Before their second MLS season began at home Saturday, Minnesota United supporters unveiled a huge tifo — a sign of support in soccer-speak — that stretched to the upper deck of TCF Bank Stadium.

Set to a Daft Punk song, it read “harder, better, faster, stronger,” and the Loons delivered on those improvements with a 2-1 victory over the Chicago Fire. Coupled with a road victory over Orlando last weekend, Minnesota (2-1) has won consecutive games, an accomplishment that took last year’s expansion franchise until September to accomplish in the season’s 27th and 28th games.

Before his first home game, new goalkeeper Matt Lampson raised a United scarf to pay homage to the thousands of supporters in the enclosed end of the rented college football stadium that doesn’t feel so foreign in the Loons’ second and final season there. With a crowd of 23,138, Minnesota boasted its fifth straight sellout within the stadium’s lower bowl since last August. A continuation of that popularity will pose a supply shortage once the 19,400-seat Allianz Field opens in St. Paul next spring.

“I don’t think I’ve ever played for a team that has this type of support from the city and a fan base,” Lampson said. “It happened every now and then in Columbus, very rarely happened in Chicago, and it’s something I’m really grateful for.”

Loons midfielder Ibson gave the home crowd a surprise goal when he scored off his own rebound in the 55th minute for a 1-0 lead. It was redemptive after his open shot zipped over the crossbar in the 22nd minute — and it was his first goal in 2,884 MLS minutes.

Then in a painful reminder of the 6-1 drubbing by Atlanta in the club’s first home game before 35,043 fans in the snow last March, the Loons’ defense broke down only four minutes after they took the lead. Ibson came back to defend and got tangled with Michael Boxall on an attempted clearance, leading to Lampson making an initial save and then not being able to stop Elliot Collier’s rebound to tie the score 1-1. Related Articles Houston Dynamo scores twice in 2nd half to tie Minnesota United

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In the 66th minute, United’s Ethan Finlay sent in a perfect cross to meet Sam Nicholson for a header past Fire goalie Richard Sanchez. With creating midfielder Kevin Molino lost for the season with a torn ACL in his left knee, Miguel Ibarra was inserted into the central role, and the Loons were able to provide their third straight two-goal game.

“I thought they responded magnificent,” United coach Adrian Heath said. “I thought it would have been a travesty if we hadn’t won the game. We created the better chances.”

The Fire (0-2) played without German star midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger, who was away with his wife giving birth to their child. They had only 42 percent of the possession as the Loons controlled the ball more as the game continued on. The 2017 MLS Golden Boot winner Nemanja Nikolic, who had 24 goals last year, was kept off the score sheet.

After not winning their first game until the fifth match last season, Minnesota certainly has proved the supporters’ massive sign accurate. To start this season, the Loons have been better.

“I just sense that the players are starting to understand what it means to play for Minnesota and actually want to be here and help grow this club,” Heath said. “That is quite exciting for me to watch that. I could see it in the dressing room before the game.”