Matchday 20 was a wild one for the Western Conference, from Houston’s leap to second in the standings all the way down to upset victories over LAFC and San Jose by St. Louis and San Diego, respectively. Your Loons contributed to the chaos with a late equalizer to tie Real Salt Lake, dropping the Claret and Cobalt to seventh in the West and pushing MNUFC above the play-in line.
And of course, the architect of that crucial point? Joaquín Pereyra.
With fewer than 10 minutes left on the clock, Real Salt Lake broke the dreary 0-0 tie with an 82nd-minute Sergi Solans goal. Things were looking grim for the Black and Blue as the clock ticked down, with the home team seeming confident in a three-point result and the visitors growing desperate.
But one should never underestimate the newfound rhyming power duo of Marcus Caldeira and Joaquín Pereyra. The pair took the Loons’ final Leagues Cup matchup by storm, and it seems their chemistry is only getting started. The 89th minute saw Caldeira win an aerial duel to head the ball Pereyra’s way, with the Argentinian midfielder putting on the wheels to outpace center back Juan José Arias. Keeper Rafael Cabral came off his line to meet Pereyra outside the goal box, but an artful flick up and over went soaring into the unmanned net to level it late for the Loons.
Pereyra’s latest goal showed a promising nugget of speed, combination play, and expert finishing that could point toward brighter horizons for a Black and Blue side that’s drawn level in their last three regular-season matchups. With Pereyra pulling the strings in his central role and getting creative to find the back of the net, a rejuvenated Loons attack seems to be on the brink of some big results.
Pereyra & Co. next take on Atlanta United at Allianz Field for Minnesota’s Year 10 Celebration Game this Wednesday, August 19, at 7:30 p.m.
F: Simon Becher (STL), Bruno Damiani (PHI), Hany Mukhtar (NSH)
M: Elias Saad (NSH), Djé D'Avilla (CHI), Niklas Dorsch (TOR), Cavan Sullivan (PHI)
D: Andrew Gutman (CHI), Lalas Abubakar (DAL), Reggie Cannon (COL)
GK: Sean Johnson (DC)
Coach: B.J. Callaghan (NSH)
Bench: CJ dos Santos (SD), Dante Polvara (STL), Andy Nájar (NSH), Tristan Muyumba (ATL), Joaquín Pereyra (MIN), Liel Abada (CLT), Guilherme (HOU), Thomas Müller (VAN), Petar Musa (DAL)
