David Martínez's Early Golazo Lifts LAFC Past James Rodríguez and Minnesota United 1-0

Allianz Field showed up for James Rodríguez. A sellout crowd of 19,710 came to see the Colombian star's first MLS start, Minnesota United took 23 shots, and for most of Saturday afternoon the Loons looked like the better team.

LAFC won anyway. David Martínez scored from a tight angle in the 9th minute, Hugo Lloris and a wall of white shirts did the rest, and LAFC beat Minnesota United FC 1-0 in St. Paul. The result ended Minnesota's four-game winning streak and snapped LAFC's three-game winless run, which tells you everything about how much a single moment of quality can be worth.

Nine Minutes to a Golazo

Minnesota came out humming. Anthony Markanich fired just wide off a James corner in the 4th minute and blazed another over in the 6th. Then LAFC punched first.

LAFC's own recap described a quick interchange between Stephen Eustáquio, Martínez and Timothy Tillman around the edge of the box. Tillman found Martínez on the left, and the 20-year-old Venezuelan hit a left-footed shot from a difficult angle into the top left corner, leaving Drake Callender no chance. It was his third MLS goal of the season and seventh in all competitions, per the club.

"Our goal is kind of a masterpiece from our team," Eustáquio told Apple TV afterward, per MLSsoccer.com.

LAFC then did what LAFC do. Denis Bouanga forced Callender into a save from distance in the 13th minute and Martínez tested him again in the 24th, but mostly the visitors sat compact and invited Minnesota to try to pick the lock.

James Pulls the Strings

Minnesota had the ball and, for long stretches, the ideas. James was at the center of almost everything, playing as a lone No. 10 in a new 3-4-1-2 setup that Cameron Knowles rolled out with five lineup changes, according to the club.

The closest the Loons came in the first half was the 28th minute, when Jefferson Díaz got his head on a James delivery and the effort was blocked. LAFC's recap said Tillman cleared it off the line. Kelvin Yeboah dragged a close-range chance wide in the 37th, and James twice sent efforts from distance over the bar before Lloris saved his low strike in first-half stoppage time.

The second half started the same way. James forced Lloris into another save in the 47th minute, Morris Duggan put a close-range chance from a corner just wide in the 50th, and Yeboah had a shot blocked after a James through ball in the 58th. Knowles went to his bench around the hour, and James and Mamadou Dieng came off in the 63rd minute for Joaquín Pereyra and Tomás Chancalay.

Callender Keeps It Alive

Minnesota kept pushing without finding the final touch. Díaz headed just wide in the 67th, Pereyra just missed from range in the 77th and Lloris saved a Chancalay strike in the 83rd.

As the Loons committed bodies forward, LAFC started breaking. Callender saved from substitute Jeremy Ebobisse in the 85th minute and from Bouanga in the 87th, and then stopped Bouanga again three minutes into stoppage time. Those three saves kept the door open, but nobody in black walked through it.

Who Delivered

David Martínez scored the only goal and put both of his shots on target before coming off in the 60th minute.

Hugo Lloris made three saves for his eighth clean sheet of the 2026 MLS season, which LAFC said leads the league. The club added that he has four clean sheets in five career starts against Minnesota.

James Rodríguez took six shots, put two on target and was named Minnesota's Man of the Match. "I felt good with this being my first start here at Allianz Field," he told reporters, per MLSsoccer.com.

Drake Callender made six saves, three of them in the final 10 minutes, to keep Minnesota within one.

Denis Bouanga put all four of his shots on target. LAFC noted he is the only player to start each of the club's first 10 regular-season games.

The Turning Point

It happened in the 9th minute, which is the frustrating part for Minnesota. After that, LAFC got to play the game they wanted: compact, patient and dangerous on the break. The Loons attempted 26 crosses and LAFC cleared 41 balls. When a team as organized as LAFC gets an early lead, every extra minute feels like another lock on the door.

Stats That Matter

• Shots: Minnesota outshot LAFC 23-7, but only 4 of those 23 were on target. LAFC put all 7 of their shots on frame.
• Possession: Minnesota had 61.8 percent of the ball and completed 547 passes to LAFC's 319.
• Saves: Callender made six, Lloris three.
• Corners: Minnesota won 11 corners to LAFC's 2.
• Clearances: LAFC made 41 clearances to Minnesota's 11.

What It Means

LAFC move to 6-2-2 with 20 points, and they did it with a rotated side. Marc Dos Santos made seven changes from Wednesday's draw with Colorado, per the club, resting regulars including Son Heung-Min ahead of Wednesday's Concacaf Champions Cup semifinal opener against Toluca. "We're going to need everybody to be full strength for that game," Eustáquio said. LAFC's notes said this was the third straight 1-0 result in the series, all LAFC wins. After Toluca, LAFC visit San Diego FC on May 2.

Minnesota slip to 5-2-3 with 17 points, and the four-game winning streak is over. Still, the club pointed to plenty of positives, starting with James finally getting a full stretch of minutes. "I believe it is a talented team, they have what it takes to achieve much greater things," he said. The Loons visit San Jose in the U.S. Open Cup on Tuesday before a trip to Columbus next Saturday.

Closing Take

Minnesota got the James Rodríguez show it had been waiting for, and the crowd got the moments it came to see. LAFC got the points. It is the soccer version of a team winning the dunk contest and losing the game. Sometimes style is enough to win the night but not the table, and on Saturday Martínez's one swing of the left foot outweighed 23 Minnesota shots.

Stats from ESPN's match data. Postgame quotes as reported by MLSsoccer.com; additional details from the AP, LAFC.com and MNUFC.com.