Preview: Minnesota United FC at Austin FC

The teams have matching records, and the Loons have a raft of players returning after injuries.

April 9, 2022 at 9:52PM
Minnesota United midfielder Franco Fragapane (7) went over the top of Los Angeles Galaxy defender Julian Araujo (2) as he raced for the ball in the first half. ] ANTHONY SOUFFLE • anthony.souffle@startribune.com
Franco Fragapane returns to Minnesota United FC for Sunday’s game at Austin FC after overcoming a hamstring injury. (Anthony Soufflé, Star Tribune/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

6:30 p.m. at Austin FC · FS1, SKOR North (1500-AM)

Preview: Minnesota United coach Adrian Heath proclaimed his team fully fit after Friday's training for the first time this season. He expects right back Romain Metanire (toe) to make his season debut but wasn't certain he would start. Defender Oniel Fisher (hamstring) and attacker Franco Fragapane (hamstring) back as well. Recently acquired Kemar Lawrence also likely will make his first start here, at left back. … Both teams are 2-1-2 after five games. Austin FC is 2-0-1 at home but is both undefeated and winless in its past three games (0-1-2), against Portland, Seattle and San Jose. The Loons are coming off a 2-1 loss to Seattle at Allianz Field that ended their four-game undefeated streak to start the season. … The teams have the same records, but Austin is a plus-8 in goal differential after it scored five goals in each of its first two games. The Loons are plus-1. … Former Loon Ethan Finlay signed with Austin FC last December. He's second in Loons history in games played, fourth in goals scored (19) and is one of only four to play more than 6,000 minutes for Minnesota.

Injuries: Loons D Chase Gasper (MLS Substance Abuse and Behavioral Health program) and F Patrick Weah (knee surgery) are out. Austin FC lists D Jhohan Romana (hamstring) as out, and MF Cecilio Dominguez on Saturday was suspended indefinitely by MLS pending an investigation into "possible off-field misconduct."

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about the writer

Jerry Zgoda

Reporter

Jerry Zgoda covers Minnesota United FC and Major League Soccer for the Star Tribune.

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Minnesota started only two strikers against Seattle, leaving Sang Bin Jeong and Joseph Rosales to provide the width behind Teemu Pukki and Kelvin Yeboah.