With the MLS season starting Saturday, it’s time to deal with the elephants that were roaming the rooms during Minnesota United’s preseason. Or, more specifically, people who aren’t in the room at all.
Emmanuel Reynoso has yet to return to St. Paul. The 27-year-old is ranked among the league’s best playmakers in the past decade and has earned All-Star honors in 2022. The attacking midfielder has scored 16 goals and added 28 of his assists in his 71 appearances in his first MLS start since joining midway through 2020. He helped the team reach his 2020 Western in his Conference Finals and MLS 14th best-selling jersey 2021 years.
Minnesota entered the season hoping to add even more accolades for himself and the team in 2023. local bartender.
during the preseason athletic Given the sensitivity of Reinoso’s situation, we spoke with multiple sources around the club who spoke anonymously. You have independently estimated that you sent the communication.
Will there be his absence (some fans say “raynorshaw’) Draw ire out of a team that made the playoffs four straight seasons at Westbest?
The answer makes it clear that no one knows how tenuous this situation is and how Reinoso is acting.
The team’s tone was always one of sadness and concern.In fact, most of the people who spoke athletic echoed a line similar to Midfielder Hassani Dotsson — joined Loons a year and a half before his Argentinian teammate.
“I just hope he’s fine,” Dotson said. “I don’t know his situation. He has a team that I want to make sure he’s doing well. I want him back.”
“Whenever he wants to talk about something, find out something, or ask what we’re thinking, my phone is always open.”
There were no obvious signs of Reinoso falling off the grid, at least not from the outside. When Minnesota lost to FC Dallas in the first round of his 2022 playoffs on penalties with his kick, Reinoso was at his best, scoring the team’s only goal in regulation before earning the first spot with his kick. filled in the shootout.
Concerns over a teammate’s personal situation have also created a unique type of challenge for the season that will follow whether he takes the field or not.
Whether it was Orlando’s Kaka, Reinoso or Loones’ predecessor Darwin Quintero, Minnesota United coach Adrian Heath preferred playing a true No. 10. Cover the ground and wingers trying to beat his trap offside to give the pass an outlet. Since coming to MLS, Reinoso has yet to find his partner for a decisive strike, but his stats do little to reflect his top rotation his cast-up.
Now, finding out how Heath lines up his charge without his star pupil is a problem.
In 2022, Minnesota has set 73% of the season’s time in a 4-2-3-1 formation (or 4-4-2, with Reinoso playing alongside the striker). According to Wiscout, this makes the team’s three-man midfield usage smaller, with 15% of the time being his 5-3-2, 4-3-3, or 4-1-4- done in one of the 1.
Note that this is not a true “with or without Reynoso” comparison. Reinoso also scored minutes on his 4-3-3 right field last season. Instead, this is how the team fared when playing with an extra midfielder for around 500 minutes in a season gone by. This is especially important as the club rarely makes major additions to midfield or attacking positions, instead focusing more on beefing up defense.
90 minute statistics
| 4-2-3-1 or 4-4-2 | middle of three | |
|---|---|---|
|
the goal |
1.37 |
0.47 |
|
expected goal |
1.34 |
0.72 |
|
possession |
48.50% |
40.85% |
|
target shot) |
10.5 (36.4%) |
4.8 (31.9%) |
|
Counterattack (% on shot) |
3.29 (40.7%) |
1.4 (28.6%) |
|
Long pass % |
10.35% |
12.76% |
|
match tempo* |
16.41 |
14.8 |
* Passes per minute in pure ball possession
With a third player in Minnesota’s central midfield, Minnesota’s actual and expected goalscoring outputs were cratered. Teams have less possession of the ball. This suggests that these moves brought a more defensive mindset, rather than one rooted in maintaining possessions. Compared to their output in a double-pivot midfield, they had half the number of shots, and the number of counterattacks was also trimmed to less than half of their preferred approach.
Index stats also point to a more conservative style of play with a third central midfielder installed. Loons sprayed the ball more often, and the tempo of the game (a statistic that shows the number of passes per minute a team would have given the defense sustained possession of the ball) was 1.5 full passes slower. rice field.
To visualize this, here are two games Minnesota has played against the Portland Timbers over the course of six weeks. In the first match, Reinoso started 4-2-3-1 when Loons and Timbers played in a 4-4 draw at Allianz Field on 30 July. This heat his map shows Runes attacking from left to right.
The second was a 1-0 loss at Providence Park on September 10, with the teams tied at 5-3-2. Reinoso withdrew due to injury. This heat his map shows Rune attacking from right to left.
Doesn’t it look like two teams playing against each other? One has a clear fulcrum of attack and operates just right of center. Probably an Argentinian playmaker with a stronger left foot cut to the center. The second is a team whose action is mostly closer to the goalkeeper than to the striker, with specks of involvement throughout the middle and his third.
In short, the Loons look more comfortable moving forward with the number 10 jersey.Robin Lord is Moonlight’s clear favorite in Reynoso’s absence.
The preferred solution, of course, is for the team’s biggest star to return to Polaris. Unfortunately for the entire organization, this remains an open issue until his 48 hours before the start of the season.
Due to his relatively low-key demeanor in the locker room, Reinoso has a growing roster of incidents off the field. He was shot in his left leg during an attempted robbery at his home while he was playing for Talleres in 2014. Last offseason, the midfielder saw his 16-year-old at a party in Cordoba. was accused of flogging with a pistol. And in 2017, Reinoso was accused of being involved in a shooting in which no one was injured.
“I didn’t participate, but my friends did,” Reinoso said. told Pioneer Press In a 2020 interview. “There was a shooting and my name came up as a celebrity who played for Tareles, so I got involved. is happening in my neighborhood, so it wasn’t a surprise.
this week, Heath told Pioneer Press He kept in touch with Reinoso through the player’s father and brother.
“I know he still wants to be here,” Heath said. “I spoke with his father and brother last week and they are of the same mind. Like I say, hopefully in the next few days, weeks — I don’t know. I hope he comes back here.”
No matter when or how Reynoso’s story is resolved, the Loons will get an early week off by kicking off the season with a rematch in Dallas on Saturday, February 25 at 8:30 PM ET.
Many teams will be afraid to say goodbye to the second weekend of the season, but the Minnesota team without a chief facilitator may find a better footing in his absence.
(Photo: Kevin Jairaj/USA TODAY Sports)
