With only one win in its previous 13 MLS games heading into Saturday night, Minnesota United needed something to break its slide. A trip to St. Louis City, a team that hadn’t lost in 14 league games, was probably never going to be what the Loons needed.

The resulting 4-2 loss stretched Minnesota’s losing streak to three games, and it left the Loons outside the playoff picture in the Western Conference for another week. It was the third time in four games that Minnesota conceded three or more goals, something it did only twice in the first 21 games of the season.

“We can’t be sort of living in these extremes, where we’re conceding so many goals or not,” said head coach Cameron Knowles.

St. Louis had already tested Loons goalkeeper Drake Callender three times in the first four minutes of the match.

But as the home team surged forward, Minnesota caught them napping at the back. Joaquín Pereyra chipped a long ball forward for Tomás Chancalay, who rushed behind the defense and beat Roman Bürki for the game’s first goal just five minutes into the match.

The lead was short-lived. In the 19th minute, Callender attempted to parry a 25-yard shot that was low to his right, but his attempt to push it wide instead rolled straight back at his own penalty spot — where midfielder Daniel Edelman was in position to slam home the rebound to tie the score 1-1.

Two minutes later, it was winger Carlo Holse’s turn for St. Louis. With Minnesota’s defense retreating, Holse launched a first-time, left-footed shot from Callender’s left that curled just inside the far post, doubling the St. Louis lead.

Before halftime, Rafael Navarro added a third St. Louis goal, splitting the Loons’ center backs and chipping a bouncing ball over Callender’s head and gently into the goal. At that point, Minnesota still had just a single shot attempted, a small stat that nevertheless painted a picture of how the first half had gone for MNUFC.

In the 57th minute, Navarro snuck in behind Michael Boxall as the Loons’ defender attempted to clear a loose ball. Boxall’s kick instead took out Navarro’s leg in the penalty area. The St. Louis City striker converted the resulting penalty shot to make it 4-1.

Kelvin Yeboah replied four minutes later with a penalty of his own, giving the Loons’ forward 13 goals for a second consecutive year. And to fill out an extra column on the scoresheet, Kyle Duncan was sent off for the Loons with 10 minutes to go for a second yellow card — the first red of the season for Minnesota.

“It’s difficult when you have a run of bad results, but we have to just keep going through,” said Knowles. “We have to evaluate the performance. We have to take the good in it.”