Minnesota United’s second-deepest run in the MLS Cup playoffs ended with a thud on Sunday. It’s going to leave a mark. The Los Angeles Galaxy scored in the first minute of the Western Conference semifinal and could not be slowed down in a high-flying 6-2 win over the sixth-seeded Loons at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, Calif. Instead of Minnesota advancing to the West final like they did in 2020, the second-seeded Galaxy will host the Seattle Sounders next weekend for a spot in the MLS Cup. The Loons conceded only two goals over the previous seven games — five regular-season and two matches in its first-round playoff series against Salt Lake — but MNUFC gave up three in the first half on Sunday. Then, Gabriel Pec was allowed to go on a galivanting run before scoring the fourth goal in the 50th minute. Two more goals were tacked on after Loons center back Jefferson Diaz was sent off with a red card in the 82nd minute. The Galaxy were the third-highest scoring team in MLS in 2024 and stacked up nine goals in two playoff wins over Colorado. Their star players were shining bright again on Sunday, with two goals apiece for Pec, Dejan Joveljic and Joseph Painstil. Talented midfielder Riqui Puig had a great assist on Pec’s opening goal, and Marco Reus assisted on Joveljic’s header in the 18th minute. They were able to keep finding spaces in the middle of the field, which is what MNUFC wanted to limit. “It’s frustrating because all the things we kind of prepared for and spoke about, where their dangers were, that’s where we didn’t manage those moments well enough,” captain center back Michael Boxall said postgame. Outside of Kelvin Yeboah’s two goals, the Loons were unable to match the Galaxy’s level of attacking talent. Midfielder Joaquin Pereyra, the Loons’ new Designated Player, was subbed out at halftime, continuing the Argentine’s inauspicious start in MLS. Loons coach Eric Ramsay called the Galaxy “predictably unpredictable” going into the game and any answers were out of his grasp across the 90 minutes Sunday. Ramsay threw as many attackers he could in the second half: Tani Oluwaweyi for Pereyra, as well as Teemu Pukki, Sang Bin Jeong and academy product Loic Mesanvi to no avail. A wild five-goal first half started off with a bang. A sensational pass from Puig was finished off by Pec after only 27 seconds. It was a record fast finish for Galaxy, but United’s fastest conceded goal remains Portland’s Sebastian Blanco’s 13-second goal at Allianz Field in 2022. “It set the tone for a very chaotic feel to the game, which is absolutely opposite to how we envisioned that game played if it was going to be one that we were going to win,” Ramsay said. “Because they are a team that really thrives on chaos, open spaces to attack. I felt like after that really quick start from them and then our response, it was almost very difficult to claw back a sense of evenness in the game.” The Loons were always going to have less of the ball, but only 30% possession in the game — the same total in both halves — was a huge imbalance. MNUFC needed the match to be the equivalent of a rock fight, but it turned into a missile attack from a stocked arsenal. “Obviously the scoreline just really blew out,” Boxall said. “When you are two goals down, you try to chase a little bit without running the risk, but at that point in time, you got to give it a go. Yeah, I think maybe it is a bit of a reality check (on the club’s overall progress this season). Leading into this, we were confident we could get the job done, but I think if we are going to do the things we plan to with 70, 80% (of the players) then coming into a place like this against a team with decent attacking weapons. You don’t have to play … an almost perfect game, but you have to do it a lot better than we were.” Related Articles Minnesota United FC | Minnesota United at Los Angeles Galaxy: Keys to the match, projected starting XI and a prediction Minnesota United FC | Loons season already a success regardless of result in Sunday’s Western Conference semifinal Minnesota United FC | Minnesota United needs Joaquin Pereyra to help offset L.A. Galaxy’s star power Minnesota United FC | Minnesota United: A look into Khaled El-Ahmad’s competitiveness and process on gamedays Minnesota United FC | MLS Cup Playoffs: Loons vs. L.A. Galaxy in West semifinal set for Nov. 24