Minnesota United, one of four remaining MLS unbeatens, pivots after Vancouver draw

Minnesota United coach Adrian Heath reminded his players of one important thing when they went back to work after Saturday's last-kick 1-1 draw with Vancouver at Allianz Field.

"As I said to the players, it felt like a defeat Saturday and on Monday when you come in, everybody is a bit flat," Heath said after Tuesday's training in Blaine. "I don't want that. Did [Vancouver] deserve something? Probably, but not in the circumstances that they did. Hopefully, the lads don't get to the stage when they think it was a defeat because it wasn't."

Instead, it was that draw that only felt like a defeat after Whitecaps second-half substitute Simon Becher scored at the goal line on the last kick of the game.

The Loons still remain one of four undefeated teams left in MLS, even after Saturday's last-gasp result. St. Louis City, Los Angeles FC and Cincinnati are the others.

Becher's went on the scoresheet as the eighth minute of stoppage time when referee Rosendo Mendoza added 6 ½ minutes after both teams had played 90 minutes.

Becher scored 7 minutes and 17 seconds into stoppage time on the game clock. A cross from the right side flicked on by a Loons defender at goal's front went on to the far post, where a sliding Becher directed it off Loons goalkeeper Clint Irwin and off the post across the goal line.

That left Loons coaches and players gesturing and expressing their dismay while their supporters booed mightily on a night the team played missing seven men gone on international duty.

Mendoza told a pool reporter a minimum 6:30 was added and said, "but there were further extended stoppages for which more time was added."

Newly signed Loon midfielder Zayden Bello and striker Luis Amarilla both received yellow cards for delaying a game restart earlier in stoppage time.

"We had an explanation," Heath said. "At the end of the day, it is what it is. We move on from that."

When asked if he and his staff timed it themselves afterward, Heath said, "Yeah, probably a little bit different than what they think."

When asked Tuesday if he had seen that before in his career, Irwin said, "It's MLS. You see it all at some points. In the moment, you felt like how long are we going here, especially because there were one or two injuries in the second half that took a little time, and there weren't a lot of stoppages in injury time. It's up to the discretion of the referee.

"It's hard to see where all that time came from, but at the same time we still have to play to that whistle. We can't be sitting here going, 'Well, the game should be over,' while the game is still going on."

Heath said he's hopeful newly signed Sang Bin Jeong will be back in the country to train with his teammates by Thursday and available for Saturday's meeting of unbeatens at St. Louis City.

Jeong went to the South Korea embassy in Calgary for a Monday appointment to process his work visa paperwork and was awaiting the return of his passport on Tuesday.

"Hopefully he'll be back to train with the guys and if he is, then he will give himself a chance to be involved at the weekend," Heath said.

Heath said he expected all his players gone Saturday on international duty — with attacker Bongokuhle Hlongwane the possible exception — back for Saturday's game. Michael Boxall, Robin Lod and Kemar Lawrence all were expected back Monday, while Hondurans Kervin Arriaga and Joseph Rosales and Canada's Dayne St. Clair are scheduled for a Wednesday return after they played each other in a CONCACAF Nations game on Tuesday night.

Heath said he's hopeful Hlongwane will be back in Minnesota from his South African national team by Thursday evening. They'll determine then if he's fit to play by Saturday after such a long flight back.

"We'll see how he is, how many minutes he played, how he feels," Heath said.