We were all, of course, hoping for a bit more next normal and a little less this normal. But here we are at the start of another season still feeling like soccer is a necessary distraction and a dangerous diversion, while Minnesota United return to Lumen Field, site of the extra-time loss that ended their 2020 playoff dream. And so we look forward with a bit of hope for a little something better this year.
Looking forward begins, of course, by trying to pick up the narrative threads of what has come before. Unfortunately, Minnesota United’s 2020 season is almost impossible to know: The season began with joy as Minnesota handily beat Portland and San Jose; a joy that was quickly and thoroughly ended by a global pandemic.