Minnesota United was 12-plus minutes away from doing something no other MLS club has done to Los Angeles FC in season openers: force even a draw.
But one of the league’s marquee clubs did what they always do: get all three points. Jeremy Ebobisse’s goal from outside the 18-yard box was the difference in a 1-0 win at BMO Stadium on Saturday in Los Angeles.
LAFC’s eight straight season-opening wins since 2018 stands as an MLS record.
The Loons were unbeaten in three straight openers, with wins at Austin last year and Dallas in 2023 and a draw at Philadelphia in 2022. A year ago, the Loons and LAFC were tied for the best road record (8-6-3) in MLS in 2024.
Kelvin Yeboah and Tani Oluwaseyi each had a scoring chance for MNUFC in the first half. In the fifth minute, Oluwaseyi had a shot near the penalty spot go just wide.
Yeboah then pounced on a Timothy Tillman giveaway in the 13th minute. His shot beat goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, but it went off the post and skidded in front of the net and wide.
Left wingback Joseph Rosales exited at halftime, with Anthony Markanich coming in. Rosales had dealt with a hamstring issue during preseason, but Apple TV’s Taylor Twellman said Markanich came in for tactical reasons. That’s a surprise because Rosales was one of the Loons’ best players at left wing back last season.
Ebobisse’s goal came in front of Markanich.
Robin Lod subbed in for Joaquin Pereyra and Sang Bin Jeong came in for Oluwaseyi in the 67th minute in like-for-like changes.
Jeong’s shot in the 89th minute took a deflection and hit off the crossbar.
Briefly
Forward Jordan Adebayo-Smith will head out to another club on loan, the Pioneer Press learned. It’s unclear the term or destination for the 24-year-old. … Captain Michael Boxall has now played in all nine of Minnesota’s MLS seasons since 2017. He made his 213th regular-season appearances for MNUFC.
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