Still in search of their first MLS home win of the season, Minnesota United will try to snap a six-game winless streak when they face the Houston Dynamo on Wednesday night in Saint Paul, Minn.
The Loons (3-5-3, 12 points) are 0-1-3 at Allianz Field, but they did pick up a win in an U.S. Open Cup match, beating the Philadelphia Union on penalty kicks at home on May 9. Minnesota, which began the season with a five-match unbeaten streak (3-0-2), hasn’t won an MLS match since a 1-0 victory at St. Louis City on April 1.
The Loons have been shut out in three of their last four matches, including a 3-0 loss at Sporting Kansas City on Saturday.
“We are finding ourselves in a position where we are going to have to find a little run and turn it around very quickly,” Minnesota defender Michael Boxall said. “The good thing is we have the opportunity to do that at home very quickly.”
Minnesota has a five-match winning streak against the Dynamo, the Loons’ longest winning streak against an opponent in the club’s MLS history.
Minnesota also announced Tuesday that two-time MLS All-Star Emanuel Reynoso “has been cleared to play and can return to full team participation” after being suspended by the league for failing to report to training camp.
The Argentine midfielder, who has 16 goals and 28 assists in 71 MLS games (66 starts) with the Loons, returned to Minnesota in early May and has been training on his own but will not play in Wednesday’s contest.
Houston is 0-3-1 on the road and comes in off a 1-0 home loss to the Seattle Sounders on Saturday. The Dynamo played more than 69 minutes with just 10 men and more than 12 minutes with just nine men after forward Amine Bassi and midfielder Hector Herrera picked up red cards. Houston is tied with Sporting Kansas City for the MLS lead with three red cards.
Despite being short-handed, Houston nearly managed to get a draw. Seattle scored in the 87th minute when substitute Paul Rothrock tapped in a low cross from Alex Roldan that bounced through players from both teams.
“It was an unlucky play that we got scored on and we kept fighting for each other,” Dynamo midfielder Artur said. “We never gave up and I think that’s a positive point.”
–Field Level Media
