I must say, Storylines was a tad on the clairvoyant side this week. Your Loons completed a perfect three-for-three sweep against St. Louis CITY SC after tonight’s come-from-behind victory. It was the Black and Blue’s third win in St. Louis, their third win against CITY in 2025, and a perfect occasion to take all three points. And there were a total of three goals. Coincidence?! Almost certainly, but I’ll believe in the conspiracy theory if you will.
The visiting Loons were forced into several changes after their match in Portland, with both Nicolás Romero and Joaquín Pereyra suspended for yellow card accumulation. In their stead, Joseph Rosales stepped into the midfield, and Morris Duggan returned to the starting lineup once more. The 5-4-1 formation turned out to be more of the 5-3-2 we’re used to, with Tani Oluwaseyi hanging slightly behind Kelvin Yeboah’s right side.
The opening stages of the game saw the hosts make extremely effective use of their aggressive fullback play, with some fantastic moments from MNUFC loanee Devin Padelford nearly leading to a breakthrough for his new team. Luckily, Boxy was on the line for the clearance, keeping the score knotted. CITY wrapped around the Loons’ low block with a clear game plan in mind, applying early pressure and looking the more likely side to score through 20 minutes. But your Loons looked unbothered, almost as though they had two All-Stars to rely on in the back. Oh yeah, they did!
St. Louis clearly took a page out of the Minnesota United set-piece book, then added a few changes of their own. Some clever restarts, long throws, and ambitious balls from returning playmaker Eduard Löwen made the hosts very dangerous, but this Loons side is used to weathering storms. Coach Ramsay and his side were in no hurry to win this one, playing this game like a marathon while their opponents approached it like a sprint.
At the 30th-minute water break, I wrote the following: Both teams should feel good about what they’ve done thus far. St. Louis has threatened enough to be confident; the Loons have been here before. The hosts needed a goal to show for their efforts. Otherwise, the Loons would feel like they’d taken the best shot and come out unscathed. Mere moments later, that goal came, as an unfortunate penalty call in the 36th minute gave St. Louis what they so desperately needed right before the half.
The Loons flexed their squad versatility to start the second half, subbing Robin Lod on for Jefferson Díaz and moving Carlos Harvey back so that the Finnish playmaker could slot into the midfield. Bongokuhle Hlongwane replaced Julian Gressel, whose quality on the ball hadn’t proved as useful as Bongi’s pace ended up being in this match.
Though it was a relatively uneventful second half from open play, it was clear that while the hosts were fading, the visitors were going to keep up the pace they’d established in the first half. Kelvin Yeboah’s tireless efforts saw him draw a penalty out of a half-chance, as his clever touch and run around Chris Durkin forced the defender into an awkward spot. The St. Louis defender pulled Yeboah to the ground, earning a red card and giving the Loons’ DP striker a chance to score his eighth goal of the season. His unique run-up froze Bürki in his tracks, leveling the score in style and leaving the hosts stunned.
With momentum, numbers, and energy on their side, the Loons kept plucking away. A few small chances on either end stretched the game a bit as legs began to slow down in the summer heat, but the fresh pace of Hlongwane gave the Loons the outlet they needed to cause a little havoc. In the end, it was a handball in the box that gave the visitors the chance they needed to complete the comeback, and it was Yeboah who tucked away his ninth goal of the season to steal the win in the 88th minute.
Despite a few nervy moments in the 10 minutes of stoppage time, the Loons saw out the result professionally and purposefully. A late MLS debut for MNUFC2 striker Luke Hille put a cherry on top of this disciplined performance, moving MNUFC into second place in the Western Conference.
This was a perfect way to head into the Leagues Cup break, as the Loons will not only be prepared to resume league play in a strong position, but they’ll also be able to attack this season’s Leagues Cup with a form that could see them make a splash. They’ll be back in Saint Paul this Wednesday, July 30, to take on Querétaro F.C. in their opening match, with kickoff set for 7:30 p.m. CT on MLS Season Pass.
