Los Angeles FC coach Steve Cherundolo instructed his team sit back and dared Minnesota United to break them down at Allianz Field on Wednesday.

LAFC deviated from its usual four-man back line and employed a five-man group to force the possession-challenged Loons to score in an area they are least effective: open play.

United had only three low-quality scoring chances in the match, while LAFC rode one moment — a first-half penalty kick from Denis Bouanga — for a 1-0 win in St. Paul.

A low block is usually a key defensive ingredient of MNUFC’s recipe for wins. “It’s kind of funny getting a taste of our own medicine a little bit,” Tani Oluwaseyi said.

Here are three takeaways:

Plan B

United has an MLS-leading 15 goals on set pieces, but without that and opportunities on counter attacks, Minnesota is left with an uncomfortable-to-them route to stake a comeback.

With a league-low 38% possession coming into the match, Minnesota had 55% of the ball against LAFC.

“We were just a little impatient in the first half in terms of trying to score the goal to win the game then,” Wil Trapp said. “In the second half, there was more structure, there was more calm and connecting plays. Granted, it wasn’t anything clear, clear, the game was in their half the whole second half.”

Loons coach Eric Ramsay tried to counter Cherundolo by subbing wingbacks Joseph Rosales and Julian Gressel for more attacking width and verticality in the 62nd minute. Minnesota had more possession in and around the opponent’s box and more corner kicks, but didn’t really challenge goalkeeper Hugo Lloris.

Ceiling hit

With the victory, LAFC (10-5-5, 35 points) gains ground on MNUFC (11-5-7, 40 points) in the Western Conference standings and Minnesota again failed to put together three straight league wins this season.

Attacking subs?

When MNUFC starts forwards Kelvin Yeboah and Oluwaseyi up top, with Bongi Hlongwane at wingback — and is in the process of selling Sang Bin Jeong to St. Louis — Ramsay is left with few attacking options on the bench.

Outside of Jeong going unused, the only other option was teenager Darius Randell.

“That is an obvious area we would look at in terms of numbers and variety of profile,” Ramsay said in regard to the summer transfer window opening next Wednesday. “We have a certain type of attacker and certainly (Wednesday) brings out, I would say, in a fairly obvious way that craft between the lines and the ability to unlock in, I should say, very tight spaces at the top of the box, that is something that we don’t quite got at the moment.

“That is not to criticize the makeup of this squad, nor be derogatory in any way to the guys that we got because they’ve done a really good job. We’ve created a lot of chances in general and scored a lot of goals, but, of course, we would hope and would like to evolve in that sense.”

Three tidbits

Attacker Sam Shashoua is headed out on loan with an unnamed USL Championship side and was not in the team against LAFC. The attacking midfielder already has his U.S. Green Card, so his move doesn’t create much more flexibility for the summer transfer window outside of a roster spot. The 26-year-old Englishman is under a club option for 2026. … The Loons wore their “Heritage Kit” — a throwback primarily to the Minnesota Kicks — for the first of four times on Wednesday. … It appears the move of Rosales to Mexican club Tigres will not happen.