(3rd in a series)
Game Notes
Date: March 29, 2025
Venue: Allianz Field, St. Paul Minnesota
Result: Minnesota United 2, Real Salt Lake 0
Weather: 40 degrees in a steady downpour
I've met Chad Boysen a handful of times, and being a recent two-time PGB champion and all-around good guy, he's managed to maintain my respect. So it seemed to be a simple courtesy that I invite him to join me for a match later in the week; and he would continue the time-honored tradition of declining The Commissioner's well-intentioned soccer invitation. I had no suspicion that he would actually accept my offer, but it turned out to be a great evening.
If you're a football fan circa 1980s England, well...this was the match for you. It was glorious in its miserable conditions as the field was pocked with small puddles, early spring turf woes, and a mud pit in front of each goal. I share season tickets with a group (including Groundout Paul Johnson) and even though it's an outdoor venue, our seats are shielded from the elements by the second-deck overhang. But that doesn't mean it was comfortable. Chad was savvy enough to arrive in full rain gear, which, when you think about it, is very on-brand for a guy who consistently trades away all of his draft picks, demonstrating once again a laser-like focus on immediate needs.
The game itself wasn't particularly noteworthy. It was a methodical and workmanlike performance by the home side as they easily dismantled a Salt Lake squad that seemed completely uninterested in playing through the cold soaking rain. Like all MN United matches, the sellout crowd of 19,000+ was raucous, despite the conditions. It seems as though Chad enjoyed his Allianz Field debut, and I made a pledge I intend to uphold: next time, I will call him during the warm summer months.
* Want to join The Commish for a day at the game? Drop me a line and we will speak it into existence!
Despite the rain and cold, this was a good time. I didn't leave my first MN United match with Tarik Skubal in my rotation, but I did leave with Wonderwall in my head. I'm a Loons convert.