Minnesota United returned from their week off tonight with a 2-4 loss to San Diego FC, playing out what was one of the season’s wildest matches thus far. With an own goal, a goal from the center circle, and more, this game was full of must-watch action from start to finish, and though it didn’t end in the Loons’ favor, it was compelling throughout.
Notable changes to the starting lineup (5-4-1) included Wessel Speel stepping in for Dayne St. Clair, Kelvin Yeboah starting up top, Owen Gene pairing with Wil Trapp in the midfield once again, and Anthony Markanich reprising his spot on the left flank in Joseph Rosales’ absence. Robin Lod started on the bench after returning from international duty, giving us a chance to see both Bongokuhle Hlongwane and Julian Gressel line up at the same time, with the South African stepping into Lod’s usual role.
Just eight minutes in, before anyone was settled, a seemingly simple pass back from San Diego got past visiting goalkeeper CJ Dos Santos, with the own goal putting the Loons up early. They didn’t have time to enjoy the lead, though, as Anders Dreyer’s midfield screamer leveled the score just two minutes later.
This hectic start to the match continued for the remainder of the opening half, with the distinct styles of the two teams showing through and producing even more sparks than expected before kickoff. Dreyer’s quality on the ball continued to cause headaches for the Loons, while the forward runs of Kelvin Yeboah stretched the opposition and kept them honest when they stepped too high. His efforts paid off in the 38th minute, when he finished off a clinical counter with a true striker’s finish, putting away a sloppy rebound from Dos Santos.
After the half, the Loons saw less and less of the ball in meaningful moments, fading slightly as San Diego continued to grow into the match. A VAR check in the 66th minute awarded the visitors a penalty, which Dreyer barely snuck under Speel to level the scores for the second time. From there, substitute Milan Iloski’s heads-up play earned him a brace, giving his side the comeback lead in the 75th minute sealing the win with another goal in stoppage time.
While tonight’s result was disappointing, the MLS debut of Academy graduate Darius Randell gave the club a jolt of joy. Though we were only able to see his skills in brief flashes as the Loons looked for the equalizer, it was encouraging to see the young man step up in such a high-stakes situation.
All of the good work from the hosts was undone by a few moments of madness, showing that in a game that takes more than an hour and a half to complete, every single second counts. The Loons will have another week off to recover from this one, and will return to action on Wednesday, June 25, when they take on the Houston Dynamo right here at Allianz Field.
