Marcus Caldeira Caps Minnesota United Comeback as Loons Snap St. Louis CITY SC Unbeaten Streak

Allianz Field had gone 182 days without celebrating a regular-season win, per Minnesota United, and at halftime on Saturday that number looked ready to keep climbing. Then the Loons walked out for the second half and took apart the unbeaten run everybody in MLS had been talking about, one goal at a time.

Minnesota United FC came from two goals down to beat St. Louis CITY SC 3-2, with Aziel Jackson, Kelvin Yeboah and substitute Marcus Caldeira scoring after the break. The defeat ended St. Louis' unbeaten streak at 21 games across all competitions and 19 in league play, according to MLSsoccer.com, and handed the Loons their first home win since April 18.

Ten Minutes of St. Louis Being St. Louis

For a while, this looked like one more stop on the CITY SC victory tour. In the fourth minute, Simon Becher drove through the middle and had his shot saved by Drake Callender, but Rafael Navarro was lurking on the left side of the box and lashed the rebound into the top left corner.

Six minutes later came a counterattack clinic. Navarro tore up the left on the break, pulled Jefferson Díaz toward him and found Jeong Sang-Bin, who finished from the middle of the box against his former club. Minnesota's own recap noted that Jeong did not celebrate, which was classy and, from the home side's perspective, somehow even more painful.

Minnesota did not fold. Roman Bürki got fingertips to a Yeboah strike in the 14th minute, then denied Cherrion Valerius two minutes later in a scramble that also saw Yeboah blocked. In the 41st minute, Mauricio González got a look from point-blank range and Bürki stopped that one too. Jackson and Miguel Perez picked up yellow cards two minutes apart as the challenges got heavier, and St. Louis took a 2-0 lead into the break despite Minnesota piling up chances.

The Second-Half Avalanche

Whatever was said in the home locker room worked immediately. In the 49th minute, Yeboah beat Fallou Fall on the right and delivered a cross that Jackson hammered home from close range. It was Jackson's first goal for the Loons, per the club.

From there, it was mostly one-way traffic. Minnesota forced corners in the 58th, 60th and 66th minutes, Nectarios Triantis had two efforts blocked in the 59th and a header saved in the 61st, and Bürki kept swatting things away. In the 68th minute, the dam finally gave. Bürki stopped Bongokuhle Hlongwane, but moments later González worked free on the left and crossed for an unmarked Yeboah, who took a touch and rolled it into the bottom left corner. Minnesota said the goal extended his club single-season scoring record.

St. Louis responded by sending on Damion Downs and Lukas MacNaughton, and Minnesota countered by bringing on Caldeira for González in the 70th minute. He tested Bürki almost immediately. The 75th minute was bedlam at both ends: Bürki saved a Jackson header, and then Callender stopped Navarro and Mykhi Joyner in quick succession to keep the match level.

Then came the 86th minute. Joaquín Pereyra, on since the 79th, turned a St. Louis attack into a Minnesota counter and sent Caldeira galloping into space. The 22-year-old held off Daniel Edelman and the recovering defenders and finished with his left foot from the center of the box. He jumped into the Wonderwall to celebrate, and the building came apart.

St. Louis pushed through five minutes of stoppage time. Díaz was booked, Callender saved a Rafael Santos drive from distance, and Michael Boxall came on for what Minnesota said was his 500th appearance for club and country.

Who Delivered

Kelvin Yeboah was the engine of the comeback, with a goal, an assist and six shots, two of them on target. He manufactured the first goal down the right and finished the second like a man who had never been 2-0 down.

Aziel Jackson was named man of the match by the club. Beyond the goal, he put two of his three shots on target and his set-piece deliveries kept the St. Louis back line busy all afternoon.

Marcus Caldeira played roughly 20 minutes plus stoppage time and put all three of his shots on target. The winner was his seventh goal in 12 appearances this season, according to MLSsoccer.com. That is a super-sub résumé.

Roman Bürki made seven saves for St. Louis. Without him, this is not close.

Rafael Navarro scored one and set up the other. St. Louis said it was his eighth goal of the season for the club, giving him 18 MLS goals between Colorado and St. Louis, fourth in the Golden Boot race, plus 11 goal contributions in his last eight matches.

The Turning Point

Go back to the 75th minute. At 2-2, Navarro and Joyner both got close-range looks within seconds of each other. Callender stopped both. If either goes in, St. Louis are back in front with 15 minutes left. Instead, Callender kept the door open, and 11 minutes later Caldeira walked through it.

Stats That Matter

• Shots: Minnesota 27, St. Louis 15, with the Loons putting 11 on target to St. Louis' six.
• Saves: Bürki made seven, Callender four, including the two that mattered most.
• Possession: St. Louis had 55.1 percent of the ball and still got outshot by 12.
• Clearances: St. Louis needed 33 clearances to Minnesota's 18.
• Second half: Minnesota won it 3-0.

What It Means

Minnesota moved to 8-10-12 (wins, draws, losses) with 34 points. MLSsoccer.com had the Loons four points shy of the Western Conference's ninth and final playoff place with four games left after Saturday. The win also snapped an eight-match league winless run dating to a 5-1 win at San Jose on Aug. 22 and avenged a 4-2 loss in St. Louis on Sept. 12. Next up is a trip to Houston on Oct. 24.

St. Louis fell to 14-9-7 with 51 points. Avoiding defeat would have stretched the league run to 20 straight, which MLSsoccer.com noted would have set a new MLS record. There is little time to sulk: CITY SC head into the club's first U.S. Open Cup final on Wednesday, Oct. 21, against Columbus Crew.

Stuck in a Loop No More

Minnesota had drawn 2-2 in each of its previous two matches, and at 2-2 with four minutes left, this was shaping up as the third straight rerun of the same episode. Caldeira broke the Groundhog Day loop. The Loons still need help to reach the postseason, but for one sunny Saturday they got their song back, and the team everybody was chasing finally got caught.

Stats from ESPN's match data. Additional details as reported by Minnesota United, St. Louis CITY SC and MLSsoccer.com.