Minnesota United’s offense was disjointed for the majority of Saturday’s game against Seattle at Allianz Field, so it was fitting Joaquin Pereyra’s goal was garbled.

The Loons midfielder sent an in-swinging ball from outside the box and toward goal in the 73rd minute. It might have been a cross, or perhaps a shot, but either way it rippled the net and was the difference in a 1-0 win over Sounders.

After walking off the field shaking his head after a non-threatening first half, Pereyra could crack a smile after his second-half goal.

The Loons held a team-only meeting immediately after a 2-1 loss to Colorado to address how the same things were resulting in them slipping up. But MNUFC (13-6-8, 47 points) eliminated defensive mistakes that cost them against the Rapids and in Leagues Cup to post its first shoutout in 11 straight MLS matches since May 28.

Goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair made some crucial saves in stoppage time to produce the win.

Seattle (11-7-8, 41 points) controlled the game, but the Loons stopped their unbeaten run at 10 straight games. MNUFC also completed a season sweep on Sounders.

Seattle became the latest team to employ a five-man back line against Minnesota. Seattle hasn’t used that formation in MLS play since May but used it to success on Saturday.

The first half was uneventful for both teams, with a combined three shots on target and a total of 15 touches inside the opposition’s box.

In a top Western Conference matchup, Loons started arguably its best XI: forward Kelvin Yeboah, midfielders Tani Oluwaseyi; Joaquin Pereyra, Wil Trapp, Robin Lod; defenders Joseph Rosales, Nico Romero, Michael Boxall, Carlos Harvey, Bongi Hlongwane; and goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair.

Looking for a jolt, head coach Eric Ramsay subbed out Yeboah in the 68th minute, with left wing back Anthony Markanich coming in. Oluawseyi moved to forward and Joseph Rosales moved into midfield.

Yeboah seemed perplexed to being taken off, putting his hand out as if to say “why?” Ramsay just slapped his hand.

Briefly

Hassani Dotson cleared a milestone in his rehab from his meniscus injury this week, joining in warmups for training. But with him placed on the season-ending injury list, he won’t be able to make a late-season comeback. … Former Kicks forward Alan Willey was part of 20-some former players and staff honored at MNUFC’s heritage match Saturday. At Loons training Friday, he joked about playing for the Loons. “I’m a game-time decision,” the 68-year-old said while looking down at a knee brace.

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Of the 10 young players the Twins acquired before the July 31 trade deadline, none is more intriguing — or at least might be closest to playing regular innings for the big league team — than James Outman.

Outman is an outfielder who, in 2023, played in 151 games for the Los Angeles Dodgers and finished third in Rookie of the Year voting. He hit .248 with 23 home runs, 86 runs scored and 70 RBIs that season.

Since then, that offensive production has all but disappeared. Over the past two seasons, Outman has worked to come out of a hitting slump that, before Saturday’s game against Detroit, read .137 with 20 runs and 15 RBIs in a combined 75 major league games.

It’s a common story in baseball, and most often difficult to bounce back from.

“I think a big part of it is just knowing that you’re a good player, and there’s multiple ways to affect the game and help your team win,” Outman said Saturday after being recalled from Class AAA St. Paul to take the active roster spot of Alan Roden.

“You know, everybody wants to hit, and it’s frustrating when you don’t,” Outman said before starting in left field for his new team. “But it was just learning more about myself and learning that opportunities come and they go, and the important thing is to be ready to play every day.”

Outman, 28, is one of three outfielders acquired at the deadline, and now one of several players looking for enough good innings to show the Twins they can be part of a bright future.

Roden was getting that opportunity before he sprained his left thumb while sliding headfirst into home plate on Thursday. He was placed on the injured list Saturday and is scheduled to see a hand specialist.

Before he was hurt, Roden had been in the lineup every day since being acquired from Toronto. In 12 games primarily as the left fielder, he hit .158 with a double, a home run, 13 strikeouts and no walks.

Asked if Outman might get a similar chance to peddle his wares, manager Rocco Baldelli said, “I don’t make promises as far as at-bats and how much guys are going to play.”

But, the manager added, “He’s going to get opportunities to play, and to hopefully get into a good rhythm and show us some things he can do. I’d like to get to know the player a little bit, so that will be part of it, but whether it’s James or Austin or Trevor (Larnach), I’m not going to define just how much time these guys are each going to get, because there’s really no way to know the answer of that.”

In May 2023, Outman hit a grand slam in a 7-3 victory over Minnesota in Los Angeles. In his only previous series at Target Field, he went 4 for 11 with a pair of home runs and four RBIs as the Dodgers took 2 of 3 in April 2024.

“It was a good series,” he said. “I was happy about that one.”

Outman said the organization had him working on some things upon arrival with the Saints — they’re in Omaha this week — but added, “Nothing too crazy.”

Outman said the organization had him working on some things upon his arrival to the Saints — they’re in Omaha this week — but added, “Nothing too crazy.”

“Just kind of getting some more at-bats underneath my belt, I would say, and getting back into the swing of things, no pun intended,” he said. “I didn’t really have too many at-bats throughout July, so I think that was a big part of it, and just kind of, like, shaking off some of some of the rust.”

Baldelli said the Twins have some ideas about the outfielder’s swing, but added that it’s much more difficult to assess a position player from afar than a pitcher.

“It’s much easier to look at what a pitcher is doing, has been doing, and have a good idea of putting together a couple of bullet points for that guy to focus on, and then they can get down to the details,” Baldelli said. “For position players, it’s a reactionary thing. You’re always going to have (ideas), but the way it works is completely different.”

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Teens and young adult fans waited in line Saturday for a free meet and greet with “Love Island USA’s” TJ Palma at the Maplewood Mall.

“Love Island USA” is a reality dating show that follows a group of singles — called ‘islanders’ — at a luxury villa in Fiji. Over the summer, contestants pair up, compete in challenges and face recouplings, where they can choose new partners or stay with the same one. Those left single risk being dumped from the island, while the couples who survive move closer to winning both love and the grand prize of $100,000.

Palma, 23, is a social media personality and former college baseball player who lives in Tampa, Florida. He joined the show as a bombshell, a new contestant who enters the villa mid-season to stir up drama and test existing couples. He was eliminated a couple of weeks later after receiving the fewest votes from his fellow islanders.

Maplewood Mall manager George Roethemeyer said they bring in celebrities for meet-and-greets regularly, and Palma was invited because of the show’s popularity. Roethemeyer said he hopes attendees get to experience the mall when they come for a meet-and-greet.

“That’s why we do these events for free, so people can come in and see the mall, see what the mall has to offer and see that Maplewood Mall is a thriving mall and very much part of the community,” Roethemeyer said.

Fans greeted Palma with excitement, praising the show and his time on it while taking selfies, as he happily signed autographs.

Allison Hahm, 24, and Christly Sumihi, 23, fans who attended the event, said they got hooked on the show because of this season’s drama and learned about Palma’s meet-and-greet through a social media post. Hahm said she was surprised Palma held his meet-and-greet in Maplewood, while Sumihi said it was nice to see a cast member visit Minnesota.

“I think it’s really cool. It’s really interesting to have somebody from Love Island come to Minnesota. I was just happy to come and see him,” Sumihi said.

Hahm said she enjoyed watching the new twists this season, though she felt Palma’s on-screen personality didn’t fully match the humor he shares on social media. Sumihi said she liked the unfolding drama.

“It kinda felt like he was the balance to the chaos,” Hahm said. “Especially when he was still with Iris [Palma’s love interest and Season 7 cast member], they were just so calm and collected compared to the explosion of drama everywhere else in the villa.”

“It was most like the good part of the love story you want to see. The romance and the ‘falling-in-love’ part of reality TV,” Sumihi said.

Hahm said events like the meet-and-greet let fans experience a more realistic side of celebrities. She said that humanizing figures like Palma felt strange but not shocking.

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“It is reality TV, but it’s a screen and it kind of brings people back to the awareness that you’re meeting a person, just like you who’s been on these shows,” Hahm said.

Sumihi said fans often judge reality TV stars by what they see on screen, and events like this let people see different sides of them. “It’s just a TV show, things are edited. They’re a real person. So it’s about staying grounded,” she said.

Viewers can watch Love Island USA on Peacock and can watch the Season 7 reunion at 8 p.m. Aug. 25.

Gloria Ngwa is a summer 2025 reporting intern sponsored by the St. Paul Jaycees Foundation, in conjunction with ThreeSixty Journalism and the Minnesota Society of Professional Journalists. Ngwa is a sophomore studying journalism at Northwestern University, where she writes for her school’s HerCampus chapter.

Eastbound Interstate 94 between Interstate 35W and Minnesota Highway 280 in Minneapolis reopened Saturday while westbound lanes remain closed until 5 am. Monday. The closure is caused by a project restoring pavement markings, according to the Minnesota Department of Transportation.

Motorists are asked to use the posted detour route of I-35W, Minnesota Highway 36, I-35E and I-94.

By 5 a.m. on Monday, all lanes and ramps along this stretch of I-94 will reopen to traffic for the Minnesota State Fair through Labor Day (Sept. 1), except for the ramp from Huron Boulevard to eastbound I-94, which will reopen on Wednesday, Aug. 20.

Work will resume after Labor Day to finish most of the construction by the end of September. Motorists can expect periodic lane closures in spring 2026 when crews apply a deck sealant to the restored bridges.

When construction is completed, five bridges along I-94 will have a smoother and safer riding surface, MnDOT says.

A listing of current and upcoming traffic impacts can be found at dot.state.mn.us/metro/projects/i94minneapolis/.

MnDOT officials note that all construction activities and traffic impacts are weather-dependent and may change.

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