Know Your Opponent: Minnesota United

Sacramento has advanced to the third round of this year's Open Cup, where they will face Minnesota United.

Sacramento's attack ran wild in the last round against Valley 559 as they shipped four goals to earn their spot in the next round. Kyle Edwards earned a brace on the night, with Lee Desmond and Dominik Wanner adding to the tally. Sacramento will look to continue this run of form against their MLS opponent.

Minnesota United qualified for this year's Open Cup by not being in the CONCACAF Champions Cup and the Leagues Cup this season. They didn't qualify for the Leagues Cup as they failed to make the MLS playoffs last season. They enter this clash after playing in San Diego last weekend. After that match, they have a record of 3-2-2, good for 9th in the Western Conference.

Minnesota United

Manager: Cameron Knowles

Formation: 3-4-3

Regular Season W-L-D: 3-2-2

Last 5 Games: LLDLW

Path to Open Cup: N/A

Players to Watch: Joaquin Pereyra, Kelvin Yeboah

Top Goalscorers: Kelvin Yeboah - 4 goals

Top Assists: Tomás Chancalay - 3 assists

Top Yellow Cards: Jefferson Diaz - 3 yellow cards

Top Red Cards: None

Ok, let's start with James Rodriguez. The Colombian international signed with Minnesota ahead of the 2026 season on a short-term deal through June 2026. The club has an option to extend his contract to December 2026. This agreement seems to be just a way for James Rodriguez to get up to match fitness in the United States before the World Cup in the summer. And since the start of the season, Rodriguez has only played 39 minutes across 2 appearances off the bench for the Loons. And pair that with a recent bout of dehydration, announced by the club on April 6, following Colombia's recent friendly against France. Do I expect to see Rodriguez to make an appearance in Sacramento? No. Which would be a shame, because seeing a player of Rodriguez's caliber playing in Sacramento would be a fun sight. Granted, Rodriguez hasn't been able to capture the magic we see him play with for the Colombian National Team at the club level. Minnesota is the 7th club for him since the 2020/21 season. But do I expect to see Cameron Knowles to risk Rodriguez in the Open Cup? No.

Back on the scoresheet in 2026 📝

Anthony Markanich puts @MNUFC in front! pic.twitter.com/3Ssnla9Eb3

— Major League Soccer (@MLS) April 5, 2026

Kelvin Yeboah strikes back! ⚔️@MNUFC lead once again in LA. pic.twitter.com/ETNtpmRGJE

— Major League Soccer (@MLS) April 5, 2026

Now let's talk about the rest of the Minnesota roster.

If they want possession, they can get it. But Minnesota is a team that likes to play off the ball. They are averaging 41.3% possession in MLS so far this season, which is 28th in the league. Only two teams in the MLS are averaging less time on the ball. They are also only 22nd in the league for total goals scored, scoring 8 so far in the campaign. But when they do get on the ball, they are dangerous. Their attacking style is very vertical and very direct. Their midfield will launch long balls to find anybody making line-breaking runs in behind an opposing defense. Minnesota has a longball accuracy of 52.91%, which is behind only 2 teams in the MLS. And Joaquin Pereyra will be that maestro for them. He usually plays on the right wing, but look for him to cut back onto his left foot in the middle of the park and send a long ball to a variety of targets on the opposite flank. Leading goalscorer Kelvin Yeboah is one of the fastest players in the MLS and will need to be diligently tracked at all times. And then in the left back spot is Anthony Markanich, who is nicknamed "the highest scoring defender in the world." He led all MLS defenders with 13 goals across all competitions last season. Off the bench is Mamadou Dieng. Dieng came to Minnesota via Hartford Athletic in the middle of last season. Dieng is Hartford's all-time leading goalscorer, scoring 23 goals in 57 appearances for the Athletic. Apart from Pereyra, Chancalay is also someone to keep an eye on with his dribbling ability on the left wing and challenge an opposing defender to a 1-on-1 as he tries to find an angle to slot a cross into the box. One more thing of note is to be wary of the Loons in a dead-ball situation. No team in the MLS scored more goals off of set pieces than the Loons last season. Per Fotmob, 25 of their 61 goals in the MLS came from a set piece or a free kick. They were dubbed "the most aggressive set-piece team in the world" last season by The Guardian, as they put in more long throws into the opposition's box than every other team in the top 30 leagues in the world. They will take advantage of every opportunity possible to threaten the opposing defense, whether it be via a long throw or the goalkeeper coming up to send a free kick. I expect Minnesota to get a majority of the possession, which is something they aren't accustomed to this season, but they will have a variety of weapons to throw at the Republic backline and their net.

One for the money, two for the show ✨

Marco Reus buries his rebound to bring @LAGalaxy level! pic.twitter.com/FSvW8w8LBZ

— Major League Soccer (@MLS) April 5, 2026

Similar to Valley 559, the formation I have listed is a 3-4-3, but out of possession, their formation will look like a 5-4-1. The reason they are able to launch fast counterattacks is that they stuff the midfield with players and force counterattacks off turnovers. Minnesota sits in a mid-block, so that midfield just acts as a filter for the opposition to try to play through. And that's not even going into their centerbacks. I think I need to mention Michael Boxall here. The New Zealander leads Minnesota in appearances across all competitions since Minnesota joined the MLS, with 282 appearances. But Boxall has been out with an injury since February. This forced a change in the 3-4-3/5-4-1 formation, as Morris Duggan was asked to step up to fill that gap. And since then, the fortunes have turned for the Loons. In the two games prior to this shift, Minnesota lost 1-3 to Nashville and 0-6 to Vancouver. But since then, they held Seattle to a scoreless draw and won 2-1 against the Galaxy and San Diego. Their centerbacks are aggressive in every sense of the word. They are great duelers in the air and are willing to step into an already congested midfield to win a tackle or two. And it's not like Drake Callender is a slouch in goal either. Callender is tied for 6th in saves in the MLS this season. But the defense allowing the 8th most shots on net might be inflating his numbers this season, as Callender has been kept busy.

Republic's Way of Victory: Weather the storm. Even though this game will be in the Republic's stadium. This is still a talented MLS squad. I don't expect to see their full first-team lineup for this match, as they will be playing in San Diego the previous Saturday. We have been in this situation so many times. Neutralize their gamechangers (i.e., Pereyra, Yeboah, Dieng) and take advantage of the opportunities that fall to you. To get past their defense, the Republic's attack will need to be organized and coordinated with their runs. This defense is prone to some ballwatching, as the main attacking threat can draw a lot of attention, then have someone run off him into open space. Dieng, Ajago, and company will have some physical battles ahead to try and win in order to break through Minnesota's backline.