Adrien Hunou, Minnesota United's highest-paid player, has seen little playing time

A year after he started 22 of 26 games he played during his rookie season, Minnesota United striker Adrien Hunou has played six minutes in the team's first four games.

That was as a second-half substitute in the opener, a 1-1 draw at Philadelphia.

Acquired from a French first-division team last April, Hunou is by far — according to the MLS Players Association salaries published late last season — the club's highest-paid player at nearly $2.6 million in guaranteed salary.

But the returns of Luis Amarilla and Abu Danladi and the arrival of Bongokuhle Hlongwane has changed coach Adrian Heath's lineups and playing time. Amarilla has started all four games so far and on Saturday scored his second goal in as many games.

Hlongwane made his first MLS start in Saturday's 1-0 victory over San Jose playing underneath Amarilla. The Loons have started the season undefeated through four games, at 2-0-2 after they started 0-4 last season.

Heath was asked what he needs to see from Hunou.

"Just keep doing what he's doing," Heath said. "I said to the guys we genuinely have covered a lot of positions and he gets frustrated when he thinks the chance is not going to go."

Heath said young goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair's past two starts – his first in the MLS regular season in 10 months – and consecutive clean sheets came only when starter Tyler Miller got the flu just before last week's 1-0 victory at the New York Red Bulls.

"Only Tyler's illness gave him the opportunity," Heath said. "Who's to say that not in the morning Luis wakes up and he's not fit and healthy for some reason? So you have to be ready when you have the opportunity. He's training well. He's staying really positive. Then when his opportunity comes, he's up to take it."

Hlongwane's first start came after he was a second-half substitute in the season's first three games. Anticipation among the club's supporters was noticeable when he touched the ball Saturday, even when his chances went wrong.

"We've been really pleased with him," Heath said. "We want him to score. You can tell he had a great chance and a couple times he got a shot when a pass might have been there. But no, we've been delighted with him. He's settling in real well and starting to get an understanding of what we're looking for when we've got the ball and when they've got the ball, them moments of transition."

Loons star playmaker Emanuel Reynoso doesn't have an assist and hasn't scored a goal in the first four games. Heath attributed some of Reynoso's relatively quiet night Saturday to the Allianz Field pitch.

"I don't think the field helped him this evening," Heath said afterward. "The field is not in a great condition at this moment in time. It's very bobbly. He has so much faith in his own ability and he needs a good surface to play on."

Loons defender Brent Kallman mentioned the field's condition but called it "not nearly as difficult" as the New York Red Bulls' field the week before.

He said that game was the first time grounds crew didn't wet the field pregame or at halftime because it was lightly snowing.

"They could technically say it was precipitating so they had the option of not wetting it," Kallman said. "We couldn't move the ball. And that suited them. Of course it did. It's gamesmanship. They play a very direct game. They play for second balls. The field here is not in great shape, but the ball moves quick. So at least we were able to move the ball, we were able to dribble out of things.

"It's early on. We had a brutal winter. They'll get that field in better shape."