How the Minnesota United 'Wonderwall' contributed to a playoff win

NINA MOINI: You're listening to Minnesota Now. I'm Nina Moini. Thanks so much for joining us. Now, we are turning to some soccer news. The Loons got a win against the Seattle Sounders in Game 1 of the playoffs at Allianz Field last night. The game was tied at 0 goals, or nil-nil, when the clock ran out, so it came down to penalty kicks.

Minnesota United scored three, and Seattle scored two, thanks partly to a save by Loons goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair. In an interview after the game, he had some love for the Wonderwall. That's a standing room only section of the stadium full of devoted fans. St. Clair said they got loud when Seattle was shooting penalty kicks.

DAYNE ST. CLAIR: And you feel that pressure building as those guys have to run up or walk up from the halfway line. It becomes-- and you're walking straight into the Wonderwall. And I feel like myself in front of them-- I almost feel like there's a wall behind me, and the wall on the line, that no ball is going to go in.

NINA MOINI: My next guest was part of that wall of Loons supporters. Meagan Weber is President of the Dark Clouds. It's an organized group of nearly 1,000 fans. And she joins me on the line now. Thanks for being with us today, Meagan.

MEAGAN WEBER: Yeah. Thank you for having me.

NINA MOINI: Well, that's got to feel nice to hear from the players saying that they appreciate all of you so much. How does that feel?

MEAGAN WEBER: It feels really good. It's nice to know that they hear us and that we're there for them and helping hype them up.

NINA MOINI: Yeah. So he's kind of talking about the perspective from the field of this wall of fans. Can you paint a picture for us of what it's like to be in that wall in the stadium during last night's game, especially during those really high intensity penalty kicks? What's that like?

MEAGAN WEBER: It's so fun. We got loud last night. The Wonderwall is the standing only section, and it's a super steep incline, so we're right on top of that back goal. So when that keeper is talking about the fact that they can feel us behind them, that means we're like 10 feet away from them. They can absolutely feel us and hear us, and we try to make sure that the other team can hear us, too, and know that we're not going to be quiet.

NINA MOINI: Yeah. And fill everybody in on why it's called Wonderwall.

MEAGAN WEBER: So Wonderwall-- obviously, we sing the song when we win, but it dates back to our pre-MLS days. Our previous coach Carl Craig used to sing it to the guys in the locker room and then he, for whatever reason, decided to sing it to our fans when we were playing in Blaine when they won. And so it just kind of turned into this big community thing where we now sing to them whenever they win.

NINA MOINI: And if you know the song, it's now stuck in your head for the rest of the day. You're all welcome.

[LAUGHTER]

MEAGAN WEBER: Absolutely.

NINA MOINI: So regular season games, I know, can end in a draw or a tie, but that's not true for playoff games, right? So can you explain how it works, how it's different?

MEAGAN WEBER: Yeah. So for playoff games, for this run, we can play up to three games. Hopefully, we'll only play two. Hopefully, we'll win next week, and we won't have to play a third. But we can't end in a tie. Someone has to win. And so we play regular time, and then we don't go into extra time. It goes straight into penalty kicks. So it's even more intense than normal. You don't have 30 minutes of extra time before you launch into these really intense penalty kicks. It was not quite what we would have hoped for last night, and it was very stressful, but I'm glad it came out the way that it did.

NINA MOINI: Yeah. Just kind of a nail biter, it sounds like. So for people who have never been to a game, a Minnesota United game, or they're kind of on the sidelines of being Loons fans, what do you think makes the team so special and the fan experience? Because I mean, they have really dedicated fans for having been around not as long as some other franchises, but for a while now.

MEAGAN WEBER: Yeah. So I think with the team, they do a really good job of talking to us. The front office works with our supporters groups. We have a really good relationship with them. And also just the players. They're always giving a shout outs on their social media, when they do interviews, things like that. And it really tells us that they value our presence at those games. And then for the dedicated supporters, this is a very wide culture, this supporters culture, and having those large communities of fans that come to every game and cheer these teams on-- it's basically their community. It's super fun to be a part of.

NINA MOINI: Yeah. And way back in February, we talked with the Dark Clouds vice president Nick Moore on the show here just as the season was starting. So it's kind of like a full circle. We're checking back in. Looking back, what were you most excited about? Did things go the way that you had hoped?

MEAGAN WEBER: I mean, it's fun to win, which has been nice. And we got into the US Open Cup Tournament this year, and we made it to the semifinals, which was-- obviously, we would have liked to have gone further, but it was still really fun to have those extra games and get to play. We were hoping for a trophy. And so now, I think the team is even more like, let's do it next year. But I think for me, we made the playoffs. That's always the goal. When you don't make the playoffs, it's a huge bummer. So it's just nice that we're playing extra soccer. We get to October and November soccer. And hopefully, we can keep going.

NINA MOINI: And you kind of alluded to this earlier, that it's the first full season for this newer coach, Eric Ramsay. What do you think of how he's led the team?

MEAGAN WEBER: I love it. The players seem just so much more comfortable in their positions. They seem comfortable with each other. We've got this incredible defense that's let in the fewest goals, I believe, in MLS this season. It's a really hard defense to play against. And I think a lot of that goes to Eric Ramsay. He's doing such a good job, and it just seems like the players are just-- everyone's on the same page, which it did not feel like that for the previous few seasons.

NINA MOINI: What do you think makes a coach more effective like that? I mean, obviously, you're not in practice with them, but what do you think he's kind of bringing to the table that's so special?

MEAGAN WEBER: I believe he talks to them. He works with them. He listens to them. He isn't afraid to tell them when they're doing something wrong, but also isn't afraid to tell them when they're doing something right. So it seems like it's just very cohesive in that nature, and the team feels like a team.

NINA MOINI: Yeah. And you mentioned their defense, they're kind of known for at this point. Or does it kind of like fluctuate what the team is really doing well on, whether it's offense or defense? How are they doing on those sides?

MEAGAN WEBER: I would say this year, the defense has been the talk. It's been a fun thing to watch other teams try to score on our defense. And obviously, they do. No one's perfect. But it's been really hard. We've made it a challenge. We've made it something that teams have to study and come try to work on to get those goals, and we really try to keep them from doing it. And then when you get past our defense, you Dayne St. Clair there, and he's great. Obviously, you saw him last night. He is great in those high pressure situations and just has done an excellent job this year.

NINA MOINI: Yeah. And so they have so many strengths, but they've had a tricky history with, it sounds like, the Seattle Sounders, right? I mean, they've lost a lot to this team. But this season, it sounds like they beat them twice. What do you think it is about that dynamic that makes it hard?

MEAGAN WEBER: I really don't know. I wish I could answer that question, because it would answer a lot of questions from past seasons.

[LAUGHTER]

NINA MOINI: Then they could fix it, yeah.

MEAGAN WEBER: But we have never won in Seattle at Seattle until this year. We had never beaten Seattle in their home stadium, so that was a big win for us this year. And I take that into this playoff run. We beat them twice-- now, we've beaten them three times in one season. Obviously, you don't want to ever play someone four times in one season, but that's where we're headed. And I really think that those two games that we won in the regular season kind of geared them up for this playoff run.

NINA MOINI: So what happens next in the playoffs? How does that work, if you don't mind just explaining a little summary for us?

MEAGAN WEBER: So this first round is a best of three, and after that, it's just a single round elimination. So we play these games-- hopefully just two, not three. And then after that, you're playing one team, and if you lose, you're out. It's no more series.

NINA MOINI: What are you looking forward to for the team? I mean, it just seems like it continues to grow in popularity. Do you feel like more people every season are kind of learning about it? And soccer in general has grown so much in popularity here in the state in the recent couple last decades or so. I mean, what's it like to watch that excitement build?

MEAGAN WEBER: It's so much fun. I've played soccer when I was younger, and I've been a soccer fan for my whole life. But having a home team is really different than watching like a club team in Europe or something like that. So when you're able to be at the games and know the community and know the players and know the team around that, it's so much fun to watch people discover that. And I think walking around even the State Fair the last several years, every year, you see more and more Minnesota United gear being [INAUDIBLE].

NINA MOINI: Totally.

MEAGAN WEBER: And like before that, you were like, oh my gosh. I spotted that person. Do I know them? Because it was kind of that. You thought you knew everybody. And now, I'm glad I know don't everybody.

NINA MOINI: Are they [INAUDIBLE]?

MEAGAN WEBER: Yes, exactly.

NINA MOINI: OK. Another just fun question for you, Meagan, since you spend a lot of time at games at Allianz Field. Is there kind of an insider thing with the stadium or any kind of tips for people? I've only been there a couple of times, I think, mostly for covering stuff, covering games and whatnot. But is there anything insidery you would share with other fans?

MEAGAN WEBER: If you're trying to get in and out of a concession area or you don't want food, you just want snacks, those mini marts that they have-- they've got like six or seven of them around there. They're like a little mini convenience store. You just walk in, grab your stuff, walk out. And so if that's where you're looking for, a quick in and out at halftime or pregame, that's the go to.

NINA MOINI: All right. You heard it here, folks. Don't say we never did anything for you. That's Meagan Weber for us. Thanks so much for your time and for stopping by. Have fun the rest of the season, Meagan.

MEAGAN WEBER: Thank you. I appreciate that.

NINA MOINI: That's Meagan Weber. Meagan Weber is the president of the Dark Clouds. It's a fan club of Minnesota United FC. The Loons again will play game two in the best of three series against the Seattle Sounders Monday, November 3.