Minnesota United will not win the quadruple in 2025.

After a strong six-plus months to start the year, the Loons were eliminated from Leagues Cup with a 2-0 loss to Atletico de San Luis on Wednesday at Allianz Field.

MNUFC finished with four points in Phase One of the tournament with clubs from Mexico’s Liga MX, well short of what was required to be among the top four MLS teams to advance to the quarterfinals. They will be part of the 14 MLS clubs left out of the next round.

This year, United’s smaller roster size was stretching itself to try to compete in multiple competitions and will now get a chance to regroup and recenter its focus, with the MLS Supporters Shield, MLS Cup Playoffs and U.S. Open Cup still obtainable this year.

On Wednesday, MNUFC conceded a header goal off a corner kick in the final moments of Wednesday’s first half. The score from Joao Pedro was very similar to the one the Loons gave up in stoppage time to drop points in the 3-3 draw with Club America on Saturday.

The Loons set-piece defending was a culprit in being bounced out of the North American tournament.

San Luis sat back defensively and challenged Minnesota to break them down. This strategy was a winning one for Los Angeles FC in MLS play three weeks ago, and others are turning to that strategy.

MNUFC had scoring chances, but didn’t get a shot on target until the 76th minute, when Anthony Markanich’s header was denied by goalkeeper Andres Sanchez.

With Minnesota pushing for an equalizer, San Luis sub Sebastian Perez-Bouquet scored the second goal in the 90th minute.

Minnesota had a dream start to its Leagues Cup play with a runaway 4-1 win over Queretaro last Wednesday, but squandered three leads to America that made it much more difficult for the Loons to advance with only four points through two matches.

Training 1-0 at the half and needing a big second half, Loons head coach Eric Ramsay brought in Tani Oluwaseyi to join Kelvin Yeboah at forward as well as Bongi Hlongwane and Anthony Markanich. Ramsay usually likes to make these moves at halftime but surprisingly waited until the 54th minute.

With three games in eight days, Ramsay tried to be strategic in trying to keep his team fresh, while putting a team on the field strong enough to win. He didn’t put out his strongest lineup and that group couldn’t punch up on Wednesday.

San Luis was eliminated from the next round before the match due to a 4-0 loss to Portland last week and a 2-2 draw with Salt Lake last weekend, but their doomed fate didn’t diminish their ability to get a win on the road.

Briefly

The Loons’ unbeaten streak against Liga MX sides in Leagues Cup was snapped at five since 2023. … MNUFC called up rookie forward Luke Hille for his fourth short-term loan. The University of North Carolina product made his MLS debut at St. Louis on July 26. … The Gophers football team watched the Loons on Wednesday, taking a break from preseason camp.

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By JACK BROOK and LISA BAUMANN, Associated Press

United Airlines flights on major routes were grounded Wednesday because of a technology issue, and additional flight delays were expected into the evening, the airline said.

An alert on the Federal Aviation Administration website said all United flights destined for Chicago were halted at their departing airports. The agency said Denver, Newark, Houston and San Francisco airports were also impacted by halted flights.

“Safety is our top priority, and we’ll work with our customers to get them to their destinations,” an emailed statement from the Chicago based-airline said without disclosing the specifics of the problem.

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An AP journalist had boarded a United plane at the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport for a trip to Houston when flight attendants announced a “systemwide” problem had grounded flights. They then sent passengers back to the terminal.

Another traveler, Johan Kotze, was at the New Orleans airport to begin a journey to the Indian Ocean island nation of Mauritius for vacation. Getting caught up in flight delays for him likely meant he would miss connecting flights along the way and would have to rebook not only the flights but a car and accommodations as well.

“It’s not very nice,” he said of the experience.

United Airlines apologized on social media to upset customers who were facing delays and hours sitting in planes on runways.

“Hey there, we apologize for the travel disruption today,” the airline told a customer on the social platform X. “Our teams are working to resolve the outage as quickly as possible. Thank you for your patience.”

By FATIMA HUSSEIN

WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States is auctioning off the $325 million yacht Amadea, its first sale of a seized Russian luxury ship since the start of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.

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The auction, which closes Sept. 10, comes as President Donald Trump seeks to increase pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the war. The U.S. has said it’s working with allies to put pressure on Russian oligarchs, some of whom are close to Putin and have had their yachts seized, to try to compel him to stop the war.

The 348-foot-long yacht, seized three years ago and currently docked in San Diego, was custom built by the German company Lürssen in 2017. Designed by François Zuretti, the yacht features an interior with extensive marble work, eight state rooms, a beauty salon, a spa, a gym, a helipad, a swimming pool and an elevator. It accommodates 16 guests and 36 crew members.

Determining the real ownership of the Amadea has been an issue of contention because of an opaque trail of trusts and shell companies. The yacht is registered in the Cayman Islands and is owned by Millemarin Investments Ltd., also based in the Cayman Islands.

The U.S. contends that Suleiman Kerimov, an economist and former Russian politician, who was sanctioned by the U.S. in 2018 for alleged money laundering, owns the yacht. Meanwhile, Eduard Khudainatov, a former chairman and chief executive of the state-controlled Russian oil and gas company Rosneft, who has not been sanctioned, claims to own it.

U.S. prosecutors say Khudainatov is a straw owner of the yacht, intended to conceal the yacht’s true owner, Kerimov. Litigation over the true ownership of the yacht is ongoing.

A representative of Khudainatov said in an emailed statement Wednesday that the planned sale of the yacht is “improper and premature” since Khudainatov is appealing a forfeiture ruling.

“We doubt it will attract any rational buyer at fair market price, because ownership can, and will, be challenged in courts outside the United States, exposing purchasers to years of costly, uncertain litigation,” said the representative, Adam Ford.

The yacht has been virtually untouched since the National Maritime Services took custody of it in 2022. To submit a sealed bid on it, bidders must put in a 10 million euro deposit, the equivalent of roughly $11.6 million, to be considered.

Ford said Khudainatov would go after any proceeds from the sale of the yacht, estimated to be worth $325 million.

“Should the government press ahead simply to staunch the mounting costs it is imposing on the American taxpayer, we will pursue the sale proceeds, and any shortfall from fair market value, once we prevail in court,” Ford said.

A U.S. aid package for Ukraine signed into law in May 2024 gave the U.S. the ability to seize Russian state assets located in the U.S. and use them for the benefit of Kyiv, which was attacked by Russia in February 2022.

By KAREL JANICEK

DVUR KRALOVE, Czech Republic (AP) — Four Barbary lion cubs were born recently in a Czech zoo, a vital contribution for a small surviving population of the rare lion that is extinct in the wild.

The three females and one male were seen playing in their outdoor enclosure at Dvůr Králové Safari Park on Wednesday, enjoying themselves under the watchful eyes of their parents, Khalila and Bart.

That will change soon. As part of an international endangered species program that coordinates efforts for their survival in captivity, the cubs will be sent to other participating parks, including the Beersheba zoo in Israel.

Chances are that might not be the end of the story for the animal.

Dvůr Králové Deputy Director Jaroslav Hyjánek said that while preliminary steps have been taken for a possible reintroduction of the Barbary lion into its natural habitat, it’s still a “far distant future.”

The majestic member of the Northern lion subspecies, the Barbary lion once roamed freely its native northern Africa, including the Atlas Mountains.

A symbol of strength, they were almost completely wiped out due to human activities. Many were killed by gladiators in Roman times, while overhunting and a loss of habitat contributed to their extinction later.

The last known photo of a wild lion was taken in 1925, while the last individual was killed in 1942.

It’s believed the last small populations went extinct in the wild in the middle of the 1960s.

Fewer than 200 Barbary lions are currently estimated to live in captivity.

Hyjánek said that after initial talks with Moroccan authorities, who have not rejected the idea of their reintroduction, a conference of experts has been planned to take place in Morocco late this year or early 2026 to decide whether it would make sense to go ahead with such a plan in one of the national parks in the Atlas Mountains.

Any reintroduction would face numerous bureaucratic and other obstacles. Since the lion has not been present in the environment for such a long time, the plans would have to ensure their protection, a sufficient prey population and cooperation and approval from local communities.

Hyjánek said such a move is still worth trying if it turns out to be sustainable.

“It’s important to have such a vision for any animal, “ he said. “Without it, the existence of zoos wouldn’t make sense.”