What. A. Game. Your Loons drew Mexican giants Club América tonight after playing out an exhilarating 3-3 match, falling in the ensuing penalty shootout eight to seven. It was a match that demanded viewers watch every single second, with nonstop, end-to-end action showcasing two of the region’s most exciting teams. I’ll do my best to do this one justice, but watch the highlights when you get a chance.
From the beginning, it was clear that this match was going to live up to the hype. A characteristically aggressive start from the Liga MX side set an early precedent, showing that América was feeling the pressure and the Loons weren’t going to roll over for them. A solid resistance from the visiting Black and Blue led to an extremely pleasing contrast of styles, as América’s individual, high-octane attack went full throttle at MNUFC’s extremely disciplined low-block time after time.
This aggressive approach works when a team has possession and the quality to do something with it, and while América certainly doesn’t lack quality, they are always going to lose possession—if only for a little. The Loons took full advantage of the disorganized defense they came up against, slicing through Las Águilas’ backline like they weren’t even there.
We didn’t have to wait long before the opening goal came, and it was a thing of beauty. Dayne St. Clair’s heads-up distribution to Joaquín Pereyra allowed the Argentine to turn into space in the middle of the pitch, sending Tani Oluwaseyi running off the América backline. Pereyra’s inch-perfect through ball put the Canadian international striker one-on-one with the last defender, whom Oluwaseyi outmuscled before firing a pinpoint shot bouncing off the far post and into the back of the net. 1-0 Loons, and it was only getting started.
The goal seemed to rattle the hosts a bit, as they left increasingly more and more space for the Black and Blue to play through. It looked like Coach Ramsay’s men would double the lead at any moment, but a moment of misfortune kept the momentum from rolling too far down the hill. A deflected cross in the 27th minute took an awkward bounce off Michael Boxall’s head, beating DSC and leveling the score.
Not long after, the Loons responded, as Mr. Leagues Cup himself was in the right place at the right time to finish off a clever move from the visitors. After América failed to clear a throw-in in their own defensive third, Oluwaseyi connected with Pereyra again, slotting the playmaker in so he could square a cross to a wide-open Bongokuhle Hlongwane, who restored the lead.
Minnesota United took a 2-1 lead into the locker room at half, having looked the better side for much of the first 45. But Club América never yields before the final whistle. The hosts shifted formation to mirror the Loons, moving their best 1v1 players inside and changing tactics to embrace the spaces that MNUFC tend to give to opponents. An uptick in crossing saw them find early success, and they leveled the score for the second time in the 53rd minute, courtesy of striker José Raúl Zúñiga.
Just nine minutes later, the game took yet another turn, as Chilean international Igor Lichnovsky earned his second yellow card of the match after taking Tani down from behind, bringing América down to 10 men and giving the Loons a chance to retake the lead—a chance they happily took.
Another poorly cleared set piece gave the Loons a second bite at the apple, and when the ball fell to the feet of Carlos Harvey near the top right side of the box, the Panamanian defender made no mistake, firing a shot across the goal and finding the side netting to restore the lead once again in the 65th minute.
The remainder of the match got increasingly stretched, as América continued to send numbers forward and the Loons remained disciplined in the back. The tireless work rates of Hlongwane, Oluwaseyi, and Pereyra enabled the visitors to continue their dangerous counters, and they looked the most likely to find another goal before the end of the match. Alas, that fourth goal never came.
Instead, a 90th-minute equalizer would send the match to penalties, as the Loons allowed Sebastián Cáceres a free header from a corner. Despite a flurry of chances for both teams in added time, the points were split, and the extra point would be earned from the spot.
A penalty clinic ensued after the final whistle, with both teams going perfect through their first seven spot-kicks. It wasn’t until the eighth time of asking that a save was finally made, as Luis Malagón got in front of Nicolás Romero’s shot to complete his side’s comeback.
In many ways, this match was reminiscent of the earliest MLS matches of MNUFC’s 2025 season. América’s inability to handle the Loons’ counterattack threat suggested that they didn’t do their scouting homework, a point further emphasized by the Loons scoring goals from both a set piece and a throw-in.
Despite the final result, there was plenty of positive play from the Loons in this one, namely the incredible interplay of Oluwaseyi and Pereyra. We witnessed a masterclass from the Argentine tonight, and though the boys will likely feel deflated to have not taken all three points from this match, they acquitted themselves well in one of the biggest competitive matchups in club history.
Leagues Cup goes on, with your Loons now sitting on four points. They’ll be wrapping up Phase One back at Allianz Field this Wednesday, August 6, when they take on Atlético de San Luis to determine whether or not they’ll be advancing to the quarterfinals.
