Minnesota United's playoff hopes on shaky ground after 2-0 loss to last-place San Jose

Last place and out of contention, the San Jose Earthquakes were the ones who celebrated a 2-0 home victory over a Minnesota United team denied clinching a playoff spot Saturday night.

Six weeks ago, the Loons had lost once in 11 games and were aimed at third place and a first-round playoff game at Allianz Field.

Now they are winless in their past six games — 0-5-1 — and have earned only one point since they beat Houston at home on Aug. 27.

"We haven't done ourselves justice this evening," Loons coach Adrian Heath said. "It's a very poor evening for us. When you consider what was at stake, it's a tough one to swallow."

Nonetheless, Heath's team still clung to seventh place and the last Western Conference playoff spot late Saturday night after the L.A. Galaxy's second-half comeback tied eighth-place Real Salt Lake 1-1.

Once they had their future firmly in their own hands. Now they will have to beat ninth-place Vancouver next Sunday in St. Paul and rely on how the Galaxy, Nashville, Portland, RSL and the Whitecaps finish all around them.

"We know we need to win this game at home on Sunday to give ourselves a chance, for sure," Loons goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair said. "We definitely had the opportunity to control our own destiny and hopefully that's still the case with the way the rest of the results go."

Until Saturday, the Loons were unbeaten in their previous seven games against San Jose, dating to May 2018 loss.

Earthquakes star Shea Salinas bade the PayPal Park crowd farewell in his last home game of a 15-year MLS career — 13 of them in San Jose — by scoring the game's first goal on his own free kick he created with a run through the Loons defense, in the 52nd minute.

Benji Kikanovic made doubled the Earthquakes' lead with a counterattacking goal in the 71st minute.

Afterward, Heath criticized his players for not being strong and dominant enough all over the field — and for running faster forward with the ball than running backward without it.

"Not good enough," Heath said. "We were not good enough with the ball, certainly were not good enough without it. When you consider what was at stake for us, I'm really, really disappointed with the level of everything: The commitment, the enthusiasm, desire. So it has been a really poor night for us."

When asked how that could be given the stakes, Heath said, "I wish I knew. Maybe it's the makeup of some of the people we've got. Maybe we have to look at that."

Loons star Emanuel Reynoso returned from a one-game suspension for yellow-card accumulation and an ankle injury. Veteran Robin Lod, meanwhile, remained out because of a calf injury.

The Loons haven't recorded a clean sheet since they beat FC Dallas 2-0 at home on July 16. They now have been shut out in four of their past six games and scored one each in the other two.

Heath was asked if he was more mad, disappointed or frustrated with Saturday's loss and the Loons' late-season collapse.

"All of them," he said. "Mad with the performances this evening. Mad with individuals, most of them. Disappointed. We've got more of us than we're showing. If we get an opportunity hopefully next weekend to have a say in making the postseason, we can count ourselves fortunate when you consider the run we had in the second half of the season."

The Galaxy rallying to earn a draw with RSL late Saturday night helps the Loons' cause. They will pay close attention to Sunday's LAFC-Portland and Nashville-Houston games.

But none of it might mean anything if they don't beat surging Vancouver on "Decision Day."

"Let's see where we are after all the games over the weekend," Heath said. "See where we are. If we still have a chance, we'll be pretty fortunate because when you consider where we were six, seven games ago and we've picked up one point since.

"We've got nobody to blame but ourselves."

The Star Tribune did not send the writer of this article to the game. This was written using a broadcast, interviews and other material.