Minnesota United loses 4-3 at Colorado after long weather delay

Once able to depend on his team's defense, Minnesota United coach Adrian Heath used words and phrases such as "horrific" and "schoolboy errors" to describe goals conceded in Saturday night's 4-3 loss at Colorado.

His team now has scored three or more goals in five of their past eight games after they hadn't scored that many in eight consecutive games before that.

But on Saturday, the Loons' unbeaten streak ended at seven games — one short of tying a club record — when they gave up four goals for the second consecutive game. They played Portland to a 4-4 draw last week.

The game was delayed by lightning for 90 minutes at halftime, when Colorado led 3-2. Loons striker Abu Danladi scored finishing off a corner-kick set piece in the fourth minute, but the team then gave up three goals in eight minutes shortly thereafter.

Luis Amarilla's gorgeous goal in the 43rd minute brought the Loons within a goal. But if it generated any momentum, the long weather delay quashed it — that, or Gyasi Zardes' third goal of the night, coming in the 61st minute.

Defender Brent Kallman's header in the 81st minute made it 4-3, but wasn't enough. The Loons still have not won at Colorado since they entered MLS in 2017. They have lost five consecutive games in Commerce City after the two teams played to a 2-2 draw in the Loons' third game ever played.

"Very, very poor goals to concede," Heath said. "The one thing that has been stable for us over the last two, three years hasn't been very good for us at this moment in time."

Heath criticized his four-man back line and goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair after last week's 4-4 draw. He did so again Saturday, when Kallman started for Michael Boxall, one of three Loons players suspended for yellow card accumulation. The others were star midfielder Emanuel Reynoso and the versatile Robin Lod.

The Loons also played without injured central midfielder Kervin Arriaga and Wil Trapp.

"Obviously would we love to come in with five starters? For sure," Heath said. "That's not the reason we conceded four goals this evening."

Two Rapids goals came after Keegan Rosenberry's long, quick-hitting throw-ins penetrated the Loons defense. One led to Diego Rubio's close-range header struck with three defenders and St. Clair all around him.

St. Clair conceded two goals — both to Zardes — when he made the initial stop but couldn't smother the ball.

"Dayne has had really good publicity, but he had a bad night tonight, no getting away from that," Heath said. "I thought all four goals was our fault. ... Dayne is a serious guy. He knows when he's done well and he knows when he has not done well. Tonight is one of those things he wishes he could start again."

Heath was asked if it was time to reconsider veteran Tyler Miller after St. Clair — bound for Wednesday's MLS All-Star Game at Allianz Field — has struggled the past two games.

"This is not the time to speak about that," Heath said.

Heath was the Loons' only representative made available after Saturday's game because of the 90-minute weather delay and a chartered flight waiting to take the team home.

He lamented Colorado goals in the seventh, 11th and 15th minutes after Danladi — making his first start since May out of necessity — gave his team a quick 1-0 lead.

"I don't know if there was an awful lot wrong with our play at times," Heath said. "But we score a goal that should be a real bonus on the road early from a set piece and then we gifted them three goals and the whole momentum of the game changes. We saw it at our place last week against Portland.

"Very, very fine margins can change the whole course and context of a game and that's what happened this evening."

The Loons have a week until they play at Nashville SC next Sunday.

"We are leaking goals at the moment," Heath said. "That's something we have to address and address it fast."

After announcing they signed young Colombian striker Mender Garcia on Friday, the Loons also completed a transfer-window deadline deal to get midfielder Jonathan Gonzalez on loan from Monterrey in Mexico's Liga MX.

California-born but a Mexican national team player at age 18, Gonzalez has already arrived in Minnesota while the Loons still await Garcia's arrival from Colombia.

"Jonathan is one of those guys we've followed in the past," Heath said. "Two years ago, I was down in Mexico and watched Monterrey play in a Champions' League game and he was the best player on the field. Obviously, it's not gone great for him. He's got a new coach. They've changed players around and he's gone out on loan. But sometimes you have to look at the player and not the past. He's 23 years old, great age. So his best years are ahead of him."

The Star Tribune did not travel for this game. This article was written using the television broadcast and video interviews before and/or after the game.