Minnesota United scored two first-half goals and that held up in a 2-1 victory over New York City on Sunday at Yankee Stadium.

NYCFC were more aggressive in the second half and Keaton Parks’ scored in the 89th minute to make it a closer finish.

But unlike the Kansas City and L.A. Galaxy draws, the Loons (4-1-2, 14 points) didn’t surrender this lead against New York (2-3-2, 8 points).

Here are three takeaways:

A New York minute

Tani Oluwaseyi’s goal was registered 59 seconds into the match — only eight seconds later than the club record for fastest goal.

Robin Lod’s mark still that holds. The Finn found the back of the net 51 seconds into a 2-0 win over Houston in September 2021.

Oluwaseyi now has five goals in his last three MLS matches.

Set piece success

The Loons have scored 11 goals this season, with five coming on set plays. Wil Trapp provided the latest.

On a short free kick from Joaquin Pereyra, Trapp sent in a low shot from outside the 18-yard box. It took a deflection and beat goalkeeper Matt Freese in the 29th minute.

Trapp is not known for accurate shots from distance, but he had three on target from long range on Sunday.

PK blunder

United goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair keeps inducing — or benefitting from — opponent misses from the penalty spot. It was a major theme in Minnesota’s sweep of Real Salt Lake in the MLS Cup Playoffs last fall. And Alonso Martinez kept the theme alive when he put a PK off the crossbar in first-half stoppage time.

Martinez has shot to the goalkeeper’s right in recent PKs and that is where St. Clair dove, but it wasn’t on target.

Before the attempt, St. Clair talked to Martinez and endured a smile from Martinez. That mind game might have helped St. Clair.

Another factor might have been the few-minute delay while VAR reviewed whether Michael Boxall’s action was worthy of a PK.

New York didn’t register a shot on target until the 77th minute.

Three tidbits

Boxall was reinserted into the starting XI, with Morris Duggan dropping to the bench. … With Kelvin Yeboah’s goal production, Ghana might come calling for him to join the men’s national team. … Former Loons midfielder and sideline reporter Jamie Watson called Sunday’s match on Apple TV.

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Jake Middleton avoided a serious injury when he was pushed head-first into the boards on Friday in Elmont, N.Y., but was unavailable for Sunday’s matinee against Dallas at Xcel Energy Center.

Officially, Middleton is out with an upper body injury after a push from Islanders alternate captain Bo Horvat in the second period of the Wild’s 3-1 loss. Middleton was racing to retrieve a puck in the corner when Horvat gave him a shove with his left hand, simultaneously tripping him with his stick.

Middleton went face-first into the boards and collapsed in a heap, and Horvat was immediately contrite, and later banged his stick on the ice while standing in the penalty box as Middleton left the ice.

“I would say day to day,” Hynes said.

Middleton wasn’t the only regular unavailable Sunday. Forwards Kirill Kaprizov and Joel Eriksson Ek remain out with lower body injuries. Although both skated with the team before a March 27 victory over the Capitals, neither has played a game in weeks and it’s unclear whether either will return before the regular season ends April 15 against Anaheim.

Kaprizov, tied for second on the team with 23 goals and third in points with 52, hasn’t played in a game since Jan. 26, and Eriksson Ek’s last games were in the Four Nations Cup in February. He’s on injured reserve.

“You know why I don’t like to give timelines; because it changes every day,” Hynes said when asked about the forwards on Sunday. “I truly do not have one. I can’t give you one.”

Before Sunday’s game, the Wild held the eighth and final postseason spot in the Western Conference by four points over Calgary, where the Wild will play on Friday night. After Sunday, Minnesota has four regular-season games left.

Briefly

Defenseman Cameron Crotty, recalled from AHL Iowa on Saturday, was a healthy scratch.

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As a St. Paul City Council candidate running in this year’s special election, I’ve been talking to neighbors in every neighborhood in Ward 4. Lack of affordability in our city is a growing concern, and understandably so. Housing costs are climbing for both renters and homeowners.

We know there are many causes for this ranging from rent stabilization and rising property taxes to insurance costs, utilities, and interest rates. If we are going to tackle rising costs, then addressing St. Paul’s severe housing shortage is key to ensuring all our residents have access to stable, affordable homes.

I’ve been working in affordable housing for over a decade, both in the Twin Cities and statewide. In my work, I’ve helped first-generation homeowners make their first purchase and also financed and expanded affordable housing options across Minnesota. In one of my favorite books, “Homelessness is a Housing Problem,” Gregg Colburn and Clayton Paige Aldern conclude that housing market conditions — cost and availability — are the central factors to homelessness. As the title clearly states, homelessness is a housing problem, and so are unaffordable rents and mortgages.

The Twin Cities region has a shortage of more than 71,000 affordable housing units. In other words, for every 100 extremely low-income households, there are only 39 rental units available. This gap is leading to an increase in evictions in our region, while other communities have returned to pre-pandemic eviction rates.

This is our reality, and it’s putting community members at greater risk of housing instability, increasing rates of homelessness and placing a housing cost burden on our families, our seniors and our workers.

Fortunately, we know how to solve this: We need more housing of all types, sizes, and locations.

We need both market-rate and deeply affordable housing. The city has taken steps by updating its residential zoning code to allow for more diverse housing development, but more needs to be done. To start, we should adjust density bonuses to incentivize affordable rental and ownership housing.

Addressing this challenge will require collaboration. For-profit developers, who can build at scale and handle large commercial-to-residential conversions, must be part of the solution. St. Paul needs large-scale development projects, such as The Heights and Sherman Associates’ downtown conversion project. We also need smaller-scale local developers and investments in starter homes priced under $300,000 in our neighborhoods, like the work Rondo Community Land Trust is leading in the Selby-Dale neighborhood.

A thriving housing ecosystem requires contributions from all parts of the system, and our City’s policies and administrative procedures need to make building easier for everyone.

This is why I believe St. Paul must pass the updated rent-stabilization changes proposed by the City Council, alongside strengthened tenant protections. These measures together will encourage investment in new housing while protecting renters from unfair evictions and excessive security deposits. Adding language or other efforts to strengthen our “Source of Income Protection” laws would also expand housing choices for Section 8 voucher holders.

Some argue that St. Paul’s decline in housing production isn’t due to rent stabilization. However, the data suggests otherwise. In 2022, St. Paul issued 79% fewer building permits than in 2021, while Minneapolis saw a 293% increase. I have heard firsthand from developers and investors who see St. Paul as a risky environment, leading to higher costs and stalling much-needed development. If rent stabilization is discouraging investment, we must acknowledge and address its impact and make changes.

Our current shortage puts renters at risk. When supply is low, prices rise, and landlords can be more selective, increasing discrimination, evictions and annual rent hikes. The original intent of rent stabilization was to protect renters, but without sufficient housing supply, it has not delivered on that promise.

We can build a St, Paul that is affordable, vibrant, and safe for everyone. To do so, we must stop pitting business and development against community needs. Instead, we need to celebrate the strengths that each partner brings to the table and work collaboratively to support each other and our vision. St. Paul community members have always taken care of each, and we can do that now too. By working together, we can create a housing ecosystem that supports all of St. Paul’s residents, renters, and property owners. Our city’s long-term prosperity depends on it.

Cristen Incitti is a nonprofit affordable-housing CEO, past St. Paul renter and current homeowner, and a candidate for the St. Paul City Council seat representing Ward 4. The special election for the seat is scheduled for Aug. 12.

 

Does the City of Saint Paul value small businesses, or not?

I see two versions of St. Paul’s business community. On the one hand, St. Paul is rich with historic spaces and entrepreneurs that embody our city’s unique culture and potential. On the other hand, St. Paul’s existing businesses are closing at an alarming rate: Just last month the downtown’s Lunds & Byerlys joined that list. St. Paul’s Mayor Carter has publicly acknowledged small businesses as the “lifeblood” and “backbone” of the community. But the City’s Planning and Economic Development Department’s indifference toward Saint Paul Brewing at the Hamm’s complex redevelopment tell a different story.

The Hamm’s Brewery campus on St. Paul’s East Side is one of our city’s most iconic landmarks and has unlimited potential. Since taking ownership of Saint Paul Brewing in 2020, I’m proud that the business has become a valued asset on the East Side, attracting tens of thousands of annual visitors from within the neighborhood, the city, across the state, and beyond. Saint Paul Brewing is growing, and we are ready to expand services to two more floors. As early as this summer, the old 11 Wells is poised to re-open as a cocktail tasting room and a 21+ mini golf attraction. Unfortunately, the City PED is advancing a Hamm’s redevelopment concept that threatens the survival of my business and jeopardizes the jobs of 100+ employees, as well as over $3 million in annual payroll and benefits.

The City’s Hamm’s development vision has two parts. I fully support the first part, the renovation of the historic Hamm’s buildings into 89 affordable housing units and a commercial marketplace for 30-50 entrepreneurs. However, I’m concerned about the second part of the proposal, which would permanently eliminate the critical on-site patron parking to make way for a new-construction apartment building.

Over the past two years, I have asked that the city “press pause” on this second component, allowing the historic buildings to be completed before the new construction begins. I do not believe this needs to be an “either or” situation. I deeply support the reuse of the Hamm’s site, I support affordable housing, and I believe a phased approach to the development will advance both AND help everyone be successful.

I have repeatedly asked the City to discuss this logical phased approach. But the City has informed me they remain unwilling to compromise and plan to proceed with both phases of the redevelopment. Just in recent days, we invited City officials to participate in an open house to hear community response to the proposed redevelopment, but they did not attend. I am not able to stand by and watch the city destroy the destination businesses my team has built and our vision for the future without exhausting all of my options, ideas, and resources.

The City’s “thoughts and prayers” style response to my requests for creative problem solving and assistance is troubling. Supporting small businesses is not simply a matter of rhetoric; it requires concrete action and a genuine commitment to creating an environment where these businesses can thrive. I urge the City to recognize the positive contributions my business has made to the neighborhood, the potential we have if we work together, and to take action to support and protect it — before it is gone.

I remain committed to collaborating and finding a solution that benefits all parties involved and aligns with City leaders’ emphasis on the importance of small businesses. I am open to exploring all options and keen to discuss them before further time and resources are expended.

Rob Clapp is a social entrepreneur and developer. He is the co-founder and chief experience officer of Can Can Wonderland, a whimsical arts and entertainment venue in St. Paul, and owner of Saint Paul Brewing, a destination eatery and patio in the historic Hamm’s Brewing Complex.