Minnesota

Loons hopes for better at home vs. FC Dallas (Jun 28, 2018)

Published Jun. 28, 2018 1:14 a.m. ET

Minnesota United FC returns home for a Friday game against FC Dallas, hoping that things get better in the friendly confines of TCF Bank Stadium.

Minnesota, which is 5-9-1 overall and 4-2-1 at home, last played at home May 26, when it beat Montreal 2-0. The Loons have played four straight road games since, including two in the U.S. Open Cup.

They lost both MLS games in that span, including Saturday's disappointing 3-2 loss to the Colorado Rapids.

Christian Ramirez scored in the 65th minute to put Minnesota ahead, but Joe Mason tied the game nine minutes later and Tommy Smith scored the winner in stoppage time.

Amid the Rapids' surge was a scuffle that later led to the MLS Disciplinary Committee issuing a warning to each team for its first violation of the league's policy on physical confrontations.

"We kept a lot of possession and switched the play a lot," United coach Adrian Heath told mlssoccer.com. "We had a lot of possession and I don't think we did enough with it at times. That would be my only disappointment considering we had so much of the ball in the first half. I don't think we had enough end products out of the game."

Minnesota, which sits ninth in the Western Conference, needs wins.

"We have to have a short memory and get our minds ready on the next game," Minnesota defender Brent Kallman told mlssoccer.com. "It is going to be good to be back at home. Our home form is good. It is important that we find a good performance and find a way to get a result, which is three points."

Dallas, which is 8-2-5 overall and 3-2-1 on the road, was riding high before losing to the New York Red Bulls 3-0 on the road last weekend. That ended a seven-match unbeaten streak in MLS play, with Dallas going 5-0-2 in that span.

The loss was hard to swallow because Dallas played with an extra man for more than an hour. Coach Oscar Pareja cited a lack of intensity.

"I would say it was noticeable in the game. They had a lot of energy and for some reason we couldn't match that," Pareja told mlsscoocer.com. "We had many parts of the game where we could have done a better job in that part, but we couldn't. It was a night to forget."

Dallas is in second place in the Western Conference and has a potent attack led by midfielder Roland Lamah and forward Maxi Urruti, who have six goals apiece.

Dallas has also allowed the third-fewest goals against in the league, conceding only 17 through 15 matches and has kept five clean sheets.

Minnesota will be without midfielder Miguel Ibarra, who is serving a red-card suspension for his part in the altercation with Colorado. Defender Eric Miller is questionable with a hamstring injury.

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