Marco Reus Comes Off the Bench to Lift LA Galaxy to a 3-2 Comeback Win at Minnesota United

Marco Reus spent the first hour in St. Paul on the bench. He needed about 20 minutes on the field to flip the night upside down.

The LA Galaxy came from behind to beat Minnesota United 3-2 on Saturday night at Allianz Field, and Reus was the reason. Seventeen minutes after coming on, he whipped in the set piece that João Klauss headed home for the equalizer. Four minutes after that, he finished Calegari's cross for the winner. Minnesota, which led 2-1 at halftime, lost for the fourth straight time.

Ruiz Opens His Account

The Galaxy struck first, and they did it with style. In the 10th minute Nicolás Romero fouled Kyogo Furuhashi just outside the box, and two minutes later Pablo Ruiz bent a left-footed free kick into the top right corner. Per the Galaxy, it was Ruiz's first goal for the club and his first MLS goal since June 17, 2023. The Loons' site notes he arrived late in the transfer window from Real Salt Lake, and Reus was already a fan. "He scored a beautiful goal," Reus said afterward.

Minnesota responded like a team that knew what was at stake. In the 23rd minute, Wil Trapp swung in a cross and Marcus Caldeira headed it into the high centre of the goal over JT Marcinkowski. Per Minnesota, that was the club's 300th home goal across all competitions.

Four minutes later, Jakob Glesnes brought down Anthony Markanich in the box. Kelvin Yeboah took the penalty in the 30th minute and slotted it into the bottom left corner, his 14th goal of the regular season according to the Loons. The Galaxy had chances to respond before the break, with Harbor Miller and Furuhashi both missing in the 38th and 39th minutes, but Minnesota took a 2-1 lead into halftime.

Vanney Rolls the Dice

The Loons stayed dangerous after the restart. Morris Duggan headed wide in the 57th minute, and Caldeira was flagged offside in the 59th. That same minute, Greg Vanney made the call that won the game, sending on Klauss for Furuhashi and Reus for Miller.

The effect was instant. Klauss forced a save from Drake Callender from outside the box in the 60th minute, then saw his header from a Reus cross pushed away from the top left corner in the 62nd. Hirving Lozano had the follow-up blocked. In the 64th minute Justin Haak headed wide off a Reus corner, and Klauss lifted a very-close-range attempt just over.

Minnesota still had its moments. Marcinkowski saved a Markanich header in the 66th minute, and Joaquín Pereyra narrowly missed on a counter a minute later. Then Duggan went down injured and was replaced by Jefferson Díaz in the 73rd minute, and the Loons had to reshuffle their back line for the final stretch.

Reus Takes Over

In the 75th minute, Tomás Chancalay fouled Lozano on the left wing. Reus stood over the ball, delivered it into the middle, and Klauss rose to head it into the bottom right corner. 2-2. Per the Galaxy, it was Klauss's sixth MLS regular-season goal in just his second game back from injury, and Reus's third assist for him this season.

The winner arrived in the 80th minute. Robert Taylor released Calegari down the right, Calegari whipped the ball in first time, and Reus finished with his left foot into the bottom left corner.

Minnesota pushed late. Nectarios Triantis fired wide twice, and Marcinkowski saved a Díaz header in stoppage time, but the Galaxy held on.

The Closer

Reus played around 35 minutes and still finished as the most decisive player on the field: one shot, one goal, one assist. The Galaxy say he now has seven goals and nine assists in league play and has been directly involved in 47 percent of the club's 34 regular-season goals. MLS put him on its Team of the Matchday.

"It meant a lot to us after last week," Reus said. He also did not hide his frustration with how the first half unfolded: "But then we concede two unnecessary goals."

Klauss was the perfect partner. Four shots, three on target, one goal, and an aerial threat Vanney clearly values. "Obviously, his size and capability in the air gives us something different in crossing situations that we don't normally have," the coach said.

For Minnesota, Caldeira and Yeboah each scored, and Markanich drew the penalty and kept testing the Galaxy down the left.

The Turning Point

The 59th-minute double change decided everything. Before it, the Galaxy had trailed for half an hour without much bite. After it, they had a creator on set pieces and a target to aim at, and both goals ran through Reus. Vanney admitted the lineup was still a work in progress. "I think we're finding some consistency," he said.

Stats That Matter

• Shots: LA 16, Minnesota 15, with 5 on target for each side.
• Possession: The Galaxy held 56.3 percent of the ball.
• Dead balls: A free kick, a penalty and a set-piece header produced three of the five goals.
• Fouls: Minnesota committed 14 to the Galaxy's 8.
• Klauss off the bench: 3 shots on target in about 35 minutes.

What It Means

The Galaxy improved to 8-9-10 with 33 points, and MLS says Reus's night sent them above the playoff line. Before kickoff, the Loons' site noted the two clubs were separated by a single point below the play-in line, so this was a genuine six-pointer. "It's a huge win," Vanney said. "So, as we see, three points will change the table." Colorado visits Dignity Health Sports Park on Sept. 26.

Minnesota fell to 7-8-11 with 29 points after a fourth consecutive defeat, following losses to Portland, Dallas and St. Louis. The Loons had not led at halftime since their 5-1 rout at San Jose on Aug. 22, per the club, and still could not hold on.

Closing Take

Reus framed the stretch run in simple terms. "Our ultimate goal is absolutely to go to the playoffs," he said. Saturday showed why the Galaxy might get there. When the starting plan stalls, Vanney can wave in Reus like a baseball manager signaling for his closer, and on this night the closer did not just save the game, he won it.

Stats from ESPN's match data. Postgame quotes as reported by lagalaxy.com. Club notes from lagalaxy.com, mnufc.com and mlssoccer.com.