ST. PAUL, Minn. — The LA Galaxy turned to their bench to turn around a game that was slipping away Saturday night, getting two goals in four minutes from João Klauss and Marco Reus to beat Minnesota United 3-2 at Allianz Field and collect three crucial points in their push for the playoffs.
Reus assisted on Klauss’ equalizer in the 76th minute before scoring the winner in the 80th, helping the Galaxy overcome a 2-1 halftime deficit. Both players entered in the 59th minute, giving Los Angeles the attacking lift it needed to improve to 8-10-9 with 33 points. Minnesota fell to 7-11-8 with 29 points.
“It's a huge win,” Galaxy coach Greg Vanney said. “Whenever you can take three points right now, especially with teams that are in this hunt, in this mass of teams right now that are all fighting for these playoff spots, it's massive.”
The Galaxy initially took control through Pablo Ruiz, whose first goal for the club arrived in spectacular fashion in the 12th minute. After Kyōgo Furuhashi drew a foul just outside the penalty area, Ruiz curled a left-footed free kick over the wall and into the upper-right corner. It was his first MLS goal since June 17, 2023.
Minnesota answered with two goals in seven minutes. Marcus Caldeira headed in Wil Trapp’s cross in the 23rd minute, and Kelvin Yeboah converted a penalty in the 30th, placing his shot into the lower-left corner to give the hosts a 2-1 lead.
The Galaxy eventually found their response through the connection between Reus and Klauss. Reus delivered a free kick into the penalty area in the 76th minute, and Klauss directed a header into the upper corner at the far post. Playing in just his second game back from injury, Klauss scored his sixth league goal of the season.
“Obviously, his size and capability in the air gives us something different in crossing situations that we don't normally have,” Vanney said.
Four minutes later, Reus finished the comeback. Robert Taylor played Lucas Calegari down the right side, and Calegari sent a first-time cross into the box that Reus stabbed out of the air for the winning goal.
Reus now has seven goals and nine assists in league play, with three goals and two assists over his last four matches. Saturday marked his fourth match this season across all competitions with multiple goal contributions, and his assist to Klauss was the third time he has set up the striker for a goal this year.
“Especially at this point of the season, when you have now seven games just left, it's very important that you have a good squad and that you can win always games late,” Reus said.
The Galaxy finished with a 17-15 advantage in shots and 55.5% possession, with both teams putting five attempts on target. Goalkeeper JT Marcinkowski made three saves, while Calegari’s winning assist was his first goal contribution since returning for a second stint with the club.
For Vanney, the result offered another sign of progress as the Galaxy work players back into the lineup. Sergi Roberto was unavailable, Klauss is building toward starting fitness, and Lucas Sanabria played limited minutes while managing a calf issue.
“The most important thing in the process is that you're getting results, and guys are getting confident and getting familiar with each other as we push towards health,” Vanney said. “I think we'll look even more healthy next week than we did this week, which is important.”
The Galaxy return to Dignity Health Sports Park on Saturday, Sept. 26, to host the Colorado Rapids at 7:30 p.m. With four home games remaining against teams Vanney described as being in the same playoff fight, Los Angeles has an opportunity to build on its comeback.
“Our ultimate goal is absolutely to go to the playoffs,” Reus said. “That's our goal from the beginning of the season, and we struggled a lot during the season.”
“Of course, I like to play nice, but I said it before to the team that it's more important to win games, especially at this time of the season.”