Bongi Hlongwane’s mother and younger brother are not just good-luck charms. They brought great luck all the way from South Africa.
Hlongwane’s mother, Sherry Bhengu, and his brother Gift Bhengu, traveled to Minnesota last week to see their loved one play in-person for the first time on Wednesday.
Hlongwane scored two goals — only his second and third goals of the season — in the Loons’ 3-1 win over Houston Dynamo at Allianz Field.
After Hlongwane’s first goal, he hopped over the advertising boards and walked up into the stands to celebrate with them. Bhengu didn’t know her son was allowed to do that, but it made for a heartwarming scene.
“It was mixed emotions,” Bhengu told the Pioneer Press of seeing her son succeed in the goal right in front of them. “I was nervous, ready and feeling pride. I didn’t know what to think.”
The surreal experience paled in comparison to waking up in the middle of the night to watch games on Apple TV on the other side of the world. When Hlongwane scored Wednesday night, it was around 4 a.m. Thursday in his home country.
Speel steady
Loons rookie goalkeeper Wessel Speel allowed only one goal late in stoppage time on Wednesday, a big improvement after a rocky MLS debut in the 4-2 loss to San Diego on June 14.
While the late goal ruined a clean sheet, the 23-year-old Dutchman made one save and the overall evening was a vast departure after he got chipped from midfield and allowed a penalty kick to sneak underneath him against San Diego.
Speel also rewarded the faith head coach Eric Ramsay put in him and not going to fellow back-up Alec Smir as the team tries to cover for regular goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair, who is with Team Canada in the CONCACAF Gold Cup.
Early plot twist
An uneventful first half ended on a potential game-changing call.
Michael Boxall was whistled for penalty for his right foot apparently hitting the right leg of Houston’s Sebastian Kowalczyk in stoppage time.
Referee Sergii Demianchuck pointed to the PK spot. Ramsay and fans at Allianz Field were dismayed.
But Demianchuck went to the monitor for review and determined the contact happened outside the box and Houston’s free kick ended up being harmless to the Loons.
Three tidbits
After a scoreless first half, the Loons (9-4-6, 33 points) surged to avoid a letdown against Houston (5-9-5, 20 points). … With Canada playing at U.S. Bank Stadium on Sunday, St. Clair, Oluwaseyi and coach Jesse Marsch watched Loons in St. Paul on Wednesday. … With Speel running out of short-term loans, a first-team contract, via one of the supplemental roster spots, is in the Dutchman’s near future.
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