The Loons shotstopper put on a goalkeeping clinic, leading 10-man Minnesota to first victory of the tournament.
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MNUFC beats Necaxa 1-0Loons suffer early red cardSt. Clair' heroics salvage victoryGetty ImagesWHAT HAPPENED?
The Loons found themselves up 1-0 early in their Leagues Cup match with Liga MX side Necaxa, courtesy of a penalty kick scored by Robin Lod. But in the 20th minute, they were reduced to 10-men after a poorly timed challenge by rookie defender Hugo Bacharach saw him removed.
For the following 70 minutes, Minnesota goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair put on an absolute goalkeeping clinic, making 16 saves to preserve their shutout despite the man-disadvantage. The Canada international set a Leagues Cup record, and tied Maxime Crepeau's MLS record from 2019 for the Vancouver Whitecaps.
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St. Clair has been an outstanding MLS Superdraft pick for the Loons, arriving in 2019. He was named an MLS All-Star in 2022, and has been a regular selection with the Canada national team over the past few years.
Although he hasn't been deemed the No. 1 by new national team manager Jesse Marsch, St. Clair did feature in the third-place match of Copa America 2024 for Canada, a 2-2 draw and penalty-shootout loss to Uruguay.
DID YOU KNOW?
Necaxa are celebrity owned, and are set to get their own FX series in the near future. Wrexham owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, actress Eva Longoria and MLB star Justin Verlander and wife Kate Upton are all investors.