Emanuel Reynoso leaves Minnesota United game early with swollen ankle

Minnesota United star midfielder Emanuel Reynoso stayed home from Wednesday's 3-0 loss at Salt Lake City to save him and a bothersome ankle from the altitude, 95-degree heat and an arrival back home at 3 a.m.

In Saturday's 3-0 home loss to FC Dallas, he played into the 62nd minute before forward Mender Garcia subbed in after Reynoso aggravated his sore ankle.

"He's got a swollen ankle," Loons coach Adrian Heath said afterward. "He got it run over again, which is not ideal because it has been lingering for a few weeks now. The only thing we don't like is Rey playing on a Saturday, not doing an awful lot (at training) and then being available the following week.

"He's better when he's training hard and working with the group. We'll see how he is tomorrow. But it's a little bit swollen again today."

When asked if Reynoso's ankle might need some time just to heal, Heath said, "That was one of the reasons for Wednesday. But the fact is he tweaked it again now. We don't know how badly. For sure, we'll err on the side of caution because we need him fit and healthy."

The Loons played the final 21-plus minutes with only 10 men after attacker Franco Fragapane received a second yellow card, this one in the 69th minute after his first in the 20th. He'll be suspended for Saturday's game at Portland.

When asked if Fragapane's foul came from frustration, Heath said, "It was stupid. You can be frustrated, but it doesn't help anybody. You can be frustrated, but what does that do? Now he's not available. So that doesn't help us."

Loons goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair started and played the entire game after he played only the first half Wednesday at Real Salt Lake after sustaining a dislocated finger. He was asked afterward how his finger fared Saturday.

"Good enough to touch it off the crossbar, right?" he said about using it make a stretching save.

Former MLS All-Star Romain Metanire continues to train in Blaine in a season in which he has played only 22 minutes because of hamstring injuries. The 32-year-old's contract expires this winter and the Loons signed Alan Benitez to a 2 ½-year contract with a team option and like DJ Taylor's versatility at both fullback positions, too.

"He's training really, really well," Heath said of Metanire. "We're mindful that he's played (22) minutes this year. We have to be mindful where he is in his career so we've left it very much in his own hands when he thinks he's ready to join in. We can't tell him how he feels. Only he knows that. We're in a situation where it's wait and see. He's running well, but that's not the same as playing football."

Taylor moved from starting left back to starting right back with veteran left back Kemar Lawrence back in the 11. That moved Benitez back to a substitute's role three days after his positioning contributed to Real Salt Lake's opening goal in a 3-0 victory over the Loons.

"He's learning on the job and he has been learning in difficult circumstances where every game is of real importance," Heath said of Benitez. "It has been difficult for him to grasp what we're looking for. He's used to playing in a '5' (man backline) and on the field it's a completely different role. It's something we've been punished a couple times, something we'll have to keep working."

Isaiah Parker scored the decisive goal in the second half as MNUFC2 lost 2-1 to North Texas at Allianz on Saturday night and were officially eliminated from MLS NEXT Pro playoffs contention. Aziel Jackson scored for MNUFC2.