Minnesota United Falls to San Diego FC in Western Conference Semifinals
MLS Minnesota United FC

Minnesota United Falls to San Diego FC in Western Conference Semifinals

Published on November 25, 2025 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
Minnesota United FC News Release


SAN DIEGO (Nov. 24, 2025) - Minnesota United saw multiple close shots come just short of scoring, while Sand Diego FC's lone goal on the night saw the home side advance to the Western Conference Final on Monday night at Snapdragon Stadium. With the loss, MNUFC's historic season came to an end.

17' - San Diego FC were awarded a free kick on the left flank near the top of the attacking third. Anders Dreyer stepped up to take the kick that found Aníbal Godoy inside the penalty area but his attempt went wide of the post.

32'- Luca Bombino sent in a cross from the left flank into the middle of the 18-yard box. Onni Valakari was able to head the ball, but the attempt went wide of the second post.

45' - MNUFC's first shot on target of the night came from distance where Joaquín Pereyra took possession of the ball and drove toward goal before he fired off a shot from over 20 yards, but the strike was ultimately saved by SDFC goalkeeper Pablo Sisniega.

45' + 2' - From middle third, Pereyra made a switch to connect with Finland International Robin Lod as he made a run inside the penalty box. Lod fired a one-touch shot but his attempt landed in goalkeeper Pablo Sisniega's hands.

47' - Minnesota United created a dangerous opportunity as Pereyra played a through ball to Lod on the right flank. Lod carried from the middle third into the 18-yard box and took a shot. However, the attempt was blocked by Ian Pilcher as he retreated and slid on the line; eventually the ball was cleared and sent out for a throw-in for Minnesota.

48' - Just a minute later, Pereyra took yet another long-distance shot that just nearly missed wide of the right post, continuing to add pressure to the San Diego side at the start of the second half.

56' - Bongokuhle Hlongwane and Pereyra played a quick give-and-go on the right side. Hlongwane then crossed the ball, which was deflected, but it fell to Anthony Markanich on top of the 18-yard line. Markanich settled the ball and struck a volley that went just wide of the left post.

72' (0-1) - San Diego FC found the back of the net with Dreyer after Corey Baird saved the ball from being out-of-bounce and back-heeled a pass to find Dreyer on the right flank of the penalty area. Dreyer struck a one-time shot that went over the line.

GOAL SUMMARY

0-1 SDFC - Anders Dreyer (Corey Baird) - 72'

DISCIPLINARY SUMMARY

MIN - Nectarios Triantis (caution) - 15'

MIN - Kelvin Yeboah (caution) - 20'

SDFC - Ian Pilcher (caution) - 77'

MIN - Anthony Markanich (caution) - 81'

MIN - Carlos Harvey (caution) - 90' + 2'

SDFC - Pablo Sisniega (caution) - 90' + 4'

SDFC - Marcus Ingvartsen (caution) 90' + 5'

Notable Stats

1 - MNUFC midfielder Dominik Fitz made his MLS Cup Playoffs debut appearance tonight, coming on as a second-half substitute.

ATTENDANCE: 32,502

BELL BANK MAN OF THE MATCH: Joaquín Pereyra

LINEUPS:

Minnesota United XI: GK Dayne St. Clair; D Anthony Markanich, Morris Duggan, Michael Boxall ©, Carlos Harvey (Dominik Fitz 84'); M Joaquín Pereyra, Nectarios Triantis, Wil Trapp (Hassani Dotson 83'), Robin Lod; F Kelvin Yeboah, Bongokuhle Hlongwane

Substitutes Not Used: GK Alec Smir; D Jefferson Diaz, Nicolás Romero, D.J. Taylor; M Owen Gene, Julian Gressel; F Mamadou Dieng

San Diego FC XI: GK Pablo Sisniega; D Luca Bombino, Manu Duah, Christopher McVey, Ian Pilcher; M Amahl Pellegrino (Hirving Lozano 78'), Jeppe Tverskov ©, Onni Valakari, Aníbal Godoy (Luca De La Torre 78'), Anders Dreyer; F Corey Baird (Marcus Ingvartsen 79')

Substitutes Not Used: GK Duran Ferree; D Leo Duru; M Pedro Soma, Paddy McNair; F David Vazquez, Alex Mighten

MINNESOTA UNITED POST GAME QUOTE SHEET

HEAD COACH ERIC RAMSAY

On how he looked at this game...

"I think it is probably a little microcosm of our season, I would say, in that we were super competitive. We were in the game all the way through. We restricted them to very little in the way that we typically certainly had the better chances of the game, I would say, if only by a little but have come out on the wrong side of a game that was decided on very fine margins. And I think that's been the case for most of the year. And in some senses, I'm really proud of how, over the course of this season, in every game we've been able to compete, probably stripping away just one in the Chicago game after we played 120 minutes on the Wednesday beforehand. I think that's probably the only game that we haven't really been in all the way through. And we've obviously been incredibly consistent over the course of this season in not losing back-to-back games in the league and finding a very competitive, if not very fluid and high-level version of ourselves almost every week. And I think with where we are, that's a really important thing. And I think that game reflected that today. It was as expected, I would say, in terms of the balance of play against a team that dominates the ball against every MLS team they play. And they're playing at home in front of a rowdy 35,000. And it was a really good atmosphere, a great challenge for our players, and that set the course for the game, I would say. But we were really detailed, really precise, showed loads of conviction in how we defended, and we had some really good chances as the game went on. So I think there's that sense of real frustration, a sense of sort of realism, I suppose, with where we're at and how that game reflects the entirety of the year. But then also some real pride. And we're certainly leaving here feeling like we've taken some big steps forward over the course of this year, really moved the club forward, and we're not leaving with the same feeling that we had in the semi-final last year as we left LA [Galaxy]. So I am pretty capable of looking at these things fairly objectively, even in the immediate aftermath of it. I certainly will look back with a lot of pride as to how we got to this stage and then how we've competed today. And I think on another day we find ourselves through and we feel phenomenal about where we've got to as a team and where we've got to as a club."

On how he feels about Robin Lod's chance and the clearance from Ian Pilcher...

"Robin [Lod] did really well to make the chance in the first instance and show some real composure to get it back on his left foot. And again, it's an incredibly fine margin that sees the ball out rather than in and sometimes that is the game, isn't it? Ball goes in one day, you're through and you feel fantastic. The ball doesn't go in today and we're getting asked some very, very different questions to the ones that we might [have gotten]. I can't criticize Rob [Robin Lod] in that moment. It's a phenomenal clearance and certainly a moment that we will look back on and feel like it was one that the game hinged on in hindsight in that there was the sort of very little either way after that chance. And that is the nature of the game and the fine margins that we talked about at this stage of the competition."

On showing admiration for Anders Dreyer's goal...

"No, no, actually it is in one sense that he's a difference maker, isn't he? That's what they pay the money for. That's what he's done all season for them [San Diego FC]. And certainly when he's given the amount of space that he was in at that moment, he can be and typically is very ruthless. But I think it will be a goal as we look back in the cold light of the analysis at some point will be really frustrated with, because it comes from an incident that we have talked about a lot in the buildup to this game and up until 70 minutes, we defended those moments really, really well. But the point at which the ball goes over the back line's head and we switch off, we don't recover the space that he ultimately scores from is an example of one of those fine margins and the details that we typically execute at a really high level, but our fine wanting on occasion when it comes to our ability to do so for 90 minutes. So that's frustrating and I think it probably speaks to where we are, but in these games we have to be perfect from a defensive perspective. We have to give ourselves a platform to win the game by not committing, I wouldn't say it's a basic error, I think that there are lots of layers of detail to making sure that situation doesn't arise, but errors that we shouldn't given our setup given the messages that the group gets rammed down their throat and the the type of team we are, I suppose. So it's a really frustrating goal to give away, but it's obviously a moment of real quality and conviction and the only moment of that nature of the course of the game from both teams."

On thoughts on the team's reaction after Anders Dreyer goal..

"I think we gave it a really good go. We didn't create anything clean-cut. I felt like we were able to wrestle some momentum back, and we finished with a flurry of real energy and intent and made changes off the bench with that in mind. And whilst we couldn't create anything really clean-cut that got us back in the game, it certainly wasn't for want of trying. And again, we've got a group of players that know how to bounce back. We've got a group of players that are incredibly resilient and have shown that in most situations where we find ourselves behind over the course of this year. And more so than the previous game against Seattle [Sounders FC], so I can't fault the response, and I would say it's a really tough one to swallow, but I can only be positive about most of the performances there."

On how much of a turning point was selling Tani Oluwaseyi...

"I think it's very difficult to say otherwise. I think I'm not going to pull the wool over anyone's eyes I suppose by speaking about it differently, but I haven't wanted to dwell on that. We haven't talked about it internally all that much. Obviously don't talk about that type of thing with the players. And we have wanted to be super positive, constructive and we have found a way in spite of the fact that we've lost a very obvious key component of our team, our style, the way in which we've been successful up until this point. We've found a way to grind through that and we've been adaptable and we've found ourselves at this stage of the competition, which is, it's not easy to do. We've hit the [conference] semifinals two years in a row in no small part due to how we've adapted to Tani's [Oluwaseyi] loss and we haven't been the same threat. Of course, we, as you guys well know, designed a lot of the playing style around having those qualities on the last line. But there's the obvious question marks with timing that are presented by the window and everything that's gone with that and the brilliance of the opportunity for Tani. And I think since he's gone there, we've been incredibly sort of proud as a club, I suppose, and a group of people that worked with him to see the platform that he had here, how he grabbed it by the scruff of the neck, used it at what he's gone on to do there. But of course it was tough for us, but I don't think any of us have been feeling sorry for ourselves. Tani being here tonight doesn't necessarily put us in a better position. But of course it is an obvious point that you would look at in the course of the season that did at least make it slightly more bumpy."

On looking forward to the 2026 season...

"I think that's a club-wide issue I suppose; it extends far beyond just my say, just my influence. But, we've obviously got the basis of a really competitive team. We of course want to evolve, want to move the style on, want to move the club's ability to be consistently very competitive at the top, and that will of course require improvement. We would be a club that I think would want to improve in every window. There are obviously some big decisions to make on players from our perspective, from their perspective, and that will gradually fall into place. To have done what we've done, to be in the position we've been in over the course of two seasons, to make the playoffs relatively comfortable, to improve in our league position, to get in the [conference] semifinals twice in two years, we'll be the envy of quite a lot of clubs in that sense. But, we want to make sure we're doing that with always that sense of progression, not resting on our laurels, no sense of complacency, really capitalizing on that position we've got ourselves in. There are of course some things that would help us develop our style, help us become a team that is more comfortable over the course of the year, but, I wouldn't swap what we've built over the course of these two years here. I've loved it as a coach. I feel like it's really developed me and my staff, and we've loved working with the group of players - they're a really honest group of players. We feel like as a group, us, players, the staff, everyone that's around, that we can find solutions to problems, we can find a way of making our group far more competitive than our means and that's a great challenge, and one that I've loved leading and I feel like has brought the best out in me. I will look back over the two years [as head coach] and feel like I've developed in every step of the way in the way I hope the group has."

On MNUFC's late-game substitutions...

"They came late partly due to the run of play. It took us three or four minutes to decide on how we wanted to attack it specifically. It's not always as straightforward as going from a back-five to a back-four, making the obvious changes because sometimes you lose a lot of balance; you can sometimes within the shape do more good by making some subtle changes, but we obviously opted to shift to a back-four and I think they would have been on within five or six minutes had it not been the balance of play. At that point, where you're only a goal behind with possibly sort of 15, 16 minutes to play, by the time you count, you also want to make sure everything is buttoned up from the sideline. You don't want to be sending players on without them knowing exactly what they're doing on set-play moments because one [goal conceded] can become two quickly, and then you're out of the game. It was a combination of us deliberating a little bit, it was a combination of that and making sure that instructions were right and then the balance of play. It was frustrating, I would have liked to have them on a couple of minutes earlier, but I don't think it had a bearing on the game."

DEFENDER MICHAEL BOXALL

On making it difficult for San Diego to find scoring opportunities, but ultimately losing on a single goal...

"Obviously, how we've defended all season long, I think we made it very difficult for them, limited their chances. But then again, we just struggled to get anything going with the ball until very late in the game, and we just weren't quite good enough in those patches. And then they take their chance pretty well, and we weren't able to finish our couple half chances, or I think probably better chances than they were able to muster, but just not quite good enough for us."

On how the team responded to San Diego's goal with 15 minutes left in the game...

"Obviously, we don't like to stray too, too far from what we do, but I think we're at that point you have to push on, you have to almost go man-to-man to apply some pressure and win the ball higher up. I think we had moments where the ball just didn't quite fall to us and the box had a couple more half chances. It just didn't quite fall for us."

On how he looks at this season overall...

"After this evening, it's kind of tough to look at it in a positive way. I think we [had] short moments throughout the season where we could contend, and obviously a few changes with personnel. But I think the bulk of the players just really worked hard for each other and grinded it out and found ways to pick up points down the stretch. But still feels like we're a little bit off from [where] we want to be, and felt like we're falling short."

On if there's anything specifically that the team is falling short on...

"I mean like falling short as in kind of what the goals we thought were realistic for ourselves this season. Obviously, the semifinal of [Lamar Hunt U.S.] Open Cup, and then I don't know, a few bounces of the ball go our way tonight, it's a different story, but that's the game we play. We can probably look at the biggest areas we can improve, it's obviously with the ball and creating more consistent pressure with the ball and creating chances that way. We never strayed away from our identity all season, and I think everyone's put in huge shifts. Not too sure, I'm kind of out of words for that."

On losing Tani Oluwaseyi's mid-season and how it affected the team...

"For the part of the season that he [Tani Olwaseyi] was here, [he] was probably our best player. He just offered so much for us: goals, and obviously in transition, he managed to put opposition center-backs under so much pressure. Obviously, delighted for him to get that opportunity to play in Spain, and then in the [UEFA] Champions League. But he was a huge part of what we did."

On what the team needs in 2026...

"I'm not too sure. It's probably all a bit too quick for that process. Also, I think that's a little bit above my pay grade. But obviously, at the end of the season, after every season, there will be changes, but that's way above me to make those decisions."

On the mood in the locker room...

"I think as soon as the final whistle [blew], it was all pretty somber. Obviously, grateful for what we do, and really appreciate all the traveling fans that showed up tonight, that's always huge, and the support we've gotten all year has been... that's always special. Super appreciative. Everyone that came to Allianz [Field], everyone that supported earlier, it's been a special place to play."

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Major League Soccer Stories from November 25, 2025


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