LAFC drops home finale against Minnesota

Games can be won or lost in stretches.

For LAFC, that stretch ended up being five minutes. Minnesota United asserted themselves with two first half goals inside a five-minute span on Sunday evening, and Minnesota rode those two goals to an eventual 3-1 win that spoiled LAFC’s regular season finale at BMO Stadium.

“We had a very bad first half, and a very bad game in general” LAFC interim head coach Xavi Tamarit said

Joaquin Pereyra was the catalyst in the match with a brace, and Cherrion Valerius contributed with a goal that gave Minnesota United (10-12-11, 41 points) a vital three points that keeps them alive in the playoff race heading into the final week of the season. Sergio Vasquez scored LAFC’s lone goal in spectacular fashion near the second-half stoppage time, but ultimately, the result locks LAFC (12-10-11, 47 points) into the sixth seed in the Western Conference, with all to be determined is who they will face in the best-of-three opening round.

Minnesota seized the lead in the 29th minute. Cherrion Valerius threw an inbounds pass into the penalty area, LAFC defender Sergi Palencia headed a ball onto the pitch, but the ball went to the feet of Joaquin Pereyra, and he one-timed a left-footed shot through traffic and past keeper Hugo Lloris into the back net.

LAFC’s best chance to respond came in the 32nd minute, as Armando Sieb played a ball to Son Heung-min, Son dribbled forward, then fired a left-footed shot just outside the top of the penalty area, but keeper Drake Callender made the stop, parrying the ball over the end line. Two minutes later, Minnesota made LAFC pay for that missed chance, as Valeruis played a ball forward to Nectarios Triantis, who then lobbed a ball into the penalty area, Kelvin Yeboah headed a ball to his left, and Valerius, who kept his run all throughout the play ended up being the beneficiary, as he one-timed a right-footed shot past Lloris into the back net to double the Minnesota advantage.

“We were not connected from the start,” Tamarit said. “We cannot be like this, and I am the first one that is responsible for that.”

Minnesota United virtually sealed the three points in the 81st minute. Marcus Caldeira brought down a Callender goal kick and played a ball to Pereyra, who beat Sergi Palencia to the ball and thus passed to Mauricio Gonzalez on his left side. Gonzalez slowly dribbled into the penalty area, played a ball back out and a trailing Pereyra swooped in and blasted a left-footed volley that bounced past Lloris far post to make it a three-goal Minnesota lead. The only solace for LAFC on an otherwise grim night came in the 90th minute, and it started when a cross inside the box from Sergi Palencia took a deflection and bounced inside, Vasquez timed his jump, connected on a bicycle kick that ended up getting past Callender at the far post to prevent LAFC from getting shutout.

“In that moment, it’s kind of one if those moments where I kind of feel isolated, and I threw myself out there,” Vasquez said of his goal.

LAFC closes out the regular season next Saturday against the Sounders in Seattle.