Heading into stoppage time against the Colorado Rapids on Saturday, Minnesota United looked like a team that desperately needed a spark.
A week after the playoff-elimination hammer finally fell in a 5-1 loss to the Philadelphia Union, the Loons were trailing the Rapids, one of the league’s worst teams with one of the league’s worst offenses, 1-0 at home. Just as the embarrassment stepped up a notch — goalkeeper Matt Lampson was chipped to seal the result — the spark came.
It came in the form of the Rapids’ Tommy Smith, who celebrated the goal inside United’s technical area.