The onus is on Minnesota United to show it hasn’t peaked for 2025.

The Loons were flying high after a 3-1 away win against frontrunner San Diego FC on Sept. 13, but then suffered the misery of losing the U.S. Open Cup semifinal 2-1 to Austin FC four days later, conceding a goal in the final minute.

Before that prime opportunity to win the club’s first trophy, MNUFC had transferred its best forward, Tani Oluwaseyi, to Villarreal in Spain for a club-record $9 million transfer fee in late August. And in that Open Cup loss, the Loons’ No. 2 striker Kelvin Yeboah suffered a hamstring injury.

Since then, MNUFC has one win in four matches going into their MLS Cup Playoffs first-round series against Seattle Sounders. Game 1 in the best-of-three is set for 8 p.m. Monday at Allianz Field.

“We had this high after San Diego, where, ‘Wow, we just beat the best team in the league — the best team in our conference. We’re three points away from (them),’ ” Loons midfielder Wil Trapp recalled to the Pioneer Press. “Then we have a (Cup) semifinal to potentially win and host the final (in St. Paul). And then when that kind of fell flat …”

The Loons were outplayed by then-last place L.A. Galaxy in a 2-1 loss in the regular-season finale, and head coach Eric Ramsay was asked if his team was going in the wrong direction headed into the postseason,

“You guys know the circumstances that we are working with at the moment,” Ramsay told reporters. “We look very different as a team from the perspective of what we have available at the top of the pitch. You would be hard pushed to find a team that would deal with losing its two No. 9s at a crucial point in the season and comfortably waltz through the rest of the season.

“We are a team that, unfortunately at this point in the season, is transitioning to an extent, and we’ve got to make sure that we find some solutions to the problems that we’ve got.”

Yeboah returned against the Galaxy, subbing on for the final 13 minutes. He had one touch in that stint and his fitness lagged. Without Oluwaseyi and Yeboah, the Loons have used Robin Lod, Joaquín Pereyra and Bongi Hlongwane. Pereyra has scored twice, but the others haven’t scored at all.

“You can’t overstate the fact that we kind of built this thing around Tani and Kelvin from the beginning,” Trapp said. “When those guys are not in there, it’s just different. That’s not saying that Joaquin and Rob in the past couple games haven’t been good. It’s just different.”

Trapp noticed a shift in Ramsay’s approach after the Open Cup loss. The first-time head coach usually conveys to his team in broad themes boiled down to a very concise, to-the-point message.

“I don’t want to say emotionless, but it’s specific,” Trapp explained. “Then, I think, at the Austin game, he was frustrated in the way we conceded the goals (and) you start to see that emotion — in a good way.”

Ramsay was “more targeted” in his criticisms. He was the same way postgame with reporters, in particular toward wingback Joseph Rosales allowing a runner in behind on Austin’s winning goal.

“We have to deal with that run off Joe’s shoulder better,” Ramsay said postgame. “It’s something that is very basic to the way that we defend. It’s something we talk about a lot. At that stage of the game, it’s a case of one player running more than another player and obviously at that stage of the game, that can’t happen.

“That is a case of us really letting ourselves down as a collective after what an effort it is to get to that point in the game. So, that will really hurt Joe. It will hurt the group. It’ll hurt us as staff. But we’ve got to get on with it.”

The Loons have home-field advantage against Seattle, but the seasoned Sounders will be hard to dispatch. In late August, Seattle won the Leagues Cup, going unbeaten against three teams from Mexico’s Liga MX and topping Lionel Messi and Inter Miami in the final in late August.

Coming out of the Open Cup semifinal, the Loons needed to rotate their squad after four players went the distance in 120-minute shifts, so there was a distinct reason for the ensuing 3-0 loss to Chicago. MNUFC then had a 1-1 draw against Colorado, followed by a 3-0 win over last-place Kansas City and the Galaxy defeat.

“They’re bright enough as a group of players to sort of know a lot of context wrapping around a couple of the defeats,” Ramsay said. “It’s a level-headed-enough group to sort of see it in the way that a coach would see it.”

The Loons have been, at best, treading water over the past month, and the veteran Trapp knows no one is going to throw them a life preserver.

“No one feels sorry for you,” he said. “No one feels sorry for this team.”

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AIRPORTS

Rick King

The Metropolitan Airports Commission announced the planned retirement of Chair Rick King. MAC Vice Chair Patti Gartland will assume interim leadership of the 15-member board on Nov. 21 and will serve in that role until Minnesota’s governor appoints a permanent successor. The commission oversees the operations of the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport and six general aviation airports in the Twin Cities. King’s MAC service began in 2007. He was appointed chair the MAC board in 2019.

ARCHITECTURE/ENGINEERING

Architecture Advantage, St. Paul, announced the retirement of Lee Tollefson, effective Oct. 8, after a 55-year career. … Minneapolis architectural firm Alliiance announced if has been named the 2025 American Institute of Architects Minnesota Firm Award recipient.

EDUCATION

Herzing University, a Milwaukee-based private career-focused institution, announced its 60 years in business and the 25th anniversary of its Minnesota campus, currently located in St. Louis Park.

FINANCIAL SERVICES

Veridian Credit Union announced the relocation of its Eden Prairie branch to 8280 Flying Cloud Drive. Tom Fleck is regional manager.

HEALTH CARE

The Epilepsy Foundation of America announced the board appointment of Dr. Anna Milz, a board-certified pediatrician and vice president of Medical Practice-Primary Care at M Health Fairview at the University of Minnesota.

HONORS

Minnesota Valley Transit Authority, Burnsville, announced it was honored with the Management Innovation Award by the Minnesota Public Transit Association, recognizing the agency’s deployment of five battery electric buses.

LAW

Fredrikson, Minneapolis, announced that attorney Schuyler L.M. Pals has joined the firm’s Bankruptcy, Restructuring & Workouts Group in the Minneapolis office. Prior to joining Fredrikson, Pals was with Heidman Law Firm in Sioux City, Iowa, and has held two judicial clerkships including for the Iowa Fifth District Court. … Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services, St. Paul, announced the appointment of Micaela Schuneman as chief executive officer, effective Oct. 13. Schuneman previously served as deputy director of Mid Minnesota Legal Aid and most recently as senior director of Immigration and Refugee Services at International Institute of Minnesota. She succeeds Jessie R. Nicholson, who is retiring after 40 years of service.

MANUFACTURING

Protolabs, a Maple Plain-based maker of 3D-printed components for businesses, announced Marc Kermisch as chief technology and AI officer, effective Oct. 13. He succeeds Oleg Ryaboy. Kermisch most recently served in a similar role for Emergent Software and was global chief digital and information officer at Case New Holland. … Niron Magnetics, a Minneapolis developer of rare earth-free permanent magnets for industry, announced the appointment of Shyamli Mohamed as chief financial officer. Mohamed most recently served as chief financial officer at Eavor Technologies, a geothermal startup.

NONPROFITS

The Sheltering Arms Foundation, a children-focused support organization of the Episcopal Church of Minnesota, announced the following additions to its board of trustees: Katherine Madsen of St. Paul; Elizabeth Olson, Minneapolis, and Suzanne Lamb Steinhauer of St. Paul. The foundation’s newly elected board president for2025-2026 is Heidi J. Kim, Minneapolis, who serves on the Episcopal Church executive council.

OPENINGS

The Shoppes at Arbor Lakes in Maple Grove announced that L.L.Bean, an outdoor-lifestyle apparel brand, will open a 17,000 square foot store in the summer of 2026.

PHILANTHROPY

Hormel Foods, an Austin, Minn.-based maker of grocery-store branded prepared meats and other food products, announced its Hunger Action Month campaign provided a $10,000 donation to each of its production facilities in the U.S. to benefit hunger-relief organizations in their local communities. In September, Hormel Foods provided monetary donations to 46 organizations across the U.S.

SERVICES

American Rug Laundry, a carpet cleaning service, announced its planned relocation to the Mac-Groveland neighborhood in St. Paul from its current location on East Lake Street in Minneapolis. The move is expected to be complete by the end of 2025.

WISCONSIN

The Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority announced the appointment of Jodi Jean Amble as director of marketing and communications. Amble joins WHEDA after eight years at RENEW Wisconsin, where she most recently served as interim executive director.

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IOWA CITY, Iowa — There are long bus rides after tough losses, then there was the 303-mile slog the Gophers faced from Kinnick Stadium to the U’s practice facility in Minneapolis on Saturday night.

After the 41-3 loss to Iowa, the Minnesota football team had plenty of time to stew, reflect and even watch film on a group of coach busses convoying north without the company of the Floyd of Rosedale trophy.

Minnesota head coach P.J. Fleck, left, greets Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz before an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025, in Iowa City, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Before the rivalry game, Gophers athletics director Mark Coyle talked about the chance to bring Floyd by his 87-year-old mom’s place in Waterloo, Iowa, during their trip back to Minnesota. When Coyle visited his mom before the game, she told him, “Kick their blank,” a message Coyle relayed on the KFAN pregame show while stripping out more colorful language.

Instead, the Gophers were just about blanked themselves, held to three meaningless second-half points. Iowa marched down the field on its opening drive and never looked back, galivanting their way to a 31-0 lead early in the second quarter.

Coyle has talked about Fleck’s team becoming a “tough out” in his ninth season at the helm, but in baseball terms, the Gophers had two strikes against them before they got a bat of their shoulder. On strike three, Minnesota swung late as another fastball smacked into the catcher’s mitt.

Since coming to Minnesota in 2017, Fleck is 1-8 against Iowa.

“As bad as this hurts and stings, we’ve got a four-hour bus ride for it to sting and hurt,” Fleck said in his postgame news conference. “It should. That’s not punishment. But you’re all competitors. You put a week’s work in, and half the teams in the country put all that work in, just like Iowa put in, and half of them lost, and half of them won — and we’ve got four hours on a bus ride home to really let that seep in and understand exactly why and make those corrections.”

When the Gophers rewatch the game, they will see Hawkeyes star punt returner Kaden Wetjen mocking the Gophers’ Row the Boat mantra in his celebration after his 50-yard touchdown return.

After success against Nebraska last week, the Gophers’ running game was again stuck in the mud. They rushed 25 times for 24 yards, while top tailback Darius Taylor left with an injury in the first half.

Gophers quarterback Drake Lindsey threw a career-high three interceptions. The first one Iowa returned for a touchdown, and the third gave Iowa the ball at the Gophers’ 21-yard line, setting up a touchdown.

Lindsey, a redshirt freshman, said he was going to rewatch the game once he got on the bus.

“Once I got out there, you could tell their guys are executing the scheme at the highest level,” he said. “I’ve just got to see it, react better and just play better.”

The Gophers’ defense didn’t give up a ton of total yards (274), but gave up 17 points on the opening three drives. Minnesota had a program-record nine sacks against Nebraska but managed only two against Iowa.

Anthony Smith, the Big Ten leader in sacks (seven) was held without one on Saturday. He said he wasn’t going to stew on the loss on the bus ride home and start dissecting the blowout.

“Something like this for me, I definitely want to dive back into it and see what happened,” the junior defensive lineman said. “I can only see so much from playing in the trenches. So, seeing what I can do better is definitely big for me.”

The Gophers were set to spend Sunday officially reviewing the game in the Larson Football Performance Center, then will try to turn the page to its home game against Michigan State on Saturday.

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By Queenie Wong, Los Angeles Times

Millions of people already use the Life360 app to track the location of their family members and loved ones.

Now the California tech company behind the popular family safety app is hoping people will use a new gadget and their location-tracking services to keep tabs on their pets.

On Wednesday, Life360 unveiled a new tracking device people can attach to their pet’s collar. The product, called Life360 Pet GPS, uses cellular, GPS, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth technology so people can accurately pinpoint where their furry friends are.

The device works with the Life360 app so people can track their pets on a digital map, set up alerts if the pet strays outside set boundaries, provide emergency contact information for pets and notify other members if their dog or cat gets lost.

First released in 2008, Life360 became a popular app for people to track the location of their kids, grandparents and other family members. The company, founded in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina when people were trying to locate and stay connected to loved ones, has added more services such as roadside assistance and identity theft protection.

The release of the pet tracker shows how location sharing is becoming more common even amid concerns about privacy and stalking.

Pet trackers can cost hundreds of dollars, so some pet owners have tried Apple AirTags or similar products as cheaper alternatives. However, using some products can be risky because dogs sometimes swallow AirTags, and the locations aren’t always up to date.

Life360 said the tracker will cost roughly $50 but there will be a discount as part of an introductory offer.

New or existing Life360 Gold or Platinum members will be able to buy the Pet GPS tracker for $3.60 for a limited time. The San Mateo-based company will also waive the activation fee, which is usually around $80, for the first tracker added to a private group known as a “Circle” on the app.

Life360 said its new tracker is resistant to water, dust and biting.

The device includes a battery that lasts up to 14 days and will enter a “Bluetooth Reserve Mode,” making it possible for people to locate their pets for up to six months. The pet tracker comes in colors such as pink, navy and black and is being released in the U.S., U.K., Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

Lauren Antonoff, chief executive at Life360, said in a statement that the company aims to make it easier for people to bring home their pets safely.

“Traditional safety measures like microchips require a vet or shelter visit and often have missing or outdated info, and all-purpose Bluetooth trackers can struggle to locate pets on the move, especially in remote areas,” she said in a statement.

The pet tracker gives Life360 another stream of revenue.

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More than 55 million Life360 members own pets, the company said. The company owns Tile, trackers people attach to their keys, wallets, bikes and other objects, along with Jiobit, which also sells a pet tracker.

Life360 has a free version of its app and some users pay a monthly subscription fee for additional features, including family driving summary, roadside assistance and travel support.

The company primarily generates revenue from the sale of subscriptions and tracking devices. Some of Life360’s revenue has come from selling aggregated non-personally identifiable information to partners and third-party products and services, according to its annual report.

As of June 30, Life360 has roughly 88 million monthly active users across more than 180 countries.

Life360 said in August that its second-quarter revenue reached $115.4 million, up 36% from the same period last year. Its net income during that quarter was around $7 million.

©2025 Los Angeles Times. Visit at latimes.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.