Minnesota United star midfielder Darwin Quintero was surprised to find out he was left out of the Loons’ starting lineup for the U.S. Open Cup final against Atlanta because, he said, that wasn’t the plan.

The Loons’ leading scorer — with a combined 14 goals in 29 MLS and national tournament games — said coach Adrian Heath told him he would rest in the MLS game against Kansas City last Thursday in order to have the central attacking midfielder fresh for the Open Cup championship match four days later. Against Sporting K.C. on Aug. 22, Quintero subbed on in the 69th minute.

“I was very surprised, I was upset, I was frustrated, especially being the lead goal scorer in the tournament, I wanted to be there,” Quintero said in a Spanish language translation. “… (Heath) is the one who makes the final decision. But when someone tells you one thing and does another without telling you about it in person, it hurts.”

For the game in Georgia, coach Adrian Heath changed the shape of the team, going with a 4-3-3 formation, instead 4-2-3-1, where Quintero often is featured in the middle of three midfielders underneath the striker.

“I know (lineup decisions are) always a stick to beat the coach with after, when you don’t win,” Heath said Thursday. “But I look at the game as a whole and look at what the people that I picked ahead of him contributed, and I’m pleased with that.”

One selection was Robin Lod, whose first goal as a Loon cut Atlanta’s 2-0 lead in half in the 47th minute. Quintero subbed on in the 75th minute and had nine touches, seven passes and one tough shot go wide in the 92nd minute of a 2-1 loss. He still won the tournament’s Golden Boot with six goals in five games.

Heath was asked about his decision to drop Quintero after the game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, and that questioning continued in Blaine on Thursday. In Atlanta, he said the lineup choices had been known for days.

“We can’t all get caught up in individuals here, guys,” Heath told reporters Thursday. “We are trying to move the club forward as a group, and as I’ve said before, I don’t make decisions purely and simply for individuals. I make them for the good of the club and trying to win and trying to move the club forward.

“Sometimes when that happens, you have to make decisions that are not popular. I understand that, but that will never change.”

Quintero was an MLS all-star last season, when he had 11 goals and 15 assists. But this year he hasn’t been up to that same level, and he attributed that, in part, to playing through an ankle injury in April.

“This season has very much taken me by surprise,” he said. “I haven’t played the games, nor the minutes, that I would have liked. I haven’t felt the same level of confidence from the coach.”

United has a bigger decision to make on Quintero this offseason. He is the Loons’ highest-paid player at $1.75 million, according to the MLS players union figures, and the club holds an option to pick up his contract for the 2020 season.

“It’s there,” Quintero said of his contract situation. “In the end the decision will be made by (the club). Like I’ve said, I’m happy here, my family is happy here, but in the end it’s up to the coach and leadership if they want to take up the option. I’m staying calm. I need to finish the season the best way I can.”

Multiple times during the 10-minute interview, Quintero showed respect to Heath’s lineup decisions and steered the conversation to the future in “finishing the season in the best way” — with a berth in the MLS Cup playoffs.