Besides the climax of six drama-filled rounds of penalty kicks, Minnesota United and Real Salt Lake had a relatively tame Game 1 in their MLS Cup Playoff series on Tuesday in Sandy, Utah. No goals through 90 minutes and only two total yellow cards issued. But Game 2 in St. Paul will be more fiery on Saturday night. That’s primarily due to three-seed RSL facing elimination, and six-seed MNUFC unwilling return to Utah for a winner-take-all Game 3 next Friday. Then there’s the subplot what happened between the two clubs at the end of their regular-season game on Oct. 2. Late in the match, RSL defender Brayan Vera spit at Loons’ captain Michael Boxall. The incident wasn’t initially caught by referee Ricardo Montero. An upset Boxall went to get in Vera’s face, but was kept away by a scrum of players. In the ensuing melee, RSL forward Chicho Arango and Loons center back Carlos Harvey needed to be separated. “It looks like the cap is about to bust off of this one,” play-by-play commentator Tyler Terens said on Apple TV. Upon video review, Vera was given a red card for a “spitting offense.” A few days later, MLS Disciplinary Committee handed down a three-game suspension — the final two regular-season games and Game 1 of the playoffs. Vera will now be eligible to play in Game 2 on Saturday. The Colombian center back has been a regular for coach Pablo Mastroeni’s team, totaling 2,107 minutes and starting all 24 games he’s played in in 2024. Boxall called himself “one of the hotter heads on the team,” but he doesn’t feel like his emotions will carry over one full month and into Saturday. “A lot of time has passed,” Boxall said before Game 1. “I get over things pretty quickly. Mind on the job.” Goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair wasn’t as willing to let it go. “That is not even in the back of my head; that is in the front of my head,” St. Clair said on Oct. 22. “To be able to send them home (and) end their season, I think, is the most talking you can do.” Given how Vera’s spitting incident transpired, St. Clair said MNUFC players didn’t get to stand up for “Boxy” in the moment. “The confrontation would have been a lot bigger if everyone really knew what happened,” St. Clair said. “… I wouldn’t be surprised if you see some hard tackles, obviously he is suspended for (Game 1), but that is up to their coach to see if he is going to come back for Game 2 and see how that reacts as well.” Given what’s at stake — a spot in the Western Conference semifinals — MNUFC will need to stay disciplined to give themselves the best shot. That is sometimes easier said than done in the heat of the moment. Back in May, Loons players got in a brief brouhaha with Portland at Allianz Field. Ex-Minnesota player Caden Clark and Timbers forward Jonathan Rodriguez got in each other’s face, and Rodriguez hit Clark with his forearm a few times. St. Clair intervened on Rodriguez. Then Loons defender Micky Tapias and Rodriguez got in each other’s face; it had to be broken up by Loons head Eric Ramsay and others. That type of behavior is not something the Loons’ new leadership wants from its players. And Ramsay said prior to Game 1 that his team was not going to make “too big of a deal” out of the Vera incident in this series. “But we also want the game to have an edge to it,” Ramsay said. “I feel like we are one of those teams that benefits from there being an undertone of real competitiveness and edge to the game. We will play on that, but only up to a certain point. … Not in a way that reflects a rivalry that is about to boil over in any way because I don’t think that would suit us.” Supporters at Allianz Field are wont to get on opposing players who rub them the wrong way during matches. Given that Boxall is one of their all-time favorite players, they will likely remember Vera’s transgressions and come to Boxall defense — even if he has moved on. So, if Vera plays Saturday, fans will probably cascade boos on him as Public Enemy No. 1. Related Articles Minnesota United FC | Loons goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair uses dark arts during penalty kicks in MLS Cup Playoffs victory Minnesota United FC | Minnesota United captures playoff win in penalty kicks over Real Salt Lake Minnesota United FC | Minnesota United at Real Salt Lake: Keys to the match, projected starting XI and a prediction Minnesota United FC | Minnesota United counting on Kelvin Yeboah to be its main man in MLS Cup Playoffs Minnesota United FC | What does Loons’ new British head coach Eric Ramsay take away from Vikings and Timberwolves games?