Minnesota United has spent the last five weeks in desperate need of its best players contributing on the field.

Without upwards of 10 stars and contributors in matches, the Loons had lost a club-record five straight going into Sunday.

Striker Teemu Pukki returned from a knee injury to sub in and score the equalizer in the 73rd minute, but it wasn’t enough as Los Angeles forward Gabriel Pec scored in the 90th minute for a 2-1 loss at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, Calif.

MNUFC (8-9-5, 29 points) lull reaches sixth straight defeats, while Pec’s two goals aided Galaxy (12-4-7, 43 points) to three points.

Pukki had dribbled at the Galaxy defense and ripped a shot from outside the 18-yard box to beat goalkeeper Jonathan McCarthy.

Pukki needed that positivity. The Loons highest-paid player hadn’t been on the field for Minnesota since June 1 and hadn’t scored in a span of a dozen games since March 9.

Minnesota was cut open by quality playmaking from the Galaxy. Riqui Puig with a diagonal pass to Miki Yamane, who crossed it to Pec for a tap-in on his first goal. Devin Padelford was a step slow and appeared to be watching Yamane as Pec passed him in on goal in the 27th minute.

The Loons appeared to get back in the game five minutes later but Bongi Hlongwane was ruled offside on Alejandro Bran’s goal.

Loons made only one change to its starting XI coming out of 3-1 loss to Vancouver on Wednesday: right wingback DJ Taylor replaced Caden Clark. That switch didn’t last as Taylor appeared to pull his hamstring in the first half and Clark replaced him.