peter Vermes plans.

In the end, Sporting Kansas City can finish in the top four spots in the Western Conference and a third-place maybe in the works, in the end Pulido’s adaptation to MLS as well the newcomer defenders will be the highlight for this team's success in 2020.