Bongokuhle Hlongwane scored a brace and Robin Lod dished off his 12th assist of the season to help lead visiting Minnesota United to a 2-1 victory over the San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday night.
Dayne St. Clair finished with one save for the Loons (10-11-6, 36 points) who snapped a seven-match road winless streak dating back to a 2-1 victory at Atlanta United on May 4. The victory also enabled Minnesota to leapfrog both Austin FC and Dallas FC back above the Western Conference playoff line and into ninth place.
Ousseni Bouda, making his second career MLS start, scored his second MLS goal for last-place San Jose (5-20-2, 17 points). Daniel made four saves for the Earthquakes who fell to 3-10-1 at home, the worst home mark in the league.
Minnesota United dominated at the start en route to a 1-0 lead in the ninth minute. Lod slotted a pass to Hlongwane breaking down the right side of the 18-yard box and Hlongwane then slid a right-footed shot inside the near post.
San Jose tied it at 1 in the 33rd minute on a left-footed shot from the edge of the 6-yard box by Bouda off a header pass from Amahl Pellegrino.
Hlongwane put the Loons back in front in the 64th minute he tapped in a left-footed rebound of his own shot that was ping-ponging around inside the 6-yard box for his ninth goal of the season.
San Jose almost tied in the 93rd minute when defender Paul Maire delivered a crossing pass to a wide-open Daniel Munie in the center of the 18-yard box but Munie’s right-footed shot sailed over the top of the crossbar.
The win was just the second in the last 12 matches for Minnesota (2-8-2). The other also came over San Jose, 2-0, on July 20 in Saint Paul, Minn., with Hlongwane also scoring a goal in that contest.
–Field Level Media