Minnesota United extended its unbeaten streak to six games with Saturday’s 1-1 draw at San Jose.
The Loons are 3-0-3 those games, starting with a July 12 victory at Houston.
The teams swapped early first-half goals, the Loons taking the lead in the fourth minute on recently acquired striker Teemu Pukki’s third MLS goal and second in two games. His goal in Wednesday’s 3-0 home victory over Colorado was his first in eight games in all competitions.
Saturday’s goal came after star midfielder Emanuel Reynoso again set everything up. He controlled a ball with his chest, containing it as he spun around a defender before he sent a precise 25-yard pass ahead to Pukki on the run.
Like his first goal in his MLS debut at Houston in July, Pukki took his time with a defender on him and scored on a composed, bouncing shot past Earthquakes keeper Daniel.
Loons left-back Joseph Rosales short-range shot at an open corner went over the crossbar and Daniel stopped veteran Ismael Tajourri-Shradi’s shot from 12 yards out to keep his team close.
San Jose teenage forward Cade Cowell tied the game in the 16th minute when took a pass from Bloomington’s own Jackson Yueill and struck a shot from the corner of the 18-yard box. It was deflected soon after it came off his foot, but caught Loons keeper Dayne St. Clair leaning the wrong way.
The Loons scored a go-ahead goal in the 60th minute just as San Jose keep its pressure and possession building, but a video review ruled a handball on Reynoso and negated Pukki’s second goal of the game.
Six minutes later, St. Clair made a sprawling save that kept the score even. He denied Cowell a possible game-winner with a diving, one-handed save in the 81st minute.
Daniel made a game-saving stop of his own, in the 86th minute. He then stopped Reynoso’s tricky toe-poke in the 89th minute.
Seventh place to start the night, the Loons played the eighth-place Earthquakes without injured leading goal-scorer Bongokuhle Hlongwane and suspended right back D.J. Taylor.
Taylor sat because of yellow-card accumulation in Wednesday’s 3-0 home victory over Colorado. Valentin slipped into his spot.South Korea on Saturday called up the Loons’ Sang Bin Jeong for its Under-23 national team for this upcoming FIFA international window.
He’s the third Loons player called to their national teams after Saturday’s game. Sang Bin, striker Pukki and Rosales will miss next Saturday’s home game against New England, but all are expected back in two weeks, for a Sept. 16 home game against Sporting Kansas City.
The Loons again on Saturday played without Hlongwane for a third consecutive game. He injured his knee at New York City FC on Aug. 20 in the first half of the team’s first game back from Leagues Cup play.
MLS veteran Ismael Tajouri-Shradi for the second consecutive game started in Hlongwane’s place. Meanwhile, Hassani Dotson again moved to the left-side attacking position while Rosales again dropped back to left back.Valentin, in turn, started at right back for Taylor in his 200th MLS career game.
“Zarek has already proved he’s very abled,” Heath said.. “He knows his league. He knows it inside-out. I don’t have any hesitation of putting Zarek straight back in that position.”