{"id":314018,"date":"2025-11-26T03:15:09","date_gmt":"2025-11-26T03:15:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/314018\/"},"modified":"2025-11-26T03:15:09","modified_gmt":"2025-11-26T03:15:09","slug":"what-now-minnesota-united-lafc-bow-out-in-conference-semifinals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/314018\/","title":{"rendered":"What now? Minnesota United, LAFC bow out in Conference Semifinals"},"content":{"rendered":"

Our annual collection of post-mortems rolls on with the vanquished Western Conference semifinalists, glitzy and glamorous LAFC<\/a> and grit \u2018n grind Minnesota United FC<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Western Conference non-Audi MLS Cup Playoffs teams HERE<\/a>
\nEastern Conference non-playoff teams HERE<\/a>
\nWild Card losers HERE<\/a>
\nTeams that got swept in Round One HERE<\/a>
\nTeams that made it all the way to Game 3 HERE<\/a>
\nThe losing East semifinalists HERE<\/a><\/p>\n

Ok, in we go, examining the seasons of two teams heading into an offseason with some serious questions to answer about their direction.<\/p>\n

This year\u2019s Loons had maybe the most distinct play style in MLS history. They had the lowest possession percentage, the fewest number of completed passes and the lowest field tilt on record. At the same time, they were a devastating set-piece team, and maybe the best in the entire world on long throw-ins (part of the reason I voted Michael Boxall<\/a> for Defender of the Year; he was essential to their success on both sides of the ball).<\/p>\n

Often, it didn\u2019t look like soccer. I have made some American football jokes<\/a>, and so have others<\/a>.<\/p>\n

But for a while \u2013 for an entire half a season, as a matter of fact \u2013 it worked really well. Astonishingly so; they were getting a goal a game off of restarts! Keep that up and you can conquer the planet.<\/p>\n

Still, it stretched credulity to think they could defy gravity for the entire season, and by the middle of May, some writing was beginning to appear on the wall. Here\u2019s what I wrote on June 1<\/a>:<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you\u2019re a regular reader, you know I have my doubts about the long-term efficacy of that plan \u2013 teams that play so completely against the ball tend not to win things in MLS \u2013 but the Loons are third in the West and into the Open Cup<\/a> quarterfinals. So this might be the year.\u201d<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s what I wrote at the end of June<\/a>, after a tough spell in which they repeatedly dropped late results because they were too content to sit deep, rely on box clearances and never get on the ball to control the game:<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s the next step for Minnesota,\u201d I wrote about adding some possession and pitch control to their game. \u201cIf they take it, they really could win something this year. If not, they won\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s what Loons head coach Eric Ramsay said at the end of August<\/a>:<\/p>\n

\u201cI never really got too hung up on the narrative about us not being able to close games out in comparison to other teams because I think we’re the team that is most often leading across all 30 teams.\u201d<\/p>\n

Three weeks after that quote, the Loons lost 2-1 at home<\/a> to Austin FC<\/a> on a 120th-minute CJ Fodrey<\/a> goal in the US Open Cup semifinals. Two months after that, they lost 1-0<\/a> at San Diego FC<\/a> on a 72nd-minute goal from Anders Dreyer<\/a>. They won just once in their final nine games across all competitions.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s put more numbers to it: across the regular season and playoffs, the Loons had a +16 goal differential over the first 70 minutes of games, which tied them (with San Diego, ironically) for fifth-best in the league. From the 70th minute onwards, that goal differential cratered to -2, which was one of the worst marks amongst playoff teams (San Diego, incidentally, have the best mark at +13).<\/p>\n

You can\u2019t invite that many box entries against great teams. They needed to add another piece \u2013 I\u2019m not saying they had to become San Diego or Vancouver<\/a> in their approach to possession, by the way; just saying they needed to be a little more comfortable killing the game with the ball \u2013 and they never did.<\/p>\n

Still, this was the best season in team history, bar none. That can\u2019t get lost in the wash.<\/p>\n

I genuinely enjoy the fact that there are multiple game models at work amongst playoff teams these days \u2013 it\u2019s a lot better than the \u201ceveryone plays a mid-block 4-2-3-1\u201d ghosts of MLS past. Ramsay deserves a ton of credit for having a vision and committing to it wholeheartedly. Say what you want about counters, set pieces and long throw-ins: at least it\u2019s an ethos.<\/p>\n

But they need to add that final piece, and \u201cwhat comes next\u201d should not be tossing the game model in the trash because it repeatedly came up short in crunch time. They should still lean heavily on counters, set pieces and long throw-ins because they are great at them!<\/p>\n

What comes next, then, should be getting into the lab and enhancing the model by developing some build-out patterns that can not only take the starch out of the game but can also give potentially game-breaking attackers like Joaqu\u00edn Pereyra<\/a> and Robin Lod<\/a> more chances on the ball in high-leverage spots.<\/p>\n

The Loons need some dimensionality. And personally, I think they\u2019ve got the talent to pull it off.<\/p>\n

What to watch for this winter<\/p>\n

Maybe not up top, though? As big a handicap as the game model proved to be, the mid-season transfer<\/a> of starting center forward Tani Oluwaseyi was probably even bigger. DP Kelvin Yeboah<\/a> has not looked up to the job, while Mamadou Dieng<\/a> \u2013 who was tearing up the USL Championship, and who, in my opinion, was a very shrewd long-term bet \u2013 did not look ready.<\/p>\n

The Loons have a ton of General Allocation Money (GAM) and an open premium roster slot even if there are no buyouts, trades or sales. They can easily switch from the U22 model they used this year and into the three Designated Player model, and simply add another DP No. 9 to push Yeboah.<\/p>\n

Is it the most efficient thing in the world? Certainly not. But it probably needs doing.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m enjoying the prospect of a full year of Nectarios Triantis<\/a> stirring s–t vs. literally everyone he plays against.<\/p>\n

The Greece international was a perfect fit in that central midfield, with both his range and physicality, but also his willingness to get on the ball and drive the game forward. Fantastic mid-season signing.<\/p>\n

Goalkeeper of the Year<\/a> Dayne St. Clair<\/a> is hitting free agency. It is obviously of the utmost importance that they re-sign him.
\nBoxall has not seemed to age, but he\u2019s one of the oldest regular starters in MLS at 37. There needs to be some succession planning.
\nPereyra wasn\u2019t quite the same guy after there was interest in him during the summer transfer window. I would not be at all shocked if that interest returned in the winter, and my guess is that management would be more open to selling during this window.<\/p>\n

It felt like three or four different seasons.<\/p>\n

Season 1 was from their first kick of the year, which was actually in Concacaf Champions Cup<\/a> play, until the point they got knocked out of that tournament at the hands (feet?) of Inter Miami CF<\/a>. During which they balanced CCC with the regular season, and in the process, they got some revenge on the Crew<\/a> and got some info that no, Cengiz \u00dcnder was not going to be the answer as a third DP.<\/p>\n

Season 2 was from their elimination in CCC to their credible showing in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup<\/a>. That version of LAFC played some excellent ball, and logged one of the biggest wins any MLS team has ever had with their 2-1 win over Club Am\u00e9rica<\/a> to actually qualify<\/a> for the Club World Cup in the first place.<\/p>\n

\u00dcnder came off the bench in that one. So did Olivier Giroud \u2013 remember him??<\/p>\n

Obviously, neither of those guys were long for this squad. And following their CWC elimination, we\u2019ll enter what I think of as more of an interregnum than a separate season. \u00dcnder and Giroud departed, and so did another DP, Javair\u00f4 Dilrosun (here\u2019s the refresher: he joined LAFC from Club Am\u00e9rica immediately after LAFC beat Las \u00c1guilas in that qualifier, then played two games at the Club World Cup and six in the regular season with the Black & Gold before his loan ended and he headed back to Mexico City. He has not played a single minute of soccer since then! I think any MLS team could have him for free this winter).<\/p>\n

Frankie Amaya<\/a> and Mathieu Choini\u00e8re<\/a> came in on loan. Marlon left. Maxime Chanot retired<\/a>. Aaron Long<\/a> got hurt<\/a>. It was a weird and busy month!<\/p>\n

And that led to the final season: The beginning of the Son Heung-Min<\/a> era.<\/p>\n

You know how this one went \u2013 the Korean superstar arrived, the team shifted to the 3-4-2-1, and that sparked instant goalscoring chemistry with Denis Bouanga<\/a>. They seemed destined to send head coach Steve Cherundolo, who announced back in April<\/a> that this year would be his last in charge of the team, out on a high note.<\/p>\n

Alas, it was not to be. LAFC no-showed the first half of Saturday\u2019s semifinal at Vancouver and, despite Son\u2019s second-half heroics\u2026 well, penalties are cruel, aren\u2019t they?<\/p>\n

So no trophy, and now an offseason with some real questions to ponder. But also, they were clearly one of the handful of very best teams in the region, with plenty of reasons to think they can be one rung better next year.<\/p>\n

Job No. 1 is finding Cherundolo\u2019s successor. Assistant coach Marc Dos Santos \u2013 who has MLS experience in the big chair with Vancouver \u2013 is reportedly the frontrunner<\/a>.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ll see if that becomes a reality. Given the success LAFC had under Cherundolo, it\u2019d make a good amount of sense to keep as much continuity as possible, and Dos Santos would certainly represent that. It\u2019d also make some sense to start leaning even more into having the ball and using it in big moments. LAFC did a lot more of that in 2025 than they had in 2023 or 2024, and as they showed in the second half of Saturday\u2019s loss at Vancouver\u2026 man, when they want to play, they can be absolutely devastating. The \u2018Caps survived by the skin of their teeth.<\/p>\n

Whether it\u2019s Dos Santos calling the shots or not, inching a little bit more in that direction seems like the right call.<\/p>\n

What to watch for this winter<\/p>\n

There are no fewer than four players on the roster who have loans ending next month, and a handful more in town on short-term deals with team options to extend into 2026. Decisions on most of those should be easy, though I wouldn\u2019t be even slightly surprised if co-president and general manager John Thorrington tried to work something out to keep Andrew Moran<\/a> and Choini\u00e8re (those two guys in particular, and maybe Amaya as well) long-term.<\/p>\n

The other thing to watch for\u2026 Bouanga has been linked with a move to Ligue 1 or LIGA MX in recent windows. Now, he\u2019s under contract with LAFC for two more years (plus one more team option) and his chemistry with Son is already historically great<\/a>. So I\u2019m not sure there\u2019s anything to this.<\/p>\n

But you never know. And it\u2019d obviously be earth-shattering if Bouanga were to leave.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m mostly excited for a full year of the Son\/Bouanga pairing, to be honest. The rest of this roster is filled with workmanlike veterans rather than explosive, eye-catching attackers or passers of the ball or anything like that.<\/p>\n

Even the one local youngster who\u2019s broken through, Nathan Ordaz<\/a>, is much more about endeavor and energy than he is about anything else, while the youngster who was supposed to break through, winger David Mart\u00ednez<\/a>, remains one of the most frustrating players in the league. He\u2019s talented as hell, but has not remotely calibrated his dribble\/pass\/shoot instincts.<\/p>\n

If they do bring Moran back, then all six premium roster slots would be taken (assuming he comes back as a U22). That could complicate plans.
\nObviously, they\u2019ll be shopping for center backs this winter.
\nHugo Lloris<\/a> is 38 and is reportedly<\/a> coming back for 2026. The advanced data had him as a bottom-10 starting \u2018keeper in the league this year, and his first-half performance vs. the \u2018Caps was brutal. He’s gotta be better next year.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Our annual collection of post-mortems rolls on with the vanquished Western Conference semifinalists, glitzy and glamorous LAFC and…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":314019,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[69],"tags":[8769,47890,30066,6868,403,99],"class_list":["post-314018","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-soccer","tag-armchair-analyst-matt-doyle","tag-los-angeles-football-club","tag-minnesota-united-fc","tag-sendtonews","tag-soccer","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/314018","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=314018"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/314018\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/314019"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=314018"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=314018"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=314018"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}