It’s finally starting to get chilly here in the Twin Cities, but soccer doesn’t stop for anything, and Allianz Field was full tonight as the Loons hosted the LA Galaxy in a Saturday night showdown. Both clubs started the night occupying precarious spots in the Western Conference table, separated by a single point in the no man’s land below the play-in line. With the opportunity to make a big impact against some of their most direct competition in the back half of the season, the Loons put forward a fairly consistent starting XI, with the exception of a little back line shakeup.
Though Kyle Duncan’s double-yellow card suspension picked up last weekend was rescinded earlier in the week, Michael Boxall was still unavailable due to yellow card accumulation. In his stead, Morris Duggan stepped into the center role flanked by Nicolás Romero and Carlos Harvey.
The Galaxy wasted no time pushing forward, but a pair of early defensive showings from Anthony Markanich and Nicolás Romero thwarted some crucial early runs by powerhouse Chucky Lozano and new addition Robert Taylor. After 10 minutes of relatively well-matched back-and-forth, the momentum shifted in the Galaxy’s favor, as Markanich clipped Kyōgo Furuhashi by the ankle just outside the box and set the Galaxy up for a free kick in a dangerous position.
Midfielder Pablo Ruiz, a late transfer window acquisition from Real Salt Lake, stepped up to take the kick in the 12th minute and send the ball soaring into the top right corner to get the Galaxy on the board.
Galvanized by the early lead, the visitors crowded the attacking third, forcing Minnesota to pull numbers back. Against the aggressive pressure, the Loons struggled to clear and had to find creative ways out of a few close calls, including a shot by Lozano.
After the brief lapse, Minnesota started showing signs of life in the attack. Killer combination play between Markanich, Joaquín Pereyra, and Marcus Caldeira sparked a series of pushes from the Loons — the boys were laying the kindling, and somebody just had to bring the flame.
Caldeira struck that match in the 23rd minute, turning things around with a no-hesitation header off a beautiful service from Wil Trapp. The goal, scored right over the head of Galaxy keeper JT Marcinkowski, marked MNUFC’s 300th home goal across all competitions.
Four minutes later, the stadium was on the edge of its proverbial seat as a rapid progression starting with Duggan bounced from Pereyra to Caldeira to Markanich all the way up in the box. The gorgeous combination play came to a halt when Jakob Glesnes tripped Markanich up in the box in the 27th minute, earning the Loons a penalty after some deliberation.
The 30th minute saw Kelvin Yeboah step up to the spot, executing his classic stutter-step approach to send the ball easily into the bottom left and give the Loons the lead with his 14th goal of the regular season. The squad ended the first 45 on a high note, leading at half for the first time since their Matchday 22 rout of San Jose.
The second half was an absolute flurry of opportunities on both ends. A great run by Owen Gene, Pereyra, and Markanich set Caldeira up for what looked like another close-quarters header, though the shot was deflected by Marcinkowski as Caldeira was caught offside.
Shortly after, Greg Vanney put in attacker Marcos Reus and recently reactivated striker João Klauss, looking to throw some high-impact energy into his tiring front line. The pair of substitutions immediately started to create threats.
Reus’ 60th-minute corner kick resulted in a shot from Klauss and a rebound from Lozano, with Drake Callender’s critical double save preserving the Loons’ lead. A minute later, another Reus corner had Klauss going for a close-quarters goal but fortunately overshooting.
The Loons came in with a corner of their own in the 66th minute, with Markanich’s header saved by Marcinkowski. Not thirty seconds later, Klauss’ run was foiled by a sliding Markanich on the opposite side of the pitch, a stunning showcase of the speed and versatility that make Minnesota’s wingbacks so impactful.
Unfortunately, that was just about the end of the Black and Blue’s hard-earned lead. Lozano won a free kick in the 76th on a foul from Tomás Chancalay, and Reus took a free kick from a lethal position near the corner. Klauss was waiting in the box to head in the equalizer. Five minutes later, Reus scored a goal of his own when a combination from Lucas Calegari and Robert Taylor brought the ball to his feet right in front of goal. Despite a pair of late subs in Nectarios Triantis and Maurice Malone and a handful of late shots, the Loons were unable to equalize, and the whistle blew on a fourth consecutive loss.
The night’s result is an ill omen as the number of remaining matches dwindles, with Minnesota having a substantial number of opponents to leap-frog in the table to have a chance at securing a playoff berth. If the Loons are going to have any shot at turning things around over their final eight games, they’re going to need to find a way to harness the strong form we saw in tonight's first half for a full ninety while tightening up what has been an increasingly leaky defense.
