Minnesota United beats St. Louis 3-1 to help set a club record for the most road goals (25) in a season

ST. LOUIS — Bongokuhle Hlongwane scored in the first half, Kelvin Yeboah added another goal after halftime and Minnesota United defeated St. Louis City 3-1 on Saturday night for the Loons’ sixth road victory of the season.

The Loons (11-11-6) set a club record for the most road goals (25) in a season. Their six road victories and 20 points away from Allianz Field also tie franchise records.

“We are really pleased with the outcome. We knew it would be a really fast start from them, they obviously had to win to keep their season alive,” Loons coach Eric Ramsay said.

Hlongwane tied the score at 1-1 in the 24th minute. He deflected a pass, then picked up the rebound of Yeboah’s shot and bounced it over St. Louis goalkeeper Roman Bürki.

The Loons then took a 2-1 lead on an own goal in the 52nd. Yeboah beat his defender along the left sideline to get to the corner of the 6-yard box for a cross in front of the goal that defender Jayden Reid knocked into the goal.

Yeboah calmly rolled in a penalty kick in the 62nd after a handball was called.

“We showed a lot of character, a lot of togetherness over the course of the game, a lot of adaptability and ability to move toward being a team, a team that can be much more balanced in how we play,” Ramsay said.

The victory began a stretch of six games for Minnesota United over a span of 22 days. The Loons, who hadn’t played since a 2-1 victory at San Jose on Aug. 31, began Saturday night holding the Western Conference’s final playoff position.

St. Louis (5-11-13) has given up 56 goals this season — already 11 more than last season with five games to play.

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