LOONS GAMEDAY
Loons closer to full strength with newcomer Sang Bin Jeong available Saturday
Minnesota United will try to extend its own unbeaten streak and hand St. Louis City its first loss.
Saturday: 7:30 p.m. at St. Louis City SC * Apple MLS Season Pass * 1500-AM
It's a battle of unbeatens — two of the four MLS teams left undefeated — with the 2-0-2 Loons meeting 5-0 St. Louis City. The Loons are 2-0 on the road after winning at FC Dallas and Colorado, and St. Louis is 2-0 at home. ... Veteran Loons Robin Lod and Michael Boxall were the first players back from international duty, but both were kept away from Thursday's training because each had what coach Adrian Heath called a "bit of a tummy bug." ... Newly signed forward Sang Bin Jeong was scheduled to join his teammates in St. Louis from Calgary, where he had gone to the South Korean embassy to complete his work visa paperwork. Heath said he expects Jeong will be available for selection, but likely will integrate with his new team by coming off the bench for some minutes. "It'd be highly unlikely he starts," Heath said. … Canada's Dayne St. Clair, Honduras' Kervin Arriaga and Joseph Rosales and South Africa's Bongokuhle Hlongwane all were back as well and available to play, Heath said. Hlongwane was the last one back late Thursday night from Africa, but trained Friday morning in Blaine. "Bongi has come back as he always does, he comes back smiling," Heath said. "He does better than me after 20 hours on an airplane."
Injuries
The Loons list D Bakaye Dibassy (ruptured quadricep tendon), D Ryen Jiba (knee) and MF Emanuel Reynoso (suspended) as out. D Michael Boxall and MF Robin Lod both are questionable. St. Louis City lists Rasmus Alm (knee) as questionable and Joakim Nilsson (knee) as out.
Minnesota started only two strikers against Seattle, leaving Sang Bin Jeong and Joseph Rosales to provide the width behind Teemu Pukki and Kelvin Yeboah.