Another week, another Rewind. This time it’s not just one game, but three, as we turn the clock back to the deepest playoff run the Loons have ever made: all the way to the Western Conference Finals in 2020. (My hope is that in writing “deepest playoff run the Loons have ever made,” I totally jinx myself and render my own words invalid when Minnesota United takes the Cup in 2026.) So, without further ado, and all that.
The Start of Something Beautiful
Back in the days of yore (2020), things were operating a bit differently in MLS for a variety of reasons. The COVID-19 pandemic made for empty, quiet stadiums and an abridged regular season.
Round One of the MLS Cup Playoffs was single elimination. No best-of-three series here, just one and done. Which meant the Loons had only one chance to take down the Colorado Rapids.
With 34 points to the Rapids’ 28 and a whopping +10 goal differential to Colorado’s +4, the stats painted a picture of a matchup very much in favor of the Black and Blue. But despite finishing the regular season so close in the Western standings — Minnesota in fourth and Colorado in fifth — Colorado ended the abridged 2020 season with three games in hand, making the credibility of a lot of those numbers shaky.
But never fear. On that fateful November day, the Loons came, the Loons saw, and the Loons conquered. (Kindly. With Minnesota-Nice swagger.) Hassani Dotson sent a long throw to the feet of Kevin Molino, who nutmegged a poor Rapid with a backheel to a ready Emanuel Reynoso. Rey went tumbling down at the top of the box, but not before tapping it back to Molino, who sent the ball smoothly past keeper William Yarbrough to give the Loons the lead in the 22nd minute.
After that strong start, the half ended with the Loons up 1-0, but they weren’t yet satisfied. Dayne St. Clair kept the sheet clean on the home side, and then Rey’s quick breakaway and long pass up to Robin Lod in the 54th minute allowed everyone’s favorite archer to double the lead with his sharp left foot.
Things looked dire for the visitors with less than half an hour left on the clock, and Rey broke away for yet another run, probably inciting fear in all those doomed Colorado defenders.
“Is this the moment for Molino?” a broadcaster shouted, and then watched as the midfielder secured his brace in the 79’ off a smart pass near the top of the box from Jan Gregus. “Yes, it is!”
End of season, Colorado.
Doubling Down
After that crazy strong start, the Loons were pitted against the top of the West. Sporting Kansas City finished level with Seattle and Portland in a three-way tie atop the west, but came out on top by the total wins tiebreaker, meaning the Loons hit the road for the Western Conference Semifinals. Kansas City’s lineup boasted the likes of Johnny Russell and Ilie Sánchez, but was notably missing an injured star scorer Alan Pulido.
Still, this time around, Minnesota was the underdog. Everyone loves a good underdog-rises-to-victory story. They didn’t disappoint.
Molino kicked things off yet again, with a 27th-minute shot from the left side of the box off a Reynoso assist. Sounding familiar? Kansas City keeper Tim Melia didn’t stand a chance when the dynamic duo did the same thing not 10 minutes later.
On Minnesota’s defensive end, St. Clair kept the sheet clean with the help of a back line led by longtime Loon Michael Boxall. Bakaye Dibassy provided the early dagger in the 39th minute, nailing a header from close range off of a Rey corner. The half ended with Minnesota up 3-nil, and they may as well have called the match then and there, because the scoreline remained until the final whistle.
Reynoso set an MLS record as the first player to record multiple three-assist playoff games. And the Loons cemented another 3-nil victory to propel them to the Western Conference Finals. What a game.
Planting the Seeds
Alright, I know we lost this match, and maybe it’s haunted our narrative a bit for the last few years. Was it the most devastating loss in club history? Very possibly. But now that we’ve effectively exorcised our Seattle demons, at least for now, I think it’s about time we revisit it — what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, or whatever Kelly Clarkson said. Loss or no, it was quite the game, and it was the closest we’ve been to that glorious, shining MLS Cup. (For now.)
The Western Conference Finals took place on Seattle’s home turf (literally, turf), in the first week of December. And this game was close. But not quite enough.
As was tradition by this point in the playoffs, Minnesota kicked off the scoring, this time with a killer left-footed free kick from Rey in the 29’. The first half ended with the Loons in the lead.
Seattle looked alive shortly into the second half when Raúl Ruidíaz found the back of the net, but VAR overturned the goal after determining that Ruidíaz fouled Boxall in the process. With the Sounders still coming up short, Dibassy and Rey combined for a glorious second goal in the 67th minute, a header off Rey’s well-placed free kick. Things were looking good for the Loons. Could this be it? Twenty minutes and they’d qualify for the Cup.
Then Seattle had the comeback of the century. Three goals in less than 20 minutes — Will Bruin, Ruidíaz, Gustav Svensson — and it was over. An absolute whirlwind of a game.
So why the subheading, you ask? What seeds were we planting? The ones we watched flower in the 2025 playoffs, when the most insane Best of 3 series I’ve ever seen put Seattle’s season to bed. That came after a season sweep of the Sounders by a record-setting Minnesota side, by the way. I like to think of that monumental year and pair of PK victories as a very slow-burn revenge arc.
We tend to brush the 2020 run under the rug because it didn’t go all the way, but wasn’t that some of the most impressive soccer you’ve seen from this squad? I think it’s worth revisiting the close calls, especially when a whole season of possibility is wide open before us. So get hyped about the future, but don’t forget the past, you Loons. Here’s to another playoff run in 2026!
The Rewind series is part of Minnesota United's 10th Season campaign, a celebration looking back on some of the big moments that got us here.
