Minnesota United has a six-game unbeaten streak, and four wins in that stretch. The Loons have scored first in all but one match this year.

In other words, their main problem this season is a problem that other teams might wish they had: It’s just so dang hard defending all these second-half leads.

The first-half version of the Loons is pretty dominant, but the second-half Loons are too focused on trying to keep players back on defense and start settling for long, hopeless clearances for the two strikers and two attacking midfielders to chase.

“I think there are times when we get a little bit too comfortable, when we get our wingbacks a bit too deep, and that makes it harder for [the four attackers] to get the ball and let us get out of that defensive shape,” center back Michael Boxall said. “I think if we were able to even connect three or four passes and go from one side to the other where there’s a bit more space, then obviously keeping the ball is a much better way to defend our lead than what we did for the last 30 or 40 minutes today.”

Even veteran players like midfielder Robin Lod end up being guilty; counter-attacking has been so successful in the past that the team collectively seems to forget that playing a pass sideways or backward is even an option.

“Again, it’s an age-old story for us, we are such a threat on the counter-attack that our tendency is to try and counter-attack at almost every opportunity,” manager Eric Ramsay said. “It’s an endless topic of conversation for us, and it’s not just me who sets the direction of what we do, we have a very open and honest conversation with the players.”