Minnesota

Analysis: Minnesota United's Eric Ramsay learns Colorado conditions are primed for chaos

Published

2 years ago

May 26, 2024

Analysis: Minnesota United's Eric Ramsay learns Colorado conditions are primed for chaos

Before Minnesota United played what would be coach Eric Ramsay’s first game in Colorado, he was slightly dismissive of how the conditions might affect the game.

“It’s not like we’re going to play a different sport on a different planet,” he said Friday.

After experiencing mile-high soccer, though, he had changed his tune. “It’s one of those games that I will try and erase from my memory, because I know we’re not going to play in those conditions again,” Ramsay said after the Loons played to a 3-3 draw with Colorado on Saturday night in Commerce City, Colo.

In some ways, it might have been Minnesota United’s worst performance of the year. Despite taking a 3-1 lead, the Loons struggled to get on the ball, or keep it when they did.

By the end, they had completed the second-fewest passes of any team in the past seven years of MLS, according to the available numbers from FBRef.com.

The coach didn’t go so far as saying that playing in Colorado was the team’s entire problem, but he did note that his players seemed to have an uphill battle in almost every phase of the game.

“We really struggled with the ball today,” Ramsay said. “That leads to us playing forward very quickly. [Then] we’re not well-connected to pick the second balls up when they drop, and we give an awful lot of space away behind the back line when we’ve played forward. … That led to a pretty ugly performance, I would say, and not one that I’d like to produce again.”

When long goal kicks go wrong

The first two goals of the match both came from Minnesota United goal kicks — one that ended up in the Colorado net, and one that ended up in Minnesota’s.

Ramsay has spoken about how Minnesota’s plan from goal kicks is not necessarily to complete a pass, but to get the ball into the correct area. Over the past few weeks, goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair’s target has been center back Kervin Arriaga, who will push up beyond the halfway line and give St. Clair a 6-foot-3 target to aim at. And from there, Minnesota wants to win the second ball and play from there.

On both attempts, though, St. Clair came up short of Arriaga. The first time, everything turned out fine; the Rapids won the initial header, but the Loons’ Devin Padelford got a foot on the ball, and Wil Trapp won a 50/50 duel to get the ball to Robin Lod. From there, Lod did the rest, with a through-ball to Sang Bin Jeong for the game’s first goal.

On the second, though, the Loons lost both the initial header and the second ball, and it was enough to spring Kevin Cabral in on goal to tie the score for Colorado.

“That was a big part of the game that we were really disappointed with,” Ramsay said. “We fell into a rhythm that I thought we’d gotten out of. It was an area of the game that it wasn’t anything to do with the conditions, it was mostly to do with the setup and levels of concentration, so that was a disappointing part of the game.”

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Minnesota

Tragedy in Minnesota, vaccine news, Snoop’s game call: Week in review

Published

10 hours ago

January 10, 2026

Press Room

Tragedy in Minnesota, vaccine news, Snoop’s game call: Week in review

Childhood vaccine schedule gets lighter

Kids in the United States will now have four fewer recommended vaccines on their childhood vaccine schedule, the Department of Health and Human Services announced. The four vaccines are for rotavirus, influenza, meningococcal disease and hepatitis A, which will now be considered a shared decision between parents and doctors. Insurers will continue covering the vaccines regardless of the category, the HHS said. The administration says the move aligns the U.S. vaccine schedule with that of other developed nations; public health experts say the decision puts children’s health at risk.

Fraud scandal drags down Tim Walz

A bare-knuckles 2026 campaign season has barely begun, and it has already knocked out one high-profile candidate. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, dogged by a scandal that saw hundreds of millions of dollars in state Medicaid payouts exposed as possibly fraudulent, says he will not seek reelection. “I’ve decided to step out of the race and let others worry about the election,” Walz, Kamala Harris’ running mate in the 2024 presidential campaign, said in a statement. Dozens of people in Minnesota have been charged with stealing taxpayer dollars in what the Justice Department called the “largest COVID-19 fraud scheme in the country.”

I’ll have a sniff and a slice

Candle shoppers are still melting down over some of the offerings in Bath & Body Works’ “Perfect Pairings” collection − in particular, the Pizza & Ranch candle, which promises notes of “gooey cheese, crispy pepperonis and ranch.” The fragrance, released in December as one of the “fun and unexpected” fragrances for Candle Day 2025, brought reactions that border on the unprintable, including one that referenced a Diaper Genie pail. Other scents were Coffee & Donuts, Chips & Salsa and Popcorn & Slushie. As of Jan. 5, only the Chips & Salsa candle was available on the company’s website, and alas, there was no word on restocking.

The great Oscars countdown has begun

Roll out the red carpets and chill the champagne: Hollywood’s race for the Oscars kicked off Jan. 4 with the Critics Choice Awards in Santa Monica, California, where “Sinners” and “Frankenstein” led the field with four wins each. “One Battle After Another” won best picture; for best actor and actress, Timothée Chalamet of “Marty Supreme” and Jessie Buckley of “Hamnet” took home the trophies. Next up on the watch list: the 83rd Golden Globes on Sunday, Jan. 11. Hollywood’s biggest night, the Academy Awards, comes March 15.

Snoop goes unleashed in his NBA game call

Coaches clashing with officials is nothing new, but this brouhaha came with a Snoop Dogg play-by-play – and a rebuke from the coach’s mom. The coach was the Golden State Warriors’ Steve Kerr, who had to be restrained after he was ejected from the game in a dispute over a missed goaltending call against the LA Clippers. “Steve’s raining fire on them. Woo-hoo!” barked Snoop, a guest analyst for Peacock. “The Arizona Wildcat came out. … Rawr, rawr!” Later, Kerr said he was amused by Snoop’s call, but his mother, who was at the game, was “terribly disappointed in me.” − Compiled and written by Robert Abitbol

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Minnesota

Protests continue in the Triangle over ICE actions after Minnesota shooting incident

Published

22 hours ago

January 9, 2026

Press Room

Protests continue in the Triangle over ICE actions after Minnesota shooting incident

Protests against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) are continuing across the Triangle this week, fueled by anger and fear after a woman was shot and killed during an immigration enforcement operation Wednesday in Minnesota.

Adali Abeldanez, owner of Moroleon Supermarket in Durham, said fear is impacting daily life and local businesses, including his own.

“People are still stressed and worried,” he said.

Abeldanez said he has seen a noticeable change in customer behavior since ICE operations intensified. While his store has offered delivery services for years, he noticed requests surged in November, when ICE was in the state, and have remained high.

“That uptick in delivery – do you believe that’s directly tied to people’s fear about ICE?” WRAL asked Abeldanez.

“Oh yeah, for sure,” he said.

He said some store clients are afraid to leave their homes and are relying on organized deliveries instead. Abeldanez said his wife is undocumented and frightened, a feeling he said is widely shared in the immigrant community.

>> Q&A: NC lawyers warn immigrant communities to stay home amid enforcement sweeps in Raleigh

>> Do ICE agents have absolute immunity? No, experts say, but it’s not easy for a state to prosecute

Abeldanez believes ICE agents need more training and greater accountability.

“They’re dealing with people — human beings. It’s life,” he said. “The law should be enforced, but obviously with due process and taking into consideration humanity, being humane.”

He also criticized what he described as racial profiling; he said agents approach people in public spaces based on appearance rather than targeted investigations.

“They should have some kind of plan to know where to go, who to look for, and not just randomly pick people,” Abeldanez said.

Despite his concerns, Abeldanez said he felt encouraged by this week’s protests, as long as they remain peaceful.

“As long as it’s something peaceful, I feel proud,” he said. “Seeing people protest in favor of protecting the immigrant community — I think that’s awesome.”

But while both sides believe peaceful protesting is important, the divide is regarding ICE’s actions.

Matt Mercer, communications director for the North Carolina Republican Party, said the Minnesota shooting involved an agent acting in self-defense, citing video evidence and injuries the agent sustained.

“There’s a human element where someone loses their life, which you never want to see,” Mercer said. “But the video speaks for itself.”

Mercer said recent confrontations with ICE agents are not peaceful protests but attempts to obstruct federal law enforcement.

“If you wish to protest, do that in ways you can traditionally protest,” Mercer said. “Surrounding agents, obstructing vehicles or creating chaos is not legitimate protest.”

The Minnesota incident remains under investigation. Meanwhile, protests in the Triangle are expected to continue, including one Friday night in Durham.

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Minnesota

Rifts widen as Minnesota, feds face off over ICE shooting

Published

1 day ago

January 9, 2026

Press Room

Rifts widen as Minnesota, feds face off over ICE shooting

Federal authorities froze out state investigators. Gov. Tim Walz questioned whether the FBI could be fair on its own. Vice President JD Vance said he wouldn’t let Walz and “a bunch of radicals” pursue a case against an ICE agent who killed a woman in Minneapolis.

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