MNUFC needs to silence Ibrahimović

Say Shh!

One of the really great things about sports is how they bring people together, and one of the coolest recent developments in the local sports scene has been watching our teams reach out and support each other, mainly through social media.

Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns poses for MNUFC’s #SayShh campaign. (Photo courtesy of the Timberwolves/@Timberwolves via Twitter)

It’s fun to see Minnesota Wild players take batting practice before a Twins game, or to see Minnesota United players wearing purple at a Vikings game, and of course, supporting each other through positive posts and tweets.

That’s exactly what’s happening ahead of Sunday’s first ever Minnesota United MLS playoff game. MNUFC’s marketing team came up with the #SayShh campaign before the postseason opener against L.A. Galaxy, and now social media is populated with pictures of local celebs, teams, and businesses, with a finger to their lips, saying “Shh!” and probably making librarians everywhere proud.

MNUFC unveiled its new #SayShh campaign with this image of Slug, a rapper from the music group Atmosphere, originally from Minneapolis. (Photo courtesy of @MNUFC via Twitter)

What’s the concept behind the campaign? We know how loud Allianz Field can get, now, it’s time to see how quiet we can make everyone else. A cute concept for sure, but it will actually get put to the test during Sunday’s playoff game.

MNUFC goalkeeper Vito Mannone posted this photo with teammate and defender Romain Metanire at the Minnesota Vikings game on Sunday, Oct. 13. (Photo courtesy of Vito Mannone/@VitoMannone88 via Twitter)

L.A. Galaxy will come into the playoffs largely on the strength of striker Zlatan Ibrahimović, and it will be critical for MNUFC to keep him quiet.

Good luck with that.

At an age where most of his contemporaries have gone into coaching or broadcasting, 38-year-old Ibrahimovoć continues to rack up points. With 30 goals and 7 assists on the season, Ibrahomović is one of three finalists for the Landon Donovan Award, given annually to the league’s most valuable player.

If you ask me, that’s the most intriguing thing about Sunday’s match up. Trying to limit Ibrahomović’s impact will be, among others, Ika Opara, who won 2019 MLS Defender of the Year, an award he also won in 2017, and goalkeeper Vito Mannone, who as you might guess, is one of three finalists for MLS Goalkeeper of the Year.

With a guaranteed salary of $7.2 million dollars a year, Ibrahomović is the highest paid player in MLS. To this point, he’s been a good investment. Ibrahomović is a “Designated Player,” meaning he’s one of three players that L.A. Galaxy carries whose salaries don’t count against the team’s salary cap. Ibrahomović has scored 52 goals and added 17 assists in just 56 games, and of all players in MLS history with at least 50 goals, no one has scored more frequently that Ibrahomović, who finds the back of the net basically every 91 minutes.

Yes, soccer is a team sport, but Sunday’s game comes down to Ibrahomović against Opara, and ultimately, Vito Mannone.

Shh! Let’s see how quiet MNUFC can make Ibrahomović.