Read my full gamer and notebook from Minnesota United's 2-1 victory at Orlando City on Saturday, and then join me here for my first postgame blog of the 2018 season.
Random start, but did anyone spy a tribute to Adrian Heath? I heard from a few people that Orlando was planning something, but I didn't see anything. Anyway ...
Let's talk a little bit more about Ethan Finlay's night. He scored both of United's goals (and also gave up the penalty for Orlando's). Finlay said he was disappointed in his play during last week's season-opening loss, and his goal this match was to "affect the game in a positive way," which he certainly did.
"He's been working so hard, and he's been a bit frustrated with the level of his own play. But the one thing about Ethan Finlay, he gives you everything he's got every single time he steps on the field," Heath said. "He's the same in training. So we know what we're getting out of him.But this will do his confidence no end of good, and I think we'll be able to build from that now. "
Finlay came to the Loons last summer looking to revamp his career that had gone stagnant at the Columbus Crew since his best year in 2015 when he was an MLS All-Star. He certainly established himself as a starter in his 11 games with United last year, scoring three goals and three assists. But this first full season could be his bounce back.
"It's a long year, and there's going to be ups and downs. And I've always said there's two things I can control every day: It's my attitude and my work ethic," Finlay said. "I'll continue to work hard whether the results are going our way or not, whether my performance is good or not. But it's about putting a good, positive effort out there every time, and that's what the guys know they can get out of me. And I think guys can feed off of that, which I think is extremely important."
OK, I have to be awake again in fewer hours than I can count on one hand to catch my flight back to Minnesota on Sunday morning, so I'm out. Rewatch my Facebook Live below or click here. Enjoy an assortment of Twitter videos as well.
