Minnesota United returned to league play with a hardfought draw against Real Salt Lake on Saturday night, ending the match with a goal apiece. Both strikes came after the 80th minute, capping off a very tight game with a flurry of excitement as tired legs left more space to play with.
Your Loons came out with a familiar lineup, opting once again for a pair of 10s in what could be described as a 5-2-2-1 or a 5-4-1. This enabled them to return to the patient, measured approach that we became accustomed to seeing in 2025. With just over 36% possession at the half, the visitors were perfectly comfortable allowing their opponents to dictate the pace of play for large portions of the match — but that doesn’t mean they were playing passively.
When they were able to gain possession, the Black and Blue prioritized efficiency, taking the space that was given and finding success down the middle of the field with some quick, clever passing. The interplay between defensive midfielders Owen Gene and Wil Trapp and attacking midfielders Tomás Chancalay and Joaquín Pereyra helped the Black and Blue break up some of the host’s momentum, swinging it firmly in MNUFC’s favor in the final quarter hour of the half.
The best chance of the half came during that dominant period, when Anthony Markanich continued his pressing run to follow several RSL backpasses all the way to Salt Lake keeper Rafael Cabral. Markanich stepped in to get on the end of a weak pass to the keeper, chipping it over and nearly breaking the deadlock before RSL defenders got back to clear it off the line. The Loons may have gone into the break scoreless, but after yet another solid display from a shape and movement standpoint, they’d earned themselves something to build off.
That momentum continued into the start of the second half, with the substitution of Bongokuhle Hlongwane for Kyle Duncan shifting the dynamic for both teams. Hlongwane’s tendency to sit higher up the pitch led to several overloads early on, allowing his team to generate a few more of the set piece chances that were causing headaches for the hosts.
This enterprising play continued for about 15 minutes, culminating with a wonderful bit of skill from Chancalay that ended in a shot missing narrowly wide. RSL found their feet after that, as Diego Luna resumed his string pulling in the middle of the pitch to take advantage of more and more space on a field full of tired legs. A series of close calls saw the hosts grow in confidence, and in the 82nd minute, Sergi Solans’ impressive finish from a tight angle got the better of Drake Callender to open the scoring.
The lead didn’t last long, though. Marcus Caldeira entered the match in the 86th minute with his side chasing the game, taking Trapp off to give the Loons two strikers to play to. He immediately saw a chance fall his way, courtesy of a Kelvin Yeboah cross, but it was his flicked header in the 89th minute that really saw him leave his mark.
Much like the Leagues Cup match against Atlante, Pereyra seemingly sensed Caldeira’s intent with the flicked header, running behind the RSL defense to get on the ball and flick it over a helpless Cabral. The chance looked remarkably similar to Markanich’s earlier attempt, but it had one very satisfying difference: it crossed the goal line.
With that equalizer, Pereyra made it 11 draws in the last 21 regular-season meetings between these two clubs, and made the Loons just the second team to take points off of RSL at America First Field in 2026. While three points were within reach tonight, this stands out as an impressive result and performance from MNUFC, who showed an encouraging grit to close out the match appear to have found quite a dynamic duo in that Caldeira-Pereyra partnership.
The Loons will return to Minnesota for their next match, a Year 10 Celebration game against Atlanta United at Allianz Field. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, August 19, with limited tickets still available.
