A perfect storm hit on a picturesque Saturday at Allianz Field.

Minnesota United supporters saw their team win while also witnessing a goal from one of the greatest players of all time in a 4-1 victory on a sunny early-summer day.

Lionel Messi’s goal — which won’t make any of his career highlight reels — gave Loons fans a thrill (and a scare) when he slotted in a shot to cut MNUFC’s lead to 2-1 in the 48th minute.

MNUFC (6-2-4, 22 points) went on to nullify the threat with two more goals and hand Miami (6-2-3, 21 points) only its second loss on the season.

Saturday’s sold-out crowd of 19,710, according to the club, fell short of the Allianz Field record of 19,954 for LAFC in July 2023. The crowd looked like a gender reveal party, with Minnesota’s baby blue vastly outnumbering pink Messi shirts.

Instead of Messi, two first-half goals came from unlikely sources: Minnesota’s wingbacks.

Bongi Hlongwane scored first with a tidy right-footed finish in the 32nd minute. Joaquín Pereyra and Carlos Harvey set up the South African for his first goal of 2025.

Then Anthony Markanich’s header made it 2-0 just before halftime. Michael Boxall’s long throw-in and Nicolas Romero’s flick-on header created the chance for Markanich to score in consecutive MLS games.

Messi got his goal for the thousands in the stands wearing his jersey. He had an easy finish in front of Jefferson Diaz in the 48th minute.

The pressure on Minnesota eased with an own goal from Marcelo Weigandt and a goal from Robin Lod that made it 4-1 in the 68th and 70th minutes.

Three tidbits

Miami, and especially Messi, missed striker Luis Suarez, who was absent for personal reasons Saturday. Suarez, who first played with Messi at Barcelona, has been tied for the MLS lead with six assists.  … A handful of Minnesota’s star athletes turned out to see Messi in Minnesota, including the Vikings’ Justin Jefferson, Aaron Jones and Jordan Addison, the Wild’s Kirill Kaprizov and Mats Zuccarello, and Taylor Heise from the Frost. … The Wonderwall’s pre-match tifo banner took a shot at the elitism perceived at Inter Miami with the message: “History over hype. Culture over cash.”

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Julius Randle was a bit of a mess to open the second half of Game 2 against Golden State on Thursday in Minneapolis. The forward committed two turnovers, missed a 3-point attempt and failed to get back in transition in a three-plus minute stretch that helped the Warriors get back into the game.

Timberwolves coach Chris Finch gave Randle a quick hook, sending the forward to the bench for the next two minutes of action, much to Randle’s dismay — which was evident in the veteran’s body language.

“I just had to get that out. I had to get that out. For me, (it was) like being frustrated,” Randle said. “Obviously, (Finch) was frustrated to start the quarter, myself personally, with two turnovers and whatever was going on with our team. Me being a competitor, I want to stay out there, and right the ship. But it didn’t necessarily go like that.

“I was a little hot, but for me personally, that’s just another way he challenges me.”

Finch said he just wanted Randle to “settle down and play.” The time on the bench was brief. Randle spent it thinking about how he wanted to channel his frustrations into something positive for the Wolves, and it exactly what occurred.

Randle came back in and took over the contest, tallying six assists over the final six-plus minutes of the quarter to help Minnesota gain a 20-point advantage by frame’s end in a a runaway victory to square up the series.

“Give him a minute to think about things, regroup,” Finch said. “And he came back in and was awesome.”

It was another proper button pushed by the man at the controls. Fans often belabor Finch’s usage of timeouts, or lack thereof, but there is little to question re: his player management.

Finch publicly called out Anthony Edwards’ approach after Minnesota’s Game 1 loss to open the series.

“You’re the leader of the team. You’ve got to come out and set the tone,” Finch said. “If your shot is not going, you still have to carry the energy. If I’ve got to talk to guys about having the right energy coming into an opening, second-round game, then we’re not on the same page.”

That quote caught the eyes of national onlookers, but it’s consistent with the tone Finch has set within the organization since his arrival in 2021. No one is immune to his criticism if the coach doesn’t feel the players are meeting the standard, from Edwards on down. Mike Conley noted Finch “challenges every single guy” in film sessions.

“Nobody’s exempt from that,” Conley said. “Guys respond.”

For evidence, look no further than Minnesota’s playoff performances this spring. The Wolves have delivered two stinkers, in Game 2 against the Lakers and in Game 1 of the conference semifinals last Tuesday. Each loss has been followed by significantly better basketball.

After getting rolled by the Warriors — without leader Stephen Curry for most of the game — Finch “cussed us out pretty well. He was unhappy, and he let us know he was unhappy, and we felt that,” Randle said after Thursday’s Game 2 victory,

“We were pretty motivated as a team,” he said Thursday. “The thing I like about Finch is personally, for myself, he can coach me hard. I might not like it in the moment or whatever it is, but I love that he can challenge me like that. Other day we’re in the film room, he challenged me multiple times on things that he saw from an effort standpoint.

“I wanted to make a point to come out and play with a high amount of energy, a high amount of effort, and respond to that challenge, not really necessarily take it personally.”

That stems from the relationships Finch makes sure to build with his players. Randle can be called out by Finch when he errs because he knows that, ultimately, his coach has his back. No one praised Randle more profusely, unprompted, for his performance in the first-round series against the Lakers than Finch.

“Another guy who’s had a lot of unfair criticism in his career, and he was outstanding on both ends of the floor,” Finch said after Minnesota’s series-clinching victory. “We don’t win this series without him.”

That didn’t go unnoticed by Randle.

“That’s my guy,” Randle said. “I told y’all from the very beginning when I got traded here. Obviously, new team, new teammates, but the No. 1 thing I was excited for was being able to come back and play for Finch. It’s been everything and more, just his trust and belief in me, the ability to adjust throughout the season.

“We don’t necessarily have the prototypical roster or whatever, but he finds a way to put everybody in positions of strength. His ability to do that and trust me throughout the year is huge. I’ve had a great time playing for him.”

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The disappointment of not being selected in the 2025 NFL draft didn’t last long for former Gophers quarterback Max Brosmer.

As much as he would’ve loved to hear his name called last month, Brosmer suddenly had some options that he wouldn’t have had otherwise.

There was a large part of him that was hoping to stay in Minnesota after taking a predraft visit with the Vikings. So when it came to where he was going to sign as an undrafted free agent, it was a pretty easy decision for him.

“We talk about people making organizations,” Brosmer said. “The people here make this organization special.”

Those comments from Brosmer came on Friday afternoon at TCO Performance Center after he wrapped up practice.

The arm talent that allowed Brosmer to complete 268 of 403 passes for 2,828 yards and 18 touchdowns last season with the Gophers was on display as he took the field for the first time with the Vikings.

There were highs and lows from Brosmer across roughly 90 minutes of action, including some perfectly placed throws along the sideline, as well as a couple of interceptions that he’d like to have back.

All the while, Brosmer appreciated getting to learn from head coach Kevin O’Connell, quarterbacks coach Josh McCown, and assistant quarterbacks coach Jordan Traylor.

“Every time we had a positive play or a negative play it was always, like, ‘Hey let’s talk about it for a second,’” Brosmer said. “I didn’t realize there were screens out here replaying the play right away, so I was, like, ‘That’s awesome.’ I’m always looking forward to going back to the film room and watching it. Now I get to watch it in real time.”

Asked about the process that led him to this point, Brosmer smiled, saying, “It’s been absolutely insane.” He added that he couldn’t be happier with how it all worked out for him, saying, “I look at it like things are supposed to happen for a reason.”

That’s the prism through which Brosmer has always tried to look at his path.

There’s a reason his family moved from Davenport, Iowa to Roswell, Georgia when he was a teenager. There’s a reason he committed to New Hampshire despite not knowing much about the area at the time. There’s a reason he ended up transferring to the Gophers after proving himself at the FCS level.

How about now?

“There’s a reason I’m here,” Brosmer said. “It all unfolded the way it should.”

It isn’t lost on Brosmer that it will be an uphill climb for him to stick with the Vikings as an undrafted free agent.

That said, Brosmer is grateful for the opportunity, and he’s excited to get to work with a position group that includes presumed starting quarterback J.J. McCarthy, presumed backup quarterback Sam Howell, and reserve quarterback Brett Rypien.

“The people are absolutely incredible,” Brosmer said. “I can’t wait to find out what my journey looks like along my path here.”

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Krystal Sieben took her children to a horse ranch and watched as her 8-year-old son with autism, racked with fear, was on the verge of tears.

He sat on a bench and a pony came and rested its head near him. Sieben’s son reached over to pet the pony and the two had a moment, she said.

“I think he (the horse) picked up on how he was feeling,” Sieben said. “In that moment, I was like, ‘Geez, what if I didn’t have access to a barn like this?’”

After her initial ranch visits with her children in 2019, Sieben, a middle school teacher from Stillwater, decided she wanted to change career paths. In 2022, she started the nonprofit Three Little Burdes, connecting people with horses and fostering special moments between them.

Three Little Burdes has three horses and three locations in Stillwater, Hugo and Hudson, Wis. Each visit is free and open to people of all ages and abilities. As a parent of a neurodivergent child, Sieben advocates especially for other children and people with disabilities to experience the calming nature of horses.

“When my oldest son was going through his autism diagnosis, it just felt really lonely, and being around the horses helped me,” Sieben said.

Sieben, a mother of three, describes her now 12-year-old son as “the most delightful light you’ll ever know.” But navigating his autism diagnosis did come with challenges, Sieben said. The outside world had not always been accommodating and understanding of his differences, which made it hard to feel like her family fit in many places, she said.

No matter who you are, what a person’s going through or how they process emotions, the horses remain calm, Sieben said. They are always welcoming and the space became especially comforting to her as a parent to a neurodivergent child and to her son who felt calm and joyful around the horses.

“When I was struggling with all those things and feeling like I didn’t really know where to be, being out here (at the ranch) really helped,” Sieben said. “I would love to give other people that chance because maybe they haven’t thought of it or heard of it.”

Started with riding lessons

Declan Hague, 11, feeds hay to Sunflower, a 21-year-old pony, as Krystal Sieben watches. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)

Sieben initially brought her daughter to a horse ranch to take riding lessons. Her family does not come from an equestrian background and she didn’t expect to fall in love with the horses herself.

“Sometimes when you think horses, I picture a fancy girl, and it’s kind of intimidating to get into it,” she said.

Sieben said she often associated horses with wealth and privilege. Spending a lot of time with them and having her own horses felt inaccessible. She said if someone told her five years ago that she’d leave teaching to spend her time with horses, she would have never believed them.

“It’s like a dream come true,” Sieben said.

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The horses calmed her during a time when she needed it most, which led her to buy her first pony, named Bigfoot, a 30-year-old horse who has since passed. She and all three of her children loved being around the horses and, after witnessing the special moment between Bigfoot and her son, Sieben said she knew the experience needed to be more widely accessible.

“Whether it’s spending time with a horse or going on to take riding lessons, just being around them is so healing,” Sieben said. “You’ll feel good after you leave.”

A study conducted by the HeartMath Institute shows that horses’ heart rates sync with human heart rates, which can have an impact on both parties’ emotional state. This happens because horses are used to being in a herd and the herd leader will often calm the other horses this way, Sieben said.

“If you spend time with a horse, your cortisol goes down and your resting heart rate will go down,” she said. “It helps with anxiety, depression and all the things.”

Free visits

A visit with Three Little Burdes can look many ways and there are no expectations, Sieben said.

While families and children are Sieben’s most frequent visitors, all ages are welcome to participate. Each visit is 45 minutes to an hour long. During that time, horses can be taken for a walk, petted or given a makeover that includes glittery hoof polish and tail braiding. Some people simply stand or sit in the presence of the horse to experience a sense of peace.

“A lot of people go longer and that’s fine,” Sieben said. “Some kids have a really hard time leaving.”

Sieben has a horse at each ranch that she partners with. Syver, her baby horse gelding, lives at Morningstar Farm in Stillwater; pony mare Sunflower lives at Pine Meadow Farm in Hudson; and her adult gelding, Cougaroo, who is a former riding champion, lives at Woodloch Stable in Hugo.

If Sieben had a horse stable of her own, she’d house all of the horses herself, but her family already has too many animals at home and she said she’s grateful that each of the ranches supports her mission. Some have even donated horses to her, like Cougaroo from Woodloch Stables.

Each visit is tailored to the person’s needs and horses are paired accordingly. If families are worried their child may have a meltdown, Sieben’s not judging, she said; they can always try again.

“I want it to be really low risk, high reward, confidence-building, and something that families can do together,” Sieben said.

Sieben is also a professional photographer and visitors are given free photos after every visit. People appreciate being photographed with the horses and some even come dressed up, she said.

“My friends and their kids always used to love holding onto the pictures after,” Sieben said. “That’s why I gift them, so people can remember the feeling they had when they were with the horse.”

Three Little Burdes?

The name for Three Little Burdes takes inspiration from three of Sieben’s loves: Bob Marley, her children and her stepdad.

Teddy Sieben, 12, climbs over the gate as his friend, Declan Hague, 11, waits his turn. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)

Bob Marley’s song “Three Little Birds” has represented comfort and hope in her life, and as a mother of three children she loves dearly, Sieben said her kids are her three little birds. Sieben’s stepdad’s name is Mike Burdette and his family has meant so much in her life, she said. As Sieben and her children don’t carry the last name, Three Little Burdes is spelled uniquely in homage to the wonderful person her stepdad is, Sieben said.

After spending time with the horses, Sieben said visitors often become inspired to take up lessons – which she does not provide, but the ranches she partners with do – and others discover new career paths. Once during a visit, a masseuse told Sieben that her life might have been changed because she began to consider a career in equine massage, which Sieben says is a real thing.

“I love being a positive introduction,” Sieben said.

Sieben said her hope is that city folk will come visit her horses. She said she wants people of all backgrounds and walks of life, especially those who don’t typically have access to horses, to spend time with them for free and see how life-changing it can be, as it has been for her and her children.

Funding for the nonprofit comes from donations and out of her own pocket, Sieben said. The nonprofit has received the most donations during Give to the Max Day, which go toward horse care, according to Sieben. She does not get paid for the work and instead volunteers her time to care for her horses. She pays for vet visits, lots of treats and for the horses to be trained regularly so that they’re calm, friendly and able to comfort people the way they do.

“We just bought a horse and I just started doing it,” Sieben said.

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Three Little Burdes

What: Nonprofit that connects people of all ages and abilities to horses.

Where: Woodloch Stable, 5676 170th St. N. in Hugo; Morningstar Farm, 12490 Norell Ave. N. in Stillwater; and Pine Meadow Farm, 1181 Trout Brook Road N., Hudson, Wis.

How: Free visits can be scheduled through Instagram at instagram.com/three_little_burdes. For more information, visit threelittleburdes.org.

Donations: Those interested in donating can visit www.givemn.org/story/022qxf.