Minnesota United vs. FC Cincinnati
When: 7:30 p.m. Wednesday
Where: Allianz Field
Stream: Apple TV Season Pass
Radio: KSTP-1500, ESPN
Weather: 78 degrees, cloudy, 12 mph north wind
Betting line: MNUFC plus-130; draw plus-260; Cincinnati plus-175
Form: With victories over San Jose and St. Louis, MNUFC (11-11-6, 39 points) has won consecutive games for the first time since early May. Cincinnati (16-8-4, 52 points) has one win in its last six matches, but is one of two teams with nine away wins this season.
Stat: With a goal in the Loons’ 3-1 win at St. Louis City on Saturday, Bongi Hlongwane became the fifth player in club history with 10 goals in an MLS season, joining Teemu Pukki (2023), Emanuel Reynoso (2022), Darwin Quintero (2019, ’18) and Christian Ramirez (2017).
Look-ahead: With six games to go, Hlongnwane needs four goals to tie Ramirez’s single-season record (14) and five to set a new Loons mark. Hlongwane has benefitted from the addition of forward Kelvin Yeboah, scoring three times in the previous two matches
Matchup: The Loons haven’t faced Cincinnati since 2022 — a 1-0 loss at Allianz Field. MNUFC is 3-0-1 against Cincinnati, including a club-best seven goals in a 7-1 win in 2019.
Quote: FC Cincinnati coach Pat Noonan praised the work of colleague Eric Ramsay this week: “They can adjust, much like Columbus (Crew) with their pieces. If something’s not working, you can see that they’re ready to adapt.”
Absence: MNUFC had only one injury going into Saturday’s win at St. Louis: Defender Zarek Valentin (lower leg) out.
Projected XI: In a 4-2-3-1 formation, FW Kelvin Yeboah; LW Joaquin Pereyra, AM Robin Lod, RW Bongi Hlongwane; CM Hassani Dotson, CM Wil Trapp; LB Joseph Rosales, CB Micky Tapias, CB Michael Boxall, RB Jefferson Diaz; GK Dayne St. Clair.
Scouting report: Attacking midfielder Luciano Acosta, the reigning MLS MVP, leads the league with 18 assists and 85 key passes this season. Limiting Acosta’s time and space to create will be a tough task for Trapp and Dotson.
Prediction: Cincinnati is the toughest remaining opponent on the Loons’ remaining schedule, but it’s at home and things are tight in the Western Conference playoff race, so a home draw will be less than ideal. Loons tie 1-1.
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