Minnesota Earns Point In Wild Leagues Cup Match Against Club AmÉrica
MLS Minnesota United FC

Minnesota Earns Point In Wild Leagues Cup Match Against Club AmÉrica

August 2, 2025 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Minnesota United FC News Release


HOUSTON -- Minnesota United battled Club América (LIGA MX) to a dramatic 3-3 draw in regulation before falling 8-7 in a penalty shootout on Saturday night at Shell Energy Stadium. The Loons went toe-to-toe with the Mexican powerhouse, taking the lead three separate times through goals from Tani Oluwaseyi, Bongokuhle Hlongwane, and Carlos Harvey. Despite the result, Minnesota picked up a valuable point in the Leagues Cup 2025 Phase One match and now shifts focus to its final Phase One clash against Atlético San Luis on Wednesday, August 6, at Allianz Field.

17' (1-0) - Minnesota United opened the scoring against Club América. Following an attempted attack by Club América, Dayne St. Clair recovered the ball and quickly played Joaquín Pereyra. Pereyra carried the ball into the middle third before sending a long pass down the center to Tani Oluwaseyi. Oluwaseyi advanced into the penalty area and took a left-footed shot, finding the back of the net.

23' - After a clearance by St. Clair, Kevin Álvarez gained possession on the right flank. Álvarez delivered a one-touch pass to Henry Martin, sitting on the penalty spot. Martin attempted a scissor kick but the shot went just wide of the net.

27' (1-1) - Club América tied the game in the 27th minute after Álvaro Fidalgo sent a ball into the 18-yard box. Michael Boxall attempted to head the ball clear, but deflected backward, going over St. Clair's hand and into the net.

31' (2-1) - Bongokuhle Hlongwane doubled the score for the Loons after gaining possession in the attacking third following an attempted clearance by Álvarez. Oluwaseyi then played a short through ball to Pereyra into the penalty box, where Pereyra found Hlongwane unmarked. Hlongwane just pushed the ball over the line.

51' - After gaining possession in the middle third, Pereyra quickly turned and carried the ball forward a few feet. Pereyra then sent a through ball into the 18-yard area, where Hlongwane fired a shot but Luis Malagón got a hand to it, sending the ball out for a corner.

53' (2-2) - Las Águilas tie the match once again, after Álex Zendejas from the left flank sent a long cross into the penalty box. The ball found José Zúñiga position at the top of the six-yard line, where he headed the ball into the back of the net.

65' (3-2) - Minnesota United regained the lead through Carlos Harvey. Pereyra stepped up to take a free kick from near the edge of the middle third, sending it into the attacking third. The ball bounced around the 18-yard box before Pereyra played it to Harvey near the top of the box on the left flank. Harvey settled the ball and fired a shot, finding the back of the net.

90' (3-3) - Sebastián Cáceres tied the match for Las Águilas with a header off a corner kick taken by Brian Rodríguez.

90' + 2' - St. Clair made a crucial save for the Loons following a one-on-one situation during a counterattack. Brian Rodríguez carried the ball from the middle third into the penalty area and played a pass to Rodrigo Aguirre, but St. Clair used his body to block the shot and deflect the ball out for a corner.

90' + 4' - MNUFC were awarded a free kick on the left flank, a few feet outside the 18-yard box, with Pereyra stepping up to take it. His delivery found Harvey on the right side inside the penalty area, where Harvey headed the ball on target, but Malagón got a hand to it. Club América attempted to clear, but Wil Trapp regained possession inside the box on the right flank. Trapp sent a pass to Julian Gressel near the penalty spot, whose shot was initially blocked. Nicolás Romero then fired a shot off the rebound, but Malagón came up with another save. Finally, Pereyra gathered the loose ball outside the box and took a shot that sailed over the crossbar.

GOAL SUMMARY

1-0 MIN - Tani Oluwaseyi (Joaquín Pereyra) - 17'

1-1 AME - Michael Boxall (own goal) - 27'

2-1 MIN - Bongokuhle Hlongwane (Joaquín Pereyra) - 31'

2-2 AME - José Zúñiga (Alex Zendejas) - 53'

3-2 MIN - Carlos Harvey (Joaquín Pereyra) - 65'

3-3 AME - Sebastián Cáceres (Brian Rodríguez) - 90'

PENALTY SHOOTOUT SUMMARY

Minnesota United

Joaquín Pereyra - Goal

Kelvin Yeboah - Goal

Wil Trapp - Goal

Carlos Harvey - Goal

Julian Gressel - Goal

Joseph Rosales - Goal

Michael Boxall - Goal

Nicolás Romero - Saved

Club América

Brian Rodríguez - Goal

Alex Zendejas - Goal

Sebastián Cáceres - Goal

Israel Reyes - Goal

Rodrigo Aguirre - Goal

Borja Cristian - Goal

Erick Sánchez - Goal

Isaías Violante - Goal

DISCIPLINARY SUMMARY

AME- Igor Lichnovsky (caution) - 49'

AME - Igor Lichnovsky (ejection) - 62'

AME - Isaías Violante (caution) - 89'

Notable Stats

9 - Bongokuhle Hlongwane scored his ninth goal in Leagues Cup action since 2023, the most by any MNUFC player in the tournament, and now sits at 35 goals across all competitions for the club, just one behind Robin Lod (36) as Minnesota United's all-time leading goal scorer.

3 - Joaquín Pereyra recorded three goal contributions in the match against Club América, assisting on goals by Tani Oluwaseyi, Bongokuhle Hlongwane, and Carlos Harvey, marking his most productive performance in a Minnesota United jersey to date.

ATTENDANCE: 13,885

LINEUPS:

Minnesota United XI: GK Dayne St. Clair; D Anthony Markanich (Owen Gene 84') Morris Duggan (Nicolas Romero 64'), Jefferson Diaz (Kelvin Yeboah 63'), Michael Boxall ©, Carlos Harvey; M Bongokuhle Hlongwane, Robin Lod (Joseph Rosales 46'), Wil Trapp, Joaquín Pereyra; F Tani Oluwaseyi (Julian Gressel 87')

Substitutes Not Used: GK Alec Smir; D DJ Taylor, Kipp Keller; F Darius Randell, Loïc Mesanvi

Club América XI: GK Luis Malagón; D Borja Cristian, Kevin Álvarez (Isaías Violante 46'), Igor Lichnovsky, Israel Reyes; M Víctor Dávila (Sebastián Cáceres 64'), Álvaro Fidalgo (Brian Rodríguez 46'), Alex Zendejas, Jonathan dos Santos (Erick Sánchez 73'), José Zúñiga; F Henry Martín © (Rodrigo Aguirre 73')

Substitutes Not Used: GK Rodolfo Cota, Norberto Bedolla; D Ralph Orquin, Ramón Juárez; M Alan Cervantes, Dagoberto Espinoza, Alexis Gutiérrez

UP NEXT:

MINNESOTA UNITED FC vs. ATLETICO SAN LUIS

Allianz Field | Saint Paul, Minnesota

08.06.2025 | Leagues Cup 2025 | Phase One, Match 3

7:30 p.m. CT (MLS Season Pass)

MINNESOTA UNITED POST GAME QUOTE SHEET

HEAD COACH ERIC RAMSAY

On initial thoughts on tonight's match...

"I think the format of the competition is a strange one in the sense that ordinarily, you strip away the finished game. I think we would have been really, really pleased with a point in what is a very difficult set of circumstances, and there were large parts of the performance that were really, really strong. And I said to the players at the end that today is a day that I will certainly choose to focus on the positives because I feel there were so many. I feel like we've gone toe to toe with a really, really good team. And as you guys well know, this is a team that is fighting for their lives. They've not started the season well there [LIGA MX]. There's a lot of pressure that surrounds their circumstances. So we faced an opponent today that was absolutely desperate to win, and I think we were more than good value for the draw. And certainly, I don't think anyone would have had any complaints had we won that game. I think the manner of us losing it late on, or losing the three points late on, was frustrating. But again, I would reiterate that what got us to that point, to be three-two up, was a very complete performance. I think we were the Minnesota that we see so often a real threat on the counterattack as you saw in the first goal, a real threat from more organized play on the second goal, a real threat from set plays on the third goal, and we defended really well for large periods. But I think the most pleasing periods were the long spells that we controlled the game for in the second half. And I think it's a real shame that we weren't able to continue what felt like a very comfortable period of the game through to the ninety-five minutes. But again, there was so much good stuff there, and I think to have put ourselves in the position that we're in having four points at this stage and two really good performances is ultimately where I wanna be. I wanna make sure this team continues to grow, we continue to build momentum, and ideally, we get through. If we don't, I wanna be in a really good place come Wednesday night and feel really good about the team, where it is, and what we're able to do in the closing stages of MLS."

On how this tie tonight affects Minnesota's outlook for Wednesday...

"I'm not sure whether seven points gets you through. It may well do depending on the results over the coming days. But, for us to target seven points and then ultimately get seven points would be a real achievement. And the format of the competition is such that it's incredibly difficult to get through and you'll see some very good teams that have been putting in some very accomplished performances over the course of three games not progressing the competition. And I said to the players at the beginning, we have every intention of going through. Every game we will take with the utmost seriousness. Every game will show a real desperation to win. But ultimately, given the nature of the competition, there's no guarantee that three good performances and three good results even gets you through. So we wanna make sure that the team feels in really good shape come Wednesday night and I think what we've done over the first two games would suggest that is extremely possible."

On playing the same players on Wednesday Against Atletico San Luis and Joseph Rosales being healthy...

"I think you're right. I don't want that to be lost on anyone. That was a phenomenal game in a phenomenal atmosphere and I think that's what this competition brings. And for me as a head coach, what a phenomenal experience to play against one of the biggest sides in North America with the tradition and the history and everything that goes with that and the experience for the players tonight, in the sense that given where we are, want to play big games between now and the end of the year, we've got a possible domestic cup final. We want to get through in this competition. We want to go far in the playoffs. So for us to have an early feel of a big game with real consequences against a big team with a big following, that can only put us in a good position and I really enjoyed that experience aside from how it finished. And I'm sure the players, when they wake up tomorrow, will feel the same. Come Wednesday night, we will focus on making sure we have some freshness. We'll focus on making sure that we can perform from a physical perspective to the same level and we will do what we've done, which is work our way through sixteen, seventeen players, all of whom are very capable of contributing. And in the case of [Joseph] Rosales, yes, fit and made a good impact when he came on."

On how does Minnesota United come down in strong form and play in a stadium full and drown out the noise from the opposition fan base...

"That was a big part of why I felt this was such an important experience at this stage of the season for us because it was, not a full stadium, but a really hostile crowd. It felt like the game had a real edge to it, very different from some of the atmospheres that you'll find yourself in during general league play. And I wanted the players to rise to the occasion. I felt we really did rise to the occasion and we showed why we are where we are at the table. We showed why we're such a difficult team to play against and we did that against a very, very capable team with some very, very good players. So when I looked at this game, I wanted to win. I wanted it to be a part of us going through but ultimately, I wanted the players to show that they are capable of competing with, I would say, the next bracket of teams up from us and Club América certainly represents that. Certainly one of, if not the strongest side in this competition and I'm sure when I look back tomorrow, in the colder light of the analysis, I'll feel really, really pleased with a lot of what we saw tonight."

On how Leagues Cup helps MLS teams get ready for the playoffs...

"Yeah. Exactly that. And that's how we saw that today. It was what I hope is the start of three months where every couple of weeks, we're playing really big consequential games that will be determining in how good we feel about the season in three months. We are one of the few teams, I think, in America that is fighting on just about all four fronts. We're in the hunt for our conference. We're in the hunt for the Supporters' Shield. We'll see on Wednesday night whether we're still in the hunt for this trophy and we're in the domestic cup semifinal. So I want to be a part of something that entails playing this type of game often. So for us to have started what is three months now, at the business end of the season, in the way that we did tonight, I was really pleased and we've at least demonstrated that we can go toe to toe with the top teams and that has to translate now to week to week in MLS."

On the response that your team showed as they came back three times...

"Yeah. We have real character in the dressing room. I think teams that play against us will recognize that we're a difficult team to play against for so many reasons but one of them is that we have real fight, real spirit, real togetherness. And I think to a man, we have that never say die attitude and it really is not an easy atmosphere here tonight, and I think it would have been very easy to let the tide turn really strongly and we find ourselves in a position where we concede consecutive goals very quickly. And as much as it's been a bit of a theme for us this year, conceding late goals, we are so often in a position where we are winning late on and I'm really proud of the fact that we can do that so regularly. We've improved significantly this year in being able to close games out and it feels it's tough to take tonight. I know this year is a real step forward in the sense of where we've drawn over the course of the last couple of months were games that we lost last year. That is a big progression for us certainly in the circumstances that we find ourselves in tonight. So ultimately, I'm really proud of the players and I'll definitely take the positives forward."

FORWARD TANI OLUWASEYI

On his overall thoughts on tonight's match...

"Tough. We probably think we deserve a little bit more from that. I think this has become a little bit of a pattern for us, dropping points late. It's one of those that we can't dwell on it too much, we've got to get ready for the next game."

On competing strongly against quality opposition...

"I think we bet on ourselves [to compete] against anyone. It was a good challenge for us, I think we stepped up to that challenge. It would have been a lot sweeter if we could have seen it out. There's definitely a lot of things we did well, we played really well for a lot of the game. It's just a live-and-learn kind of game."

On the team doing very strongly on set-pieces...

"That is just one of the things that we know is our strength and the way we have been winning this year has been relying on our strengths and I think if we keep doing that the rest of the year will probably put in a good step."

On playing at home and having the home feel...

"It is a must-win game for us if we have any chance of going through, so we are definitely going to be ready and our fans are incredible every game and we expect them to be just as incredible as they are every time."

Check out the Minnesota United FC Statistics



Major League Soccer Stories from August 2, 2025


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central