Minnesota
Minnesota United vs. Columbus Crew preview: Broadcast info, injuries, analysis
LOONS PREVIEW
1 p.m. Saturday vs. Columbus • Allianz Field
TV: Apple TV+ MLS Season Pass
Pregame reading: Loons’ top-down youth movement is underway ahead of the home opener.
Jerry Zgoda’s analysis:
Opening bell: The Loons play MLS Cup defending champion Columbus in their home opener at Allianz Field without four starters available. Star midfielder Emanuel Reynoso, forward Bongokuhle Hlongwane, midfielder Robin Lod and left-side attacker Franco Fragapane are all out. Just like in last week’s season-opening 2-1 victory at Austin, gaps in the usual 11 could create opportunities for Medina’s Caden Clark and Costa Rican midfielder Alejandro Bran, who scored last Saturday’s winning goal. … It’s new Loon Clark’s first game at home in Minnesota. He has obtained 40 to 45 tickets for his fan club. “It’s going to be a special day for me,” he said. “I have a lot of family and friends coming to the game. I’ve been waiting for this for a while.” … The Loons will use the second of four short-term contracts allowed to him to add forward Loïc Mesanvi, a Lakeville native, to the game roster after doing the same last week.
Watch him: The game reunites Columbus star midfielder Darlington Nagbe in his 13th MLS season with Loons interim head coach Cameron Knowles. The two worked together in Portland and won the 2015 MLS Cup together. Nagbe owns four MLS Cup rings — the 10th player in league history to win four titles — after last season’s MLS Cup final at home over LAFC. He won two with Columbus and one each with Atlanta and the Timbers. “He’s one of the best player this league has seen,” Knowles said. “He has won wherever he’s gone. He has had a long career already and he’s still such an important player to their team, such an important player in the league.”… Former Loon Christian Ramirez returns to Minnesota, where he played five seasons — three in the NASL, two in MLS — before he was traded to LAFC in 2018. He scored eight goals last season and two more in the playoffs in winning his first MLS Cup with the Crew.
Injuries: The Loons list Reynoso (knee), Fragapane (thigh), Lod (leg) and Hlongwane (game fitness) as out. Kervin Arriaga is available after missing last week. Columbus list defender Mohamed Farsi (lower leg) as out.
Forecast: The Loons’ commitment to press higher up the field could get tested by the league champs.
See how the bald eagle’s story shows its enduring symbolism
As the U.S. celebrates 250 years, the bald eagle endures as North America’s native sea eagle and national bird.
The common loon, Minnesota’s state bird, is more closely related to a penguin than a duck.
Despite loons predominantly living in the northern hemisphere and penguins mostly living in the southern hemisphere, researchers consider them to be genetic cousins. Taxonomic analyses placed them in an evolutionary cluster tracing back 40 million to 50 million years ago, along with herons and pelicans.
While loons and ducks share habitat on Minnesota lakes, they aren’t close relatives. Ducks are closer cousins to geese and swans.
After sharing a common ancestor, penguins and loons developed distinct characteristics. Loons can fly, but struggle to move on land; penguins can’t fly, but waddle on land. Penguins use flipper-like wings to swim; loons use webbed feet for underwater propulsion.
They have some similar features, however, including dense bones to help dive underwater and their tuxedo coloring.
MinnPost partners with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. Read our methodology to learn how we check claims.
Fires in the past burned more frequently in western Canada, but recent years have seen that trend migrate eastward, with large fires now burning in Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic provinces, Prof Chasmer said, leading to more noticeable smoke in densely populated cities like Toronto and New York.
Minnesota United, the Liberia Lone Star National Football Team and SARX today announced that the international friendly against the Liberia National Team, scheduled for July 26, 2026, has been canceled.
While we were looking forward to welcoming the Liberia National Team and celebrating the strong ties between Minnesota’s Liberian community and our club, circumstances outside of our control have made it necessary to cancel the match. We appreciate the understanding of our supporters and wish the Liberia National Team all the best.
Fans who purchased tickets to the match will be refunded within approximately 3-10 business days.
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