It was a frustrating night at Allianz Field, as Minnesota United fell to Atlético de San Luis by a score of 2-0. Though they outshot the visitors 20-9 across 90 minutes, the hosts simply couldn’t find the breakthrough they needed, and against an opportunistic San Luis side, finishing proved to be the difference.

The Loons lined up with six changes to the starting lineup that took on Club América on the weekend, with veteran leaders Michael Boxall and Wil Trapp both getting a rest. DJ Taylor and Joseph Rosales started on the flanks, while Morris Duggan, Jefferson Díaz, and Nicolás Romero made up the back three. Julian Gressel and Joaqúin Pereyra provided the attacking thrust in the midfield, while Robin Lod and Owen Gene manned the double pivot. Kelvin Yeboah led the line, and Dayne St. Clair started in net once again.

In the first few minutes, it was clear that the Loons were going to have more of the ball in this match — and it seemed to be by design. Quick ball movement saw the hosts play with purpose and urgency in the early stages, keeping control of the midfield and defensive thirds with ease. Unfortunately, their struggles in the final third were clear and would ultimately be their downfall in this one.

After a few stretches of end-to-end action saw the Loons come up empty-handed time and again, the visitors found the go-ahead goal in the 45’+1 minute, courtesy of a well-taken header from San Luis’ João Pedro. After losing his man on the late corner, the experienced Brazilian striker made no mistake with his clearest chance of the game.

Despite outpossessing, outpassing, and outshooting San Luis, the Loons found themselves down at the half. This led to an extremely aggressive approach to open the second 45, with both Taylor and Rosales stepping incredibly high in an effort to create overloads in dangerous areas. The Loons’ 5-4-1 turned into more of a 3-2-2-3, the wide players operating more like wingers than defenders. This saw even more chances created, but the quality of finishing didn’t improve fast enough.

A flurry of subs in the 54th and 66th minutes saw the Black and Blue shift their look drastically, injecting a bit of needed energy and even more urgency into the match. They registered their first shot on target in the 76th minute, but when called upon, San Luis keeper Andrés Sanchez came up clutch for the visitors.

Several big chances came and went for the Loons, who continued to pile on the pressure throughout the closing quarter hour. A second goal from San Luis in the 89th minute doubled the deficit and put the match to bed, sealing three points for the Liga MX side and eliminating Minnesota United from this year’s Leagues Cup.

While the Leagues Cup journey is over, you won’t have to wait long to see more MNUFC soccer. The Boys in Black and Blue will be resuming MLS regular season play this weekend against the Colorado Rapids, with kickoff set for 5:00 p.m. CT.