Minnesota
Minnesota Catholics celebrate the new American pope
 
News of the new pope drew crowds of Minnesota Catholics to the Cathedral of Saint Paul.
“Thank you God, this is a great day,” said Jeanne Buckeye of St. Paul, while walking into mass on Cathedral Hill.
The Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis says the cathedral welcomed between five and six times the number of worshipers during a normal daily mass on Thursday.
“I got in the car and drove here,” said worshipper Jean Houghton.
It was pure joy as Chicago native Pope Leo XIV was elected as the new pontiff.
“This is my first conclave I’ve been through as a Catholic. It’s all new to me. It’s pure excitement,” said John May.
The first American pope also has strong ties to Peru.
“Oh my God, it was amazing just to hear him send a special salutation for all the Peruvian people,” said Maria Rugel, of Cottage Grove.
Rugel says it gives her another reason to feel connected to the new leader of the Catholic Church. She spoke with her family in Peru all day Thursday as they share in celebration and pride for their new pope.
“The pope is part of both of us American people and the Peruvian people,” said Rugel. “So now we’re together in this area. Oh, my God, it’s very exciting.”
Local Catholic leadership are joining the excitement. Archbishop Hebda of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis celebrated at mass, as did his colleague from the Diocese of Duluth, Bishop Daniel J. Felton, who says the connection to America makes it even more special.
“I think that anytime that someone is selected from an area that is familiar not only to that person, to us there’s always rejoicing in that,” Felton said.
Statements were received from two other Minnesota-based bishops: Bishop Patrick M. Neary of the Diocese of Saint Cloud, and Bishop Chad W. Zielinski of the Diocese of New Ulm.
“I am so pleased that we have such a worthy successor to Pope Francis in Cardinal Prevost. There is hardly a more challenging or important role of leadership in our world,” Neary said. “May the Holy Spirit fill the heart of our newly appointed shepherd with wisdom and courage as he leads the Church. May he be a prophetic witness to the Gospel of unity, hope, peace and justice for peoples of every land and nation. May God grant him a long and fruitful tenure as the Successor of Peter.”
“I am filled with hope and anticipation for the future of the Church under his leadership. He will carry forward the missionary fervor that Pope Francis ignited, and I am eager to hear more from our newly elected Holy Father,” Zielinski said. “The faithful of the Diocese of New Ulm and I join the Universal Church in our prayers for Pope Leo XIV. His election as the first pope from the United States of America is a historic moment and a wonderful blessing for our nation.”
If you’re driving past the Cathedral of Saint Paul, there’s a new celebratory banner outside its front entrance.
Pope Leo XIV will be the new leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics.
A mass of Thanksgiving will be held May 14 at the Basilica of Saint Mary in Minneapolis.
																	
																															Minnesota
Everything you need to know about Sounders-Minnesota
														 
The Seattle Sounders have been here before. In fact, they’ve been here quite often. This will the 17th time the Sounders have played a literal must-win playoff game since Brian Schmetzer took over in 2016. They have gone 11-5 in their previous 16 such games.
Minnesota United has a little more room for error after winning Game 1 in a penalty shootout, so it’s not a must-win for them. Historically, though, they’ve gone just 2-5 in must-win playoff games and are on a four-game losing streak. They will likely just as well avoid a must-win game if they can help it.
Here’s what you need to know:
Injury news
Sounders
OUT: Paul Arriola – Knee; Pedro de la Vega – Knee
Minnesota
None
Opposition players to watch
Kelvin Yeboah: The striker wasn’t healthy enough to start in Game 1, but he did come off the bench. It’s not entirely clear if he’s yet been cleared to start, but either way he gives the Loons a look they otherwise don’t have. Yeboah allows the Loons to play a more coherent style, acting as a hold-up player that allows them to build (to the degree they are interested).
Dayne St. Clair: No one cast a bigger shadow of Game 1 then the newly crowed Goalkeeper of the Year. Although he was really only tested a couple of times in regulation, he came up with a massive save in the shootout. His general presence can’t be overstated either as he just makes the goal seem smaller.
  
Sounder at Heart will receive a portion of all sales made using this link.
Stats to look smart
2.4 — The Sounders generated 2.4 xG in Game 1, easily the most they had created in a game without scoring this year. If they are able to do that again, scoring at least one goal seems extremely likely.
4 – The Sounders have twice generated four big chances in a game in which they failed to score at least once. Both were against Minnesota United.
Tactics to impress
- The Sounders’ two best chances were generated with Jordan Morris sending in crosses from the right side to Danny Musovski. Don’t be at all surprised if we see that tactic attempted again.
 - Minnesota United likely feels like for all the chances they gave up in Game 1, they were ultimately OK with the tradeoff. Their main focus will almost certainly be keeping numbers behind the ball and forcing the Sounders to break them down.
 
Opposition research
Inside Minnesota United’s rebirth: Playing “like Stoke City on a rainy Tuesday” & buying into data
The Loons’ unorthodox rebuild has seen them develop into one of MLS’s most modern and competitive outfits.

Kit matchup

Playoff bracket

Other reading
Statistical preview: Sounders vs. Minnesota United, Game 2
Match Preview

Of Red Mist & Red Herrings
Drama drives engagement so at the very least the fuel for the narrative was burning brightly.

Be aggressive, b-e aggressive
Sounders will need goals to get through Minnesota

Sounders likely sticking with Stefan Frei in future shootouts
Schmetzer seems skeptical of swapping in Andrew Thomas just for penalties.

Sounders say they are seeking new investors
The Sounders are enlisting an investment bank to raise capital for various projects, likely including a new stadium.

More listening
  | 
Niko and Jeremiah talk through the possible sale of the Sounders
Minnesota
“Altercations” during final night of “ValleyScare” lead to early closure of Valleyfair
 
The final night of a Halloween-themed event at Valleyfair in Shakopee, Minnesota, ended early due to “two altercations between parties,” according to a park spokesperson.
The park’s website noted Saturday was the last evening of “Valleyscare,” dubbed as the “Twin Cities’ largest Halloween event.” It was scheduled from 7 a.m. to midnight.
But videos on social media show a large police presence in the parking lot sometime around 10 p.m., with guests streaming out and saying they were told to go home.
A Valleyfair spokesperson gave this statement to WCCO on Sunday: “Valleyfair is a family-friendly environment, and we do not tolerate disruptive or inappropriate behavior. Guests who violate our Code of Conduct are required to leave the park. Last evening, park security personnel responded to two altercations between parties. As a result, several guests were escorted off park property. We are fully cooperating with local law enforcement on their investigation into the altercations. Last evening marked the final scheduled operating day of Valleyfair’s 2025 season.”
WCCO also reached out to the Shakopee Police Department and the Scott County Sheriff’s Office for more information.
Minnesota
Randle scores 30 as Timberwolves beat Hornets 122-105
 
Julius Randle scored 30 points to lead the Minnesota Timberwolves past the Charlotte Hornets 122-105 on Saturday night, their first victory since All-Star Anthony Edwards was sidelined with an injury.
Without Edwards, who has a right hamstring strain, Minnesota had lost home games to Denver and the Los Angeles Lakers.
Donte DiVincenzo and Naz Reid added 18 points each, Rudy Gobert had 14 points and 15 rebounds and Jaden McDaniels added 14 points for Minnesota.
Miles Bridges had 30 points and LaMelo Ball had 18 points, seven rebounds and eight assists to lead Charlotte, which has lost its last three games.
Charlotte led 56-50 at halftime before Minnesota dominated the third quarter 36-18 to take and 86-74 lead into the final quarter. The Timberwolves’ strong play extended into the fourth quarter as they eventually built a 20-point lead.
Minnesota made 17 of 36 3-pointers (47.2%) , getting conversions from DiVincenzo (5 of 12), Randle (3 of 6), Rei (3 of 5), McDaniels (2 of 2), Johnny Juzang (1 of 1) and Bones Hyland (1 of 3).
The Hornets were 13 of 45 (28.9%)from 3-point range.
This was the first game since the Hornets announced they had exercised their fourth-year team option on guard Brandon Miller and third-year team option on forward Tidjane Salaun.
Miller, the second overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, has appeared in 103 career games, but missed 65 games last year after needing right wrist surgery and missed his fourth straight game Saturday with a left shoulder injury.
Timberwolves guard Rob Dillingham was playing in his second career game near his hometown of Hickory, North Carolina, 60 miles northwest of Charlotte. He had four points and three assists in 15 minutes.
Timberwolves: Play at Brooklyn on Monday night.
Hornets: Host Utah on Sunday night.
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