Loons context from matchday to locker room.
Sound of the Loons keeps close company with Minnesota United, moving between player-and-coach interviews and Loons Matchday Preview episodes. It pairs result talk with the human details around the club, from parenting banter and travel stories to pressing shape, roster changes, and the next opponent.
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Sound of the Loons is close-range Minnesota United coverage built around match context, staff conversations, and the daily life around a club season. It feels local immediately. The show moves easily from a disappointing result to a sunny home-game forecast, from a tough road trip to a spring break week with kids at home, and from a coach's arrival to the bigger question of how a team learns. That rhythm matters. The Matchday Preview episodes are brisk and conversational, usually opening with Jonathan Harrison and Manny Lagos taking stock before widening out to soccer, opponent form, national-team news, or CONCACAF Champions Cup results. The soccer talk can get quite specific. Pressing commitment, risk and reward, center-back matchups, expansion-team energy, Seattle's threat, Vancouver's challenge, and the feeling after a lopsided loss all show up as part of the weekly picture. The analysis is rarely cold. A poor performance is still discussed with care for the staff and players, and a strong opponent is credited before the Minnesota implications come back into focus. Guests help broaden the room. Matt Doyle brings a wider lens, Andrew arrives with long memory around the club's ten-year celebration moments, Pierre Noujaim connects coverage with press-box life, and Andy Greder adds the value of local journalism. The longer Sound of the Loons interview episodes lean more personal. Cameron Knowles is welcomed as head coach with enough casual banter to make the conversation feel lived in, while Tommy Soad is introduced through his playing career, coaching career, and path to Minnesota. Danny Cruz's episode reaches back into his time as a former MNUFC midfielder, his decision-making around a move far into the Arctic circle, the difficulty of hamstring injuries, and how those experiences still shape him as a coach. The show is strongest when it connects match analysis to memory, family, travel, and locker-room perspective. It suits supporters who want more than final-score reaction but still want the conversation to sound like people who care about the club. The tone is warm and lightly inside-baseball. It knows the Loons are the center of gravity, even when the discussion wanders through the rest of the soccer world.
Made for: Built for Minnesota United supporters who want weekly match context, opponent perspective, and player-or-coach conversations with a local feel. It also suits soccer fans who like tactical talk that stays connected to people and place.
What sets it apart: The show blends club-access interviews with grounded match previews, so tactical questions and personal backstories sit in the same conversation. It can talk high press, CONCACAF, weather, family, and old playing decisions without losing the Loons thread.
Minnesota United's official podcasts feature club insight, analysis, and storytelling with hosts Zarek Valentin and Jonathan Harrison. Tune in to Sound of the Loons for player interviews and fresh perspectives, or check out the Loons Matchday Preview to catch up on how the Black and Blue are faring throughout the season.
Based on 6 episodes we listened to · September 2026
Sound of the Loons pairs practical Minnesota United match analysis with player conversations that connect tactical decisions to confidence, responsibility, and development.
Sound of the Loons moves between match preparation and player conversation without losing its close view of Minnesota United. Jonathan Harrison and Manny Lagos treat previews as working sessions, revisiting recent results before testing the press, defensive shape, personnel…
A high press goes wrong; your next Loons opinion gets a better first draft.
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Short reviews from the PlayNext desk, based on the episodes we processed.
Danny Cruz looks back on a difficult move and why it still feels worthwhile.
Danny Cruz's return to Minnesota gives Sound of the Loons a steady, personal shape. With Zarek Valentin guiding the conversation, the former MNUFC midfielder traces an unusual route into soccer, then settles into the harder choice that sent him to a new club after six MLS…
A Seattle preview shaped by Minnesota United's biggest scoreline ever and the questions it leaves behind.
This episode balances Minnesota United's disappointing weekend result with a look ahead to the home meeting with Seattle, keeping Jonathan Harrison, Manny Lagos, and Pierre Nuzham of Fox 9 at the center of the conversation.
Vancouver, San Diego, and Andy Grater's guest spot keep this Loons preview focused on the week ahead.
Match Day Preview keeps its attention on the Loons' trip to Vancouver, while also making room for San Diego's CONCACAF Champions Cup win and Andy Grater's report on Nectarios Triantus.
A relaxed road conversation about Germany, veteran guidance, and Duggan's adjustment when a trusted teammate is suddenly forced off.
Morris Duggan's off-season trip home to Germany gives this episode a modest but useful way into the quieter pressures around his Minnesota United season.
A grounded Loons preview that balances branding chatter with useful match and roster detail.
The Match Day Preview opens on sweatshirt-and-branding banter before turning to the Nashville matchup and the road run ahead of Seattle. Its strongest passage arrives with Manny Lagos on the Cincinnati game, where the late counter helped ease pressure on the defense and hinted…
Bongo's flair gets a warm, grounded explanation through one memorable Salt Lake move.
Sound of the Loons gives Bongo room to explain the instincts behind his play on the wing, with Steve easing from first-appearance nerves into a warmer discussion of touch, confidence, and the podcasts Bongo follows from back home.
James Rodriguez, preseason auditions, and Minnesota's lineup questions before the final test and Austin.
The Match Day Preview finds Minnesota at the point where offseason talk starts to harden into decisions, with the James Rodriguez news, the final preseason game against Charlotte, and the opener at Austin FC all shaping the conversation.
Rivalry panic with tactical receipts.
Minnesota United player Bongi Hlongwane joins hosts Zarek Valentin and Jonathan Harrison for his first podcast appearance.
Jonathan Harrison and Manny Lagos preview Minnesota United's upcoming season, starting with the surprise signing of global superstar James Rodríguez.
This episode previews Minnesota Loons' upcoming MLS match against Austin FC while discussing recent rivalry results across the league.
This episode features an interview with Tom Fawdry, head director of goalkeeping, discussing his background, goalkeeping in the Academy, MLS Goalkeeper of the Year Dane, and the national team.
This episode previews Minnesota United's upcoming home MLS match against the Seattle Sounders, featuring an interview with sports reporter Pierre Noujaim.
The hosts and guest Cal Williams discuss and rank the dramatic Minnesota United soccer match from the previous weekend in terms of its craziness and historical significance.
This episode previews an upcoming MLS playoff match for Minnesota United FC (MNUFC) against San Diego, featuring analysis from guest Andrew Wiebe and discussions on recent international soccer events.
Former Minnesota United and Portland Timbers striker Fanendo Adi, now in his first year as MNUFC2 head coach, talks with host Rod about moving from the academy to assisting Cam, Eric and Jeremy in the first team.
Host Derek Fallon interviews head coach Cameron Knowles of Minnesota United on the Sound of the Loons podcast, starting with a personal question about parenting advice for a toddler.
This episode is a Minnesota United matchday preview featuring an interview with soccer analyst Matt Doyle to discuss the team's recent performance and upcoming game.
This episode previews an upcoming Minnesota United soccer match while discussing the U.S.
This episode features an interview with Tommy Soehn, the new assistant coach for Minnesota United, discussing his background, playing career, and coaching journey.
This episode previews a Minnesota United matchday with guest Andrew Wiebe, reflecting on the team's 10-year history and celebrating key moments.
Sound of the Loons brings former Minnesota United midfielder Danny Cruz back to St.
Jonathan Harrison opens on a frustrating weekend.
The show opens on Vancouver.
Morris Duggan says Minnesota United’s goal is a trophy in 2026, while his own target has moved from "score my first goal" to "score my second goal." He spent the offseason in Munich after two years away, saw family and friends, and started German flashcards with his wife by labeling rooms in the house.
Jonathan Harrison and Manny Lagos open with sponsor chatter and some back and forth about a sweatshirt and the Unreal branding around the club.