Three takeaways as Minnesota United host the Western Conference final with Seattle Sounders Steve Zakuani

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It was the spectacle of Bebelo Reynoso and Kevin Molino as Minnesota United swept Sporting Kansas City to book a Western Conference final date with the Seattle Sounders. Here are my takeaways.

Molino is the undisputed MVP of the playoffs

The first half of this game was one of the strangest 3-0 games I have ever seen. It’s not that Minnesota didn’t deserve it, they did – it’s that Sporting had ample opportunities to put the game to bed long before the Loons started. The first 25 minutes of this game left me wondering how the hell Minnesota was still in the game. And then Molino woke up and continued to advocate for the MLS playoff MVP, and just like that, Minnesota landed their ticket to the Western Conference Finals.

Molino is a player I have always loved but sometimes he flattered to cheat. The talent is there, but it can be great one game and then anonymous the next. For some reason he has found an area right now that very few athletes reach. He’s in a place where everything he tries comes to do, things that take years to perfect seem effortless to him, and he puts the ball in the back of the next with an efficiency that any fox in the box. would be proud.

He was the best player in the playoffs – bar none. Minnesota as a whole looks incredibly deadly and it’s not just Molino, it’s their entire offensive quartet consisting of Robin Lod, Ethan Finlay, Reynoso and of course Molino. I love the way they come out during the break – they attack with pace and determination and seem to have a clear plan for what they want to do. The sport didn’t help itself defensively, but it was more about how Minnesota took their chances when they arrived.

The first objective was exceptional. The quick passes and movement of the ball were top notch, as was the timing of Molino’s run and the always-impressive Reynoso’s pass. It was Adrian Heath’s team at their best forward – fast, precise, determined and deadly.

Watch: Reynoso and Molino combine for Minnesota’s first two goals

The Reynoso-Molino combination is eerily similar to that of Lodeiro-Morris which has done wonders for the Sounders. You can know what they want to do, but it is very difficult, if not downright impossible, to stop it when it is in full swing. They’re not quite at the Sounders duo level yet as these two produced performances that turned into silverware. But, given the weather and the current trajectory they’re on, it’s a duo that may dominate for a while.

They are the perfect pair because their skills complement each other so well. One likes to run off the ball and get behind, while the other apparently has eyes behind his head and can pass through any defense. Again, very similar to the Sounders duo. Reynoso was a revelation. I judge the players based on the quality of those around them and he is top notch about it. Molino is a player similar to what I was: good at dribbling, can go left or right, but he’s more than just a winger – he’s dangerous for goals and also able to come in and play through. moments. There aren’t many tandems I would take on Molino and Reynoso at the moment, they absolutely fly.

Midfielder, defensive failures prove Sporting’s loss

There were more than a few Western Conference-based MLS fans who were skeptical of Sporting’s worth among the number one seeds. They haven’t faced Seattle, LAFC or Portland all season so it was difficult to gauge exactly how well they were compared to some of the top teams in their conference.

Having said that, I liked most of what I’ve seen of them this season, but what ultimately cost them in this game is their below par midfield performance. Illie Sanchez is a class player and does a good job of dictating the tempo of his squad, but he’s struggled to make his mark in this game, as have Gianluca Busio and Roger Espinoza. This Sporting engine room – where so many games are won and lost – chose the wrong time to put on a bad shift. Osvaldo Alonso – his best years may be behind him, but there’s no midfielder I’d rather have in a playoff series – gave Minnesota authority in the middle of the park that kept Sporting from playing. exercise any domination.

Goals change games – obviously. Had Sporting scored the two or three goals they easily could have had in the first 25 minutes, we’re having a very different discussion right now, but as it stands they weren’t good enough defensively for overcome a bad offensive exit.

Immediately after their shootout win over San Jose, I expressed my disbelief as to how they left the deadliest forward in league history in the six-yard box with 10 seconds remaining. Once again, their defense left something to be desired as it was too easy for Molino to make a straight rush to goal for his first goal. When you concede six goals in two home playoff games, you give yourself an almost insurmountable task and that’s how it played out for Sporting in the end.

It’s Lodeiro vs Reynoso in the conference final

In the most simplistic terms, this game will switch whoever has the most influence between Lodeiro and Reynoso. I realize this is a very basic and straightforward analysis that anyone with two good eyes can do, but sometimes football comes down to the obvious thing.

The Sounders have great players all over the pitch, but they live and die from what Lodeiro does. He turns out to be the best scout in club history and his performance in big games is second to none. If you stop him, you cut a lot of what Ruidiaz and Morris are doing because he’s their supplier.

Can Alonso turn back time and put one of those masterly defensive efforts that he has put into so many times before in the very stadium this game will be played in? If he can be the Ozzie whom I have called the best prison midfielder of all time in our league, then Minnesota’s odds increase as he’s more than capable of stopping Lodeiro. I can’t wait to see this game.

On the other side, it’s the same story for Reynoso: can he exert his influence on the game and draw Seattle defenders all over the field? He won’t be marked by a specific player, but the Sounders will have to try to limit him by committee. He provides Molino such a great service that you almost kill two birds with one stone if you can keep him quiet.

To be clear, there will be many factors that will determine the outcome, but I really think that whoever the team’s playmaker is in song, it will be the team that progresses.

Former MLS star winger Steve zakuani was a No. 1 pick in the 2009 MLS SuperDraft and he played for the Seattle Sounders and Portland Timbers. He is currently a member of the Sounders broadcast team and has published a book “Overcome” and a documentary “Unbreakable” surrounding his return from a serious injury that marked his playing days. He is also a coach at Bellevue High School and making a difference in the lives of young athletes through his non-profit organization. Kingdom Hope Organization.



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