By Justin Ruderman
These two sides have a lot in common. Both Minnesota United and Querétaro are teams that play against the ball and suck up the pressure. They utilize set pieces and counterattacks to create chances plus defensive solidity to manage the game. Fans may be in for a match of waiting to see who blinks first.
HEAD-TO-HEAD:
- 1st meeting all-time
- Record at Leagues Cup: MNUFC (4-3), Querétaro (3-4)
LAST FIVE GAMES:
- Minnesota United: 3 Wins, 1 Draw, 1 Loss
- Conceded at least one goal in 10 straight games
- Querétaro: 1 Win, 4 Losses
- Only Liga MX club without a point through three matchdays to start the Apertura 2025
MAIN STORYLINES:
- Joining MLS in 2017 after being founded in 2010, Minnesota United is yet to win a trophy in their short club history. Could Leagues Cup be their moment?
- Since taking charge as the youngest head coach in MLS history (then 32 years old) early last year, first-time manager Eric Ramsay has steadily built MNUFC into a Western Conference contender in his second season at the helm.
- Querétaro is winless to begin the 2025/26 Aperutra campaign with three consecutive losses, leaving them at the bottom of the table. They must put that disappointment behind them to find success in Leagues Cup.
- Fresh and fit to start the season, Los Gallos Blancos can take advantage of their early-season energy against an MNUFC team in the midst of a U.S. Open Cup semifinal run at the back end of their league season.
- In 2023, both of these squads made spectacular runs to the Leagues Cup quarterfinals. Can they improve on those impressive campaigns?
KEY FACTORS:
Minnesota United:
- Tani Oluwaseyi has been unstoppable this season with 9 goals and 8 assists in MLS. He's also been named to four "Team of the Matchday" starting XI selections and earned one "Player of the Matchday" award.
- Kelvin Yeboah is on a tear lately and he recorded a late brace in Minnesota’s 2-1 comeback win over St. Louis City in their last match. Can he keep the momentum going in Leagues Cup?
- The Loons target set pieces more than most teams, long throws and all, which they can likely exploit against a team that gave up the most goals from dead-ball scenarios in Liga MX last season.
Querétaro:
- Have not had success recently in Liga MX, off to a 0-0-3 start in league play for the 2nd time in last 3 tournaments.
- Former MLS player Lucas Rodriguez wears the No. 10 for Querétaro as their main creative threat. He could be in line for his first Leagues Cup goal contribution.
- As the team that took the fewest shots on the fewest expected goals in Liga MX last season, Querétaro’s chances will be limited, so they must be clinical in turning those opportunities into goals.
WHAT TO EXPECT?
These two sides have a lot in common. Both Minnesota United and Querétaro are teams that play against the ball and suck up the pressure. They utilize set pieces and counterattacks to create chances plus defensive solidity to manage the game. Neither seems to care for possession.
Each hired their current head coach last season, made a fantastic run to the Leagues Cup 2023 quarterfinals and was then eliminated at the group stage last year. Their club crests even have the same color palette, headlined by blue and black (alongside either white or gray).
All that said, their current league tables are not synchronized.
Los Gallos Blancos prop up the Liga MX table as the only winless club in the league, three matches into the new Apertura season. Meanwhile, the Loons are third in the competitive Western Conference upper echelon, two points off the top spot and six points behind the Supporters’ Shield pace.
Luckily, the beautiful thing about tournaments is that league form is irrelevant. David often slays Goliath and Cinderella runs are habitual. All it takes is slinging the right stone or fitting the slipper perfectly. Minnesota United and Querétaro begin their own Leagues Cup 2025 stories on Wednesday night at Allianz Field.
