SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — Bongokuhle Hlongwane scored two goals to help Minnesota United beat the San Jose Earthquakes 2-1 Saturday night.
Hlongwane scored the winner in the 64th minute on his own rebound in the box. He redirected a long throw-in by Joseph Rosales that was parried by Quakes goalkeeper Daniel and bounced off the crossbar. Vítor Costa de Brito stopped Hlongwane’s first attempt to put away the rebound, but the ball bounced right back to Hlongwane, who put it in the back of the net to make it 2-1 in the 64th minute.
San Jose (5-20-2, 17 points), which beat Real Salt Lake 2-0 last time out after a run to the round of 16 in the Leagues Cup, has lost four of its last five games in MLS play.
Minnesota (10-11-6, 36 points) has just two wins since beating Sporting Kansas City on June 1, a span of 12 games, and both victories have come against the Earthquakes.
Minnesota took an early lead courtesy of Hlongwane. Robin Lod played a ball from just outside the penalty box that led Hlongwane to the right corner of the 6-yard box, where the 24-year-old forward slipped a one-touch shot through the legs of Daniel into the net to make it 1-0 in the ninth minute.
Ousseni Bouda, a 24-year-old in his third season with the Quakes, equalized in the 33rd minute. Amahl Pellegrino nodded a deflected ball backward inside the penalty box to Boudna, who put the ball between the legs of a Minnesota defender and keeper Dayne St. Clair for his second career MLS goal.
The Quakes pushed to tie the game after Hlongwane’s second goal but could not find the net. Daniel Munie had a first-time shot in transition go over the crossbar in the 93rd minute.
“I think over the last seven games, we’ve been pretty good in every game,” Quakes interim coach Ian Russell said postgame. “This is a game that we could have tied at the end, so we’re making progress, but it’s frustrating to lose.”
After next week’s international break, the Quakes will travel to face Vancouver Whitecaps FC on Sept. 14.
