Minnesota United again gives up too much after halftime, falls 2-1 to St. Louis City

On Wednesday, Minnesota United conceded three unanswered second-half goals and lost 4-3 at the L.A. Galaxy with the playoffs on the line.

On Saturday, St. Louis City scored two times after halftime — and after the Loons scored on a 48th-minute penalty kick — in a 2-1 United loss played in a driving rain before a full house at Allianz Field.

The Loons lost their third game in eight days, giving up second-half leads in each of the past two after they constructed a seven-game unbeaten streak before that.

They fell to 3-4-8 at Allianz Field, their formerly formidable home where they now can't seem to win or often hold onto a lead.

"Sounds like a broken record," Loons coach Adrian Heath said. "I feel like I keep coming in here and saying that."

His team slipped another slot below the playoff line in the Western Conference, where nine teams will make it next month.

The Loons have four regular-season games left: home games against San Jose and LA Galaxy and at Los Angeles FC before "Decision Day" against Sporting Kansas City.

On Saturday, they played without star midfielder Emanuel Reynoso, who sat out because of a thigh injury, and Joseph Rosales, expected out for what Heath calls a "few weeks" because of a hamstring injury.

Heath started Sang Bin Jeong in Reynoso's playmaking role and played him into the 71st minute. Kervin Arriaga made his return from August knee surgery by coming on in the 84th minute and provided a header into the box that gave the Loons one final chance to score in second-half stoppage time.

Heath said he's hopeful Reynoso can play next Saturday against San Jose. "But you never know with these things," Heath said.

This loss was another that left Heath lamenting what could have been. That's particularly if his team had converted multiple-first half chances or gotten more on the scoreboard than striker Teemu Pukki's penalty kick in the 48th minute.

"I'm disappointed because I don't think we've got enough out of the week for the way we played," Heath said. "I can think of four, five games [this season] we should have won comfortably and we didn't. We're now in a situation where every point is crucial.

"How many do we have left? Is it four? Two home, two away, 12 points to play for. There's still an opportunity for us, but obviously we're losing games pretty fast now. It's not been a good week for us."

All three losses have created a tense dressing room as the clock ticks loudly and the pressure builds.

"We have enough experienced players who have been in this situation before, where it's towards the end of the season and we need to start getting results," Loons midfielder Hassani Dotson said. "It's like a Cup tournament. We have been pretty decent in Cup tournaments. A lot of these players have been in high-pressure situation. It's about staying composed and taking it one game at a time."

St. Louis City made eight changes in their starting lineup Saturday after the first-place expansion team clinched a playoff spot on Wednesday against LAFC.

City coach Bradley Carnell responded Saturday to give many of his regulars a well-deserved rest, but he sent some in after halftime.

Star striker João Klauss entered as a second-half substitute in the 58th minute and scored the tying goal six minutes later on a perfectly timed, well-deserved header after he made a long run into the 18-yard box.

Nine minutes after that, defender Njabulo Blom scored the winning goal after Loons defender D.J. Taylor turned the ball over near the sideline. Former Loons player Aziel Jackson's cross to Blom atop the 18-yard box set up Blom's strike that beat goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair high inside the near right post.