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On Monday, two teams with very polar opposite play styles will meet to decide who moves on to play Vancouver or LAFC in the conference finals. Minnesota will be defensive, likely stacking five to seven players defensively. San Diego FC will be offensive, but in their own way.
Preview: San Diego
There are no surprises to how San Diego plays. They're intentional on the ball. Possession is king and they lead the league in it. Throughout the season, the strangers who came together just months before the season start, have progressively gotten better at turning possession into results.
San Diego’s issues surfaced once opponents adjusted their game plans. Rather than pressing high, teams grew comfortable conceding possession and sitting deep in numbers, daring SDFC to break them down. That patience without the ball—combined with crowded defensive thirds—consistently stalled San Diego’s attack and made clear how difficult creating quality chances had become.
San Diego eventually had to evolve. With opponents content to sit deep, absorb pressure, and hunt for chances on the counter, SDFC needed new solutions to unlock packed defenses. That shift came as players like Anders Dreyer, Milan Iloski, Chucky Lozano, and other attacking talents began producing moments of individual brilliance. The attack finally clicked—consistently—and that surge pushed San Diego to the top of the Western Conference table.
On Monday against Minnesota, that key quality that SDFC will need to have is bravery. Few teams in MLS are better than SDFC at luring opponents forward and then slicing through pressure to create space in transition. If Minnesota commits numbers and San Diego moves the ball with the same urgency they showed against Portland, the opportunities in behind should be there—and the chances on goal should follow.
Two Week Break & Player Availability
In Thursday's media availability, San Diego's head coach Mikey Varas confirmed that both, Anders Dreyer and Chucky Lozano will be available for Monday's selection. Both players have been practicing with the rest of the team this week.
Dreyer and Lozano were both absent from their national teams’ most recent matches. Dreyer was sidelined due to illness, while Lozano exited early after experiencing what appeared to be a muscle overload.
As far as having two weeks off - it's an advantage, not an issue, according to the San Diego head coach. "We look at it as an opportunity to get some guys recovered after a very physical first round series. But also we really believe in our training environment so we look at it as time to prepare for the game." said Varas.
Preview: Minnesota
The Loons come into Snapdragon stadium where they've already beaten SDFC. In an extremely lopsided stat sheet, San Diego led in pretty much all categories. The difference? Scoring on chances created. Minnesota capitalized on their few chances while SDFC wasted many of theirs.
Minnesota sit at the bottom of the league in possession, a style they’ve fully embraced. Fans should expect the Loons to stay compact and defend in numbers—unless they fall behind early and are forced to push higher up the field. They know San Diego wants them to press, so the real question is whether Minnesota can stay disciplined and avoid SDFC’s trap, or if they’ll gamble with a high press in hopes of jumping ahead on the scoreboard.
Although Minnesota is at the bottom when it comes to possession, they're at the top of creating chances via set pieces. Head coach Eric Ramsay found that by getting really good at set pieces, Minnesota, who are ranked 26th out of 30 in compensation, could find creative ways to beat top opponents.
During an interview with The Guardian, Ramsay alluded to set plays by saying "Obviously, it's not escaped my attention that teams with smaller budgets can outcompete teams right at the top end through set plays. It was one of the things I looked at from afar and thought prior to coming in that we could find an advantage."
The Loons will need all the advantage they can get when they take on San Diego at Snapdragon in front of a sold out, raucous crowd.
Keys to the Match: San Diego
- Stay compact, keep possession.
- Draw out Minnesota, then explode into the attack by passing around the high press.
- Convert on opportunities created.
- Minimize mistakes to lower the amount of set pieces for Minnesota.
Keys to the Match: Minnesota
- Stay patient off of possession and wait for SDFC to make a mistake, then capitalize on it.
- Take advantage of set pieces, your biggest strength.
- Score first to deflate crowd, shift momentum.
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