After two plus weeks of anticipation, the Loons finally kicked off their Western Conference Semifinals matchup with the LA Galaxy on Sunday afternoon in Carson, California.

Unfortunately for the Black and Blue, it took less than a minute to make an already challenging evening against one of the Western Conference’s most formidable clubs even tougher. The added difficulty would come courtesy of the Galaxy’s premier playmaker, Riqui Puig’s, long-distance dime from LA’s midfield that would find the opposition’s other attacking menace, Gabriel Pec, who would outrun Jefferson Diaz back to the box and put away the quick, stunning strike. That quick strike would be a microcosm of the evening for Minnesota United, as LA Galaxy’s vaunted attack would overwhelm the Loons in the second half, ending Minnesota's season with a gaudy 6-2 win.

The final scoreline may not tell the whole story, as the boys would show their resilience in this one, until the LA onslaught was just too much to overcome. Shortly after Pec’s shocking score, Kelvin Yeboah’s left-footed laser to the top corner of LA’s net in the 6th minute showed that the Loons were not ready to make this one a forgone conclusion.

While the early Yeboah goal would give the Loons a chance to take a breath during a fast-paced first half, LA’s Marco Reus would make the good vibes short-lived. The German star would strike a perfectly-placed free kick from just outside the box in the 18th minute, finding striker Dejan Joveljić for a textbook header to regain the lead, 2-1. They would widen their lead in the 37th minute when a well crossed ball from defender Miki Yamane would find attacker Joseph Paintsil charging to the far post to hammer home another past Dayne St. Clair.

Even when trailing, MNUFC would try to find their opportunities to exploit an LA defensive third that has been prone to giving up quick goals themselves. And, with the boys pushing for a score as first-half stoppage drew near, a foul committed on Carlos Harvey in the box would award the Loons a crucial penalty kick they would need to convert if they planned to keep pace with LA’s high-octane attack. While Kelvin Yeaboah would be called upon to bring MNUFC within a score of the Galaxy, he would be denied by LA keeper John McCarthy…at least initially. VAR would determine McCarthy was off his line during the attempt, which gave Yeboah another chance to make good. He would do just that the second time around, this time sans stutter-step, to give the boys a shot to stay in the match going into the half to the tune of 3-2, Galaxy.

After an action-packed first 45 minutes, the Loons would come out of the locker room looking to bring things even, subbing out midfielder Joaquín Pereyra to bring on the speedy Tani Oluwaseyi to try and match the pace of LA’s attack. However, any momentum the boys hoped to create in the second 45 were quickly dashed away in the 50th minute, courtesy of Gabriel Pec, who would bring the Loons additional pain as he found the net once more.

While hope hung in the Southern California air for a portion of the second half with a 4-2 deficit to erase, Jefferson Díaz's second yellow card in the 82nd minute would earn him a red, and put the Loons down a man for the final eight minutes and change. And, as they had throughout the evening, the LA attack would pounce on the opportunity to finally put away an even thinner Loons’ defensive third. LA’s Paintsil would add another goal in the 86th to give LA a 5-2 advantage, which would be followed by another score from striker Dejan Joveljíc in the 89th minute, to put the final touches on a match that was as tough as advertised for the boys in Black and Blue.

As they say, that would be all she wrote for the Loons’ season, but this club has nothing to hang their head about. Their collective efforts brought them back from the depths of the conference standings and all the way to the doorstep of the conference final. They fought hard to keep this run going and, make no mistake, Minnesota United has built a foundation for success that will certainly hold beyond 2024. And, I’d say that’s extremely impressive for a team that was rife with uncertainty before this season even kicked off.

Much love, you Loons.