June 19, 2024; Frisco, Texas, USA; Minnesota United midfielder Robin Lod (17) and FC Dallas defender Sebastien Ibeagha (25) battle for the ball during the first half at Toyota Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports After back-to-back losses in road games in Seattle and Dallas, Minnesota United returns home to Saint Paul, Minn. — where they’ve lost just once in nine games this season — and hosts Austin FC on Saturday night.
The Loons (8-5-5, 29 points) are 4-1-4 at home while Austin FC (6-7-6, 24 points) are just 1-5-3 on the road. It’s a rematch of Minnesota’s 2-1 season-opening win in Austin on Feb. 24.
Minnesota suffers an ugly 5-3 loss at FC Dallas on Wednesday. It was the most goals allowed in a game by the Loons since August 11, 2023, when they were shut out by Nashville 5-0 in a League Cup contest. The Loons had allowed a total of four goals in their previous three games, but gave up three goals in a 28-minute span of the second half to the Toros.
“If I was a betting man, I would have said we were going to be a strong defensive team tonight,” Minnesota coach Eric Ramsay said. “I thought if we had problems, it was more with how we used the ball. We created good periods of control in the game, really impressive in that area. But we conceded five goals. … When we made mistakes, we we were punished for this”.
Minnesota was without nine regular players due to international duty, injuries and suspensions. The list included goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair and leading scorer Tani Oluwaseyi, who are playing for Canada at the America’s Cup, and injured forward Teemu Pukki (knee).
Austin FC – winless in their last five games (0-3-2) – will play their third game in an eight-day stretch after drawing 1-1 with second-place Los Angeles FC on Wednesday.
The draw snapped LAFC’s six-game winning streak but was bittersweet as the visitors equalized with their only shot on goal of the game in the 90th minute, a header from Kei Kamara. Jader Obrian scored in the 19th minute to give Austin an early lead.
“Guys battled and we weren’t able to get across the finish line,” Austin coach Josh Wolff said.
Austin will also be without two key players who have left for the Copa America in midfielder Dani Pereira (Venezuela) and defender Julio Cascante (Costa Rica). Another midfielder, Jhojan Valencia, will miss the match due to the accumulation of yellow cards.
— Field level media
