It was just one of those days at Allianz Field. Minnesota United’s eight-game unbeaten run came to an abrupt end, as the red-hot Vancouver Whitecaps handed them their first home loss of 2025 with a 3-1 scoreline. This Sunday afternoon affair never really saw the Loons get up to their best, while the visitors, despite heavy rotation, put in a strong road performance.
Carlos Harvey’s inclusion in the starting lineup was the only change for the home side, while Vancouver’s squad featured eight changes from the team that lined up against Miami on Thursday. Though they rolled out an inexperienced, vastly different lineup, the ‘Caps looked very much like their usual selves, comfortable on the ball and calm throughout the match.
A stop-start opening 20 minutes gave this match an unusual cadence, with sustained spells of possession traded without producing much threat at all. A buildup of stoppages kept either team from developing much of a rhythm until late in the first half. Just when things were getting exciting, the whistle put a stop to the quality that had begun to show through.
The visitors came out of the break on the front foot, adding regular starters Tate Johnson and Sebastian Berhalter to the pitch and moving the dynamic Jayden Nelson to the left side of the field. A 55th-minute strike from Berhalter opened the game up for Vancouver, and after VAR allowed the goal to stand, Jesper Sørenson’s side took their game to another level.
A switch to a 4-3-3 in the 63rd minute helped the Loons to offer more of an attacking threat, but the space left behind gave Vancouver substitute Pedro Vite room to bag a brace, effectively putting the game to bed by the 70th minute. Wil Trapp’s goal in the 80th minute reduced the deficit and gave the Loons something to hang their hat on.
The best passages of play for the Black and Blue came at the tail end of both halves, leaving too little time on the clock and too much damage done to make any real difference to the final result. Vancouver proved that if they’re given possession, they’re capable of punishing even the league’s most secure defenses, ending MNUFC’s run of two clean sheets in a row. Impact subs from the visitors were too much for the hosts to handle, making for a high-scoring second half.
Though the result didn’t flatter the Loons, there were positives to take away from this match. The MLS debut of Hoyeon Jung saw the midfielder find some good passes in limited minutes, allowing him to experience the speed of play and get acclimated ahead of any action to come. Trapp’s goal came courtesy of a heads-up play from Tani Oluwaseyi, whose headed pass across the box was the kind of assist that helps strikers get themselves back into scoring form.
Though there are more games to be played across the league today, the Loons currently sit in third place in the Western Conference with 16 points. They’ll be hoping to rediscover the form that started their unbeaten run when they travel to Austin next week for yet another top-of-the-table clash, as El Tree is also sitting on 16 points. Tune in to MLS Season Pass on Apple TV next Saturday at 7:30 p.m. CT to catch your Loons as they look to rebound from today’s loss.
