When Minnesota United supporters learned Friday their former in-house commentary team of Cal Williams and Kyndra de St. Aubin were reunited to broadcast Saturday’s Game 3, Loons fans planning to be in attendance at Allianz Field wished the match would be good enough to rewatch it on Apple TV once they got home.
Come Sunday, they can make some popcorn and get comfy on the couch to enjoy it as if it’s their favorite movie. MNUFC made an epic comeback in the MLS Cup Playoffs to beat Seattle Sounders 3-3 (7-6) in 10 rounds of penalty kicks and advance to the Western Conference semifinal.
The Loons celebrate Minnesota United defender Anthony Markanich (13) goal against the Seattle Sounders in the second half of a MLS first round playoff match at Allianz Field in St. Paul on Saturday, Nov. 8, 2025. The Loons beat Seattle 3-3 (7-6) in a shootout to advance the semi-final round. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)
Here are seven takeaways:
Pereyra’s magic ball
Down 2-0, Joaquín Pereyra’s 29-yard free kick goal in the 19th minute gave Minnesota reason to believe a comeback was possible.
The rollercoaster would have many more twists and turns, peaks and valleys, and Pereyra rode those highs and lows, too. His service on a corner kick led to Anthony Markanich’s go-ahead goal in the 71st minute. But in the first round of penalty kicks, the Argentine missed the frame wide right. He was aghast and needed teammates to console him
“I think it’s a match you don’t always get to experience; some people are never lucky enough to experience it,” Pereyra said. “We were fortunate enough to win. We’re very happy.”
Seeing red
While trailing 2-1 in the 41st minute, MNUFC’s win probability tanked after defender Joseph Rosales was issued a red card for “violent conduct” toward Seattle midfielder Jesús Ferreira.
Loons head coach Eric Ramsay said at halftime he was “as visibly angry and disappointed as I’ve been in the group on account of how we started the game.”
Captain Michael Boxall and Dayne St. Clair talked to players in the dressing room. “We didn’t really address the Joe situation,” St. Clair told the Pioneer Press. “But I think for us it was knowing that, regardless, we have to go back out there and go fight.”
In the locker room postgame, Ramsay said: “You think how I felt an hour ago here. To be where we are now, it is unbelievable. The credit you get for that: top.
Ramsay added: “It is probably the best night I’ve been a part of as a coach.”
Minnesota United Eric Ramsey thanks the fans after the Loons beat the Seattle Sounders in a MLS first round playoff match at Allianz Field in St. Paul on Saturday, Nov. 8, 2025. The Loons beat Seattle 3-3 (7-6) in a shootout to advance the semi-final round. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)
Assistant coach Dennis Lawrence gave his two cents, which included a message to Rosales. “Joe, don’t worry, you will learn. You’ve made a mistake. That’s life.”
Improbable PKs
Goals from Jefferson Diaz and Markanich gave Minnesota a 3-2 lead with 20 minutes left, but Jordan Morris made it 3-3 in the 88th. More than eight, nerve-wracking minutes of stoppage time were played before penalties.
With PKs tied 5-5, the next four players — two for each team — either missed PKs or had them saved. With seasons on the line, nerves appeared to be red-lining.
In the eight round, St. Clair made a save of Osaze de Rosario. In the 10th, the Loons goalie scored a penalty kick, while Sounders goalie Andrew Thomas put his shot off the crossbar.
St. Clair also came up huge in the 3-2 PK win in Game 1, and in two PK shootouts in last year’s first-round series win over Salt Lake.
As St. Clair talked to reporters, midfielder Wil Trapp walked past the scrum, shouting, “PayDayne candy bars!”
St. Clair is a pending free agent at the end of the seasons, and supporters in The Wondwall held a sign with new name for the peanut caramel treat: “PayDayne.”
Sounders summary
Postgame in the south end of Allianz Field, Sounders coach Brian Schmetzer ticked through the lethal moments that led Minnesota back into the game. Then he capped it.
“This is the toughest loss that I’ve experienced at this club,” said Schmetzer, who is in his 10th season leading the Sounders.
Seattle represents a gold standard in MLS, with Schmetzer taking them to four MLS Cup finals, winning two trophies in 2016 and ’19. They went to the FIFA World Cup in June, and in August, won Leagues Cup — a tournament for top teams from MLS and Mexico’s Liga MX.
“The standard at our club is games like this don’t happen, and we should have been moving on,” Schmetzer said. “That’s on me and us. We have to accept that.”
Old time’s sake
De St. Aubin and Williams on the Loons’ call was akin to one of your parents reading a bedtime story to your child self. That familiar pair was in the booth for nearly all United matches from when the club joined MLS in 2017 through 2022, when Apple TV started streaming MLS Season Pass. They didn’t do a single Loons game until Saturday.
“An ‘I was there’ type of game,” Williams wrote on Instagram. “Minnesota, you’re a very special place. I need a rest.”
Familiar Face
Former Loons striker Tani Oluwaseyi, who was sold to Villarreal in La Liga in August, joined a video call with his old teammates in the dressing room after the win. Oluwaseyi had stated a match earlier Saturday, and it was after midnight in Spain when his smiling face was seen on screen in Minnesota.
Back again
After all that memorable drama, the Loons will return to the Western Conference semifinal for a second-straight season. A year ago, L.A. Galaxy smoked Minnesota 6-2 and went on to win MLS Cup.
“We’ve got to capitalize on (Saturday),” Ramsay said. “And we have to make sure that what happened in the semifinal last year doesn’t happen again.”
