Galaxy Upset Playoff-Bound Minnesota United, Deliver Late Drama in Carson
CARSON, Calif. — On a crisp Southern California night, where playoff ambitions and late-season desperation collided, the Los Angeles Galaxy delivered a rare jolt of optimism, toppling fourth-place Minnesota United FC 2-1 at Dignity Health Sports Park—a result that reverberates well beyond the scoreboard for both squads.
From the opening whistle, there was little suggestion that the 15th-place Galaxy, battered by a season’s worth of missed opportunities and recent heartbreaks, would dictate terms to one of the Western Conference’s powerhouses. Yet, only 12 minutes had passed when the home side, perhaps liberated by their distance from postseason pressure, found a spark through Matheus Nascimento. The Brazilian—still searching for consistency in MLS—latched onto a floating cross, weaving between defenders to nod home the opening goal, sending a ripple of disbelief through a Minnesota bench that expected smoother sailing.
What unfolded from there was not the containment strategy of a team resigned to its fate. Instead, Los Angeles pressed, harried, and found joy where few teams have of late against a Minnesota side that, despite a recent thumping of Sporting Kansas City, has grown accustomed to grinding out points rather than collecting them with flair.
Momentum, though, is a fickle companion for a club like the Galaxy. Their last five outings told a story of unpredictability—dramatic wins, narrow losses, and goals both thrilling and frustrating. But on this night, it was Joseph Paintsil who gave LA needed breathing room. In the 53rd minute, he burst onto a through ball just as Minnesota’s back line hesitated, tucking his shot smoothly past Dayne St. Clair. For Paintsil, it was yet another highlight in a season that has seen the Ghanaian winger carry much of the attacking burden, his pace and directness repeatedly unsettling playoff-bound sides.
For Minnesota, the urgency only materialized after the deficit stretched to two. The visitors, having lost just seven times all year and sitting comfortably in the upper echelon of the standings, at last rediscovered their rhythm midway through the second half. Emanuel Reynoso and Sang Bin Jeong probed the flanks with quick passing, and Teemu Pukki came agonizingly close to halving the Galaxy lead, his curling effort grazing the outside of the post.
But the clearest sign that Minnesota’s evening would be defined by frustration came in the final minutes, when Galaxy midfielder Edwin Cerrillo, after doggedly breaking up a counterattack, lunged recklessly into a challenge and earned a red card in the 90th minute. Reduced to ten and with nerves fraying, Los Angeles retreated desperately. Minnesota’s pressure crescendoed in stoppage time, culminating with Bongokuhle Hlongwane’s cool finish—a low drive from 16 yards that finally beat Novak Mićović as the clock struck 90.
Yet the late breakthrough proved a footnote rather than an escape. The final whistle prompted contrasting scenes: Galaxy players slumped in exhaustion, but with faint smiles betraying satisfaction, while Minnesota’s squad lingered, the weight of a missed opportunity evident in their narrowed eyes. For all that Hlongwane’s late goal suggested, the Loons were left to rue a night where ambition was not matched by execution.
With the win, Los Angeles snapped a modest but meaningful two-game losing run and offered a flicker of hope to a fanbase that has grown accustomed to disappointment; this was only their sixth win, raising their tally to 27 points from 33 matches—a modest return, but a defiant reminder that pride endures even when playoff doors have long since closed. Paintsil, with another critical contribution, further burnished his credentials as one of the few consistent bright spots in a Galaxy campaign marked by instability and injury.
Minnesota, meanwhile, remain on 58 points, their playoff place secure but their grip on home-field advantage in jeopardy. Their recent run—a convincing 3-0 win over Kansas City, but also draws at Colorado and a heavy home loss to Chicago—raises questions about form at the worst possible moment. Head coach Eric Ramsay will be left to ponder how a team so clinical for much of the year could falter against a side languishing at the bottom.
Recent head-to-head clashes offered little foreshadowing of this upset; Minnesota have often held an edge in this fixture in the past two seasons, their organized midfield and opportunistic forwards outlasting a Galaxy side in transition.
But on this night, with the regular season winding down and the stakes unevenly distributed, Los Angeles delivered a performance more spirited and cohesive than their league position suggests. There will be no playoff run in Carson this autumn, but there is, at least, a sense of dignity restored.
For Minnesota, and for the playoff gauntlet that lies ahead, the challenge will be to rediscover the mettle that made them contenders. For the Galaxy, one last home match remains: a chance to test themselves again against the league’s elite and to hint at what 2026 might bring—a year, perhaps, that will demand more than occasional heroics and late-season hope.