SAN DIEGO — Substitute defenders Anthony Markanich and Carlos Harvey ended a scoreless duel with goals three minutes apart in the second half and Minnesota United went on to beat San Diego FC, 3-1, on Saturday night in a battle between the top two teams in the Western Conference.
With the win, the Loons (15-6-9) pulled within two points of first-place San Diego (17-8-5) with four regular-season matches remaining. Both clubs already have clinched postseason berths.
Bongokuhle Hlongwane #21 of Minnesota United fights for the ball with Luca De la Torre #14 of San Diego FC during a game between San Diego FC and Minnesota United at Snapdragon Stadium on Sept. 13, 2025 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Francisco Vega/Getty Images)
Nectarios Triantis, acquired during the summer transfer window, debuted for the Loons with a goal and an assist .
Markanich subbed into the match in the 63rd minute before taking a pass from Joaquín Pereyra in the 74th and scoring for a 1-0 lead. Seven of Markanich’s eight career goals have come this season. Pereyra’s assist was his 10th in his first full season in the league.
Both of Harvey’s goals have come this year in his second full season. He entered midway through the first half and used assists from Triantis and Kelvin Yeboah — his third — to score.
Triantis made it 3-0 with a goal in the second minute of stoppage time after coming in with Markanich.
San Diego avoided a shutout when Jeppe Tverskov scored his second goal in his first season, 3 minutes after Triantis scored.
Dayne St. Clair totaled 12 saves for Minnesota United, and CJ dos Santos stopped two shots for San Diego.
San Diego travels to play Atlanta United on Saturday. Minnesota United plays its next MLS game against Chicago Fire on Saturday but first will play host to Austin on Wednesday in the semifinals of the U.S. Open Cup at Allianz Field.
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