Bongokuhle Hlongwane and Kelvin Yeboah both scored goals as visiting Minnesota United rallied from an early deficit to defeat St. Louis City 3-1 on Saturday night.
It was the third goal in the last two games for Hlongwane. Ninth-place Minnesota United (11-11-6, 39 points), which also picked up an own-goal by St. Louis defender Jayden Reid, moved five points ahead of both FC Dallas and Austin FC for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference with the win.
Dayne St. Clair finished with seven saves for the Loons.
Cedric Teuchert scored and Roman Burki finished with seven saves for St. Louis City (5-11-13, 28 points) which had a four-match unbeaten streak (1-0-3) snapped.
St. Louis took a 1-0 lead in the fourth minute on Teuchert’s right-footed shot from the center of the box into the bottom left corner of the net for his third goal of the season.
Minnesota United tied it at 1 in the 24th minute when Burki’s save of a Yeboah shot caromed to Hlongwane on the left side of the box where he booted a left-footed shot into the bottom left corner of the net for his 10th goal.
The Loons took a 2-1 lead in the 52nd minute when Yeboah cut down the left wing and fired a crossing pass for Hlongwane cutting down the middle of the box. However, a sliding Reid cut in front of Hlongwane and deflected the ball into the net for an own-goal.
Minnesota extended the lead to 3-1 in the 62nd minute on Yeboah’s penalty kick. The goal was set up when St. Louis defender Kyle Hiebert, following a lengthy VAR check, was called for a penalty after Michael Boxall’s header on a Joseph Rosales cross hit his raised elbow. Yeboah then put in a right-footed stutter-step shot into the bottom right corner of the net for his third goal.
–Field Level Media