Story by
Pioneer Press, St. Paul, Minn.
Loons felt ‘price was right’ to trade for Tomas Chancalay
- Story byPioneer Press, St. Paul, Minn.
- Loons felt ‘price was right’ to trade for Tomas Chancalay
Minnesota United at New England Revolution
When:6:30 p.m. Saturday
Where:Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Mass.
Stream:Apple TV
Radio:KSTP-AM, 1500
Weather:82 degrees, sunny, 14 mph north wind
Form:Minnesota (6-4-3, 21 points) is winless in its past two home games after a 1-0 loss to Colorado Rapids on Wednesday. New England (7-4-1, 22 points) had a two-game winning streak ended in a 3-0 loss to Nashville midweek.
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Recent matchups:These two teams have only played five times in nine-plus seasons, the last a 1-1 draw at Allianz Field in September 2023.
Storyline:New Loons attacking midfielder Tomás Chancalay returns to New England for the first time since his former club accepted only $100,000 in a cash-for-player trade with Minnesota in December.
"Like the TV show 'The Price Is Right,' the price was right for Chancalay," Loons Chief Soccer Officer Khaled El-Ahmad said on May 5. "Timing of it as well. We went for it and couldn't be happier with the beginning."
Chancalay's salary increased from $1 million last year with the Revs to $1.27 million this year with MNUFC, per the MLS Players Association figures released this week.
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Chancalay, 27, has four goal contributions — one goal and three primary assists — in 934 MLS minutes. He is fourth on the team with 13 chances created, per FotMob.
With James Rodriguez gone to Colombia to prep for the FIFA World Cup, Chancalay's playmaking will be more relied upon in the final two games before the league pauses for the international tournament.
"He goes into every match with a lot of fire," head coach Cameron Knowles said. "He's very passionate in the way that he plays. Brings a ton of energy, even in training (Friday). He wants to play all the time and wants to train all the time. He loves the game. I imagine we will see a very energetic Chancalay."
Absences: Julian Gressel (toe), Peter Stroud (quad) are out. Carlos Harvey (lower body) is questionable.
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Theme:Loons striker Kelvin Yeboah has seven goals this season but has been scuffling in recent matches. He failed to convert on two penalty kicks in the Austin draw last weekend and was stopped on a breakaway in the Colorado loss.
Knowles said Yeboah "has shown good instincts to score goals in the past and he has to trust his instincts."
Yeboah's reliance on his dominant right foot directly led to him failing to score against the Rapids and earlier this season against LAFC . Yeboah has scored with his left and needs to trust that foot, too.
Stats:When it comes to points per match, the Loons' are barely a playoff team when in St. Paul (1.3), but would be among the top four in the Western Conference playing anywhere else (1.8). Meanwhile, New England has been stellar at home, averaging 2.5 points per game from a 6-1-0 record.
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Prediction:Given the stark difference in the Loons' home versus away form, there is more confidence in them getting a result outside of Minnesota this weekend. But the team hasn't been great in its last five matches in all competitions. Outside of an epic two-goal comeback at Columbus on May 2, the Loons are winless in the other four. New England 2, Minnesota 1.
