The day has nearly arrived. March 12, 2017. The opening of big-time soccer in Minnesota.

Hold on. Get me rewrite. I left out a word.

The soft opening of big-time soccer in Minnesota.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m thrilled about the notion of plopping into a seat at TCF Bank Stadium on Sunday afternoon and watching Minnesota United goal-scorer extraordinaire Christian Ramirez receive a ball at the top of the 18 (that’s soccer lingo; translation: near the other team’s net), turn and fire during United’s first home game as a Major League Soccer franchise.

Ramirez has similar sentiments.

“I’m excited. It’s going to be a very special day for Minnesota fans that have been loyal to soccer for 20-plus years to finally see all this happening, to have it all come together,” Ramirez, the leading American goal scorer in professional soccer over the past three seasons, said after practice Friday. “I’m excited for the chance to play in front of 30-plus thousand fans. It’s going to be pretty unreal.

“We’ve come a long way from 4,000 fans in Blaine to selling the place (National Sports Center) out the past couple of years to this year.”

I’m with you, Christian. Ninety-five percent.

Even if Ramirez gets his chance, and even if he buries the shot, and even if the predicted crowd of 30,000-plus ascends into rapturous frenzy, and even if Minnesota United goes on to defeat fellow MLS expansion club Atlanta United for its first league victory ever in its second match ever, there is little question I will pass under a stadium exit sign afterward and have this gnawing feeling that still, it was a soft opening.

(By the way, no, there aren’t two MLS teams named United. There are three. D.C. United, based in Washington, was the first. Long story. Do me a favor, and don’t go there.)

Oh, come on, my Minnesota soccer-fanatic friends are thinking. How dare someone rain on United’s opening day parade?

Get me rewrite again.

How dare someone snow on United’s opening day parade?

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And there you have it, reason 1 for feeling like it’s a soft opening: Weather. Climate. Whichever term you prefer.

The forecast for Sunday afternoon calls for a high in the mid-20s, with a likelihood of snow. Actually, the borderline for snowfall appears to be approximately the south touchline (soccer translation No. 2: sideline) of TCF Bank Stadium. Might snow a lot, might snow a little, might not snow at all. Stop me if you’ve heard that one before. If the temperature is below 20 at the 4 p.m. kickoff, it will be the coldest match in MLS history. Even if we luck out and the mercury rockets up to, say, 28, it’s going to be cold at The Bank. And even though Bud Grant would turn and fire a snowball laced with roofing nails at me for saying this, 28 and snow is no way to go through life, son, nor to watch a soccer match.

I bet even Minnesota United’s northern Euro-Loons — Vadim Demidov (Latvia), Bashkim Kadrii (Denmark), Mohammed Saied (Sweden) and Rasmus Schuller (Finland) — will feel the chill in the air.

Can we still get Ice Cube in the house to rap the national anthem?

Oh, I know. We are supposed to be hearty Minnesotans. Embrace your chilled lungs, your crimson cheeks. But the novelty of sub-freezing soccer can’t totally mask the fact that there are better ways to play and watch the game.

Those who frequented United matches at the NSC know there is nothing like sitting alongside a pitch (soccer translation No. 3: playing field) on a warm summer evening, beverage in hand, and taking in two hours’ worth — can you believe there are pro sporting events that don’t last half an eternity? — of competition.

Yes, it will be cool to watch Minnesota United supporters groups march into TCF Bank Stadium. A brass band is expected to provide accompaniment, provided the slide trombones are still sliding. It’ll be cool to see supporters unveil their first Loons-in-MLS home tifo, i.e. choreographed display, just before kickoff. Gotta be a loon or Prince, wouldn’t you think? And the historic nature of the match itself, with MLS having arrived in Minnesota after more than a year of anticipation, is the overarching reason to celebrate the day.

But for the sake of a better fan experience, get back to me in May. The LA Galaxy are in town on the 21st, and Orlando City visits on the 27th. Either of those dates could pass for Opening Night 2.0, and then — then, Christian — I’m 98 percent with you.

But it isn’t just the weather; it’s the whole vibe of the roll-out. It’s a bit like not getting that nice present for your wife in time for Christmas, so, oops, you print out a picture of it and put it in an envelope. (Truth in advertising: I have done that.) Here, honey, you’re going to love it when you see the real thing.

RELATED: Nothing ‘United’ about MLS expansion teams in Minnesota, Atlanta

Minnesota still does not have an MLS-worthy soccer stadium. TCF Bank will do until the new, and almost entirely privately financed, stadium a couple of miles down University Avenue in St. Paul is finished in 2018 or 2019 or 2037 or whenever the Legislature sees fit to pass final clearance for construction. The stadium should be a gem. But The Bank, bless its $288.5 million stopgap heart, is a football venue, as in American-style football; the surface is artificial turf, anathema to soccer players; the pitch will be slightly smaller than standard for soccer; and it won’t have that soccer-only atmosphere that the St. Paul stadium will have.

Also, the past 12 months’ worth of on-field performance by Minnesota United, from seasonlong underachievement in 2016 to a 5-1 shellacking in Portland in last week’s inaugural match, have not engendered unbridled enthusiasm for the product. Things will get better, and the club’s outlook isn’t as bleak as most MLS fans seem to think it is, but there is a ways to go on that front.

At some point, big-time soccer in Minnesota will fully arrive. Show me Kevin Molino or Miguel Ibarra, on a warm July night at the Midway stadium, charging down the wing on the counterattack and springing Ramirez or Johan Venegas for a try at the opposing goalkeeper, and it will all feel complete.

I’m excited for Sunday. But I can’t wait for what lies ahead of that.

Joe Bissen is a Pioneer Press sports copy editor and Minnesota United season-ticket holder. He can be reached at jbissen@pioneerpress.com. Twitter: @JoeBissen.