Loons again gives up too much after halftime, fall 2-1 to St. Louis City
Three days earlier, Minnesota United conceded three unanswered second-half goals and lost at the L.A. Galaxy with the playoffs on the line.
On Saturday, St. Louis City scored twice after halftime – and after the Loons scored on a first-half penalty kick – in a 2-1 loss played in a driving rain at Allianz Field.
City made eight starting lineup changes Saturday after the first-place expansion team clinched a playoff spot on Wednesday against Los Angeles F.C.
City coach Bradley Carnell responded Saturday by making those changes so he could give many of his regulars a well-deserved rest.
Star striker Joao Klauss didn't stay on the bench forever.
He entered the game as a second-half substitute in the 58th minute and scored the tying goal six minutes later on Klaus' well-earned header — after a long run — that eluded Loons keeper Dayne St. Clair.
Nine minutes later, defender Njabulo Blom scored the winning goal after Loons defender D.J. Taylor turned the ball over near the sideline. Former Loon Aziel Jackson sent a cross to Blom atop the 18-yard box and his strike beat St. Clair in the high, near post.
It was St. Louis City's 16th win. The Loons' last chance came when newly returned Kervin Arriaga's header put the ball in play near the goal just before stoppage time ran out, but the Loons couldn't get that ball in the goal.
At the moment, the Loons dropped from 10th place to 11th after losing at home for the fifth time this season.
They're 3-5-8 now at home.
The last – and first – time the team met, the Loons handed St. Louis City its first loss after it started its inaugural season by winning its first five games.
The Loons 1-0 victory on April Fools' Day made striker Luis Amarilla – remember him? – and his penalty kick in the 78th stand as the winner. This time, it was striker Teemu Pukki's penalty kick — created by teammate Hassani Dotson's hard work – that made it 1-0.
It was a lead the Loons couldn't hold.
Pukki's P.K. came in the 48th minute in St. Louis City's first game since it clinched a playoff spot in its first season with a scoreless draw Wednesday against Los Angeles F.C.
The Loons applied increasing pressure and had the better run of play, but went to halftime tied with the Western Conference's expansion and first-place team scoreless. Reynoso left Wednesday's 4-3 loss at L.A. Galaxy at halftime because a thigh strain sustained the game before against Sporting Kansas City began to bother him again.
Loons coach Adrian Heath after Friday's training called Reynoso "day to day" for Saturday's game, but said the team would precede with caution."We have to be mindful if he were to go now and it was a bad tear of a thigh muscle, the season is probably going to be over," Heath said.
Without Reynoso, Heath started primarily second-half sub Sang Bin Jeong in Reynoso's midfielder playmaking spot with Hlongwane on his right and Dotson on his left.
Heath praised Dotson's play Wednesday in L.A., calling it "immense" and adding "He was back to his best. I thought he was incredible."
The Loons also were missing left-side player Joseph Rosales, who injured his hamstring in Wednesday's opening minutes and exited in the 36th minute when left back Ethan Bristow came for Rosales.
Bristow committed two silly yellow-card fouls that got him ejected in a second half when the Galaxy scored three unanswered goals.
The Loons arrived at Allianz in 10th place. That's one place under the nine-team playoff line and 13 points behind first-place City.
