Yeboah sparks Minnesota's breakout win
Kelvin Yeboah scored two goals as Minnesota United defeated the San Jose Earthquakes 5-1 on Saturday night, snapping a nine-game winless streak. The win was Minnesota's first since a 3-2 victory at Columbus on May 2, according to the Associated Press.
Minnesota (7-7-7) entered the match ranked 28th of 30 teams in goals with just 22 tallies in 20 matches, as reported by Yardbarker, but erupted for its highest-scoring performance of the season. Joaquín Pereyra had a goal and two assists, while Marcus Caldeira and Mauricio González also scored. Drake Callender recorded five saves for Minnesota, per the Associated Press.
Early penalty puts San Jose ahead
San Jose took an early lead when Timo Werner converted a penalty kick in the fourth minute, awarded after Minnesota defender Jefferson Diaz was called for a handball in the box, as detailed by Yardbarker. Werner, who scored his sixth goal of the season, left the match in the 57th minute with an apparent leg injury.
Minnesota equalized in the 10th minute when Pereyra turned and flicked a shot inside the back post, making it 1-1. The Associated Press described the goal as coming from near the left corner of the six-yard box.
Yeboah takes over before halftime
Yeboah put Minnesota ahead in the 40th minute, corralling a pass inside the box and converting a right-footed shot. The Associated Press reported that Yeboah flicked the ball from the top of the penalty box inside the left post on a counter-attack, his first goal since May 16.
Just four minutes later, Yeboah doubled the lead by gently chipping a first-touch shot over San Jose goalkeeper Angus Gunn, as described by the Associated Press. Yardbarker noted that Owen Gene set up Yeboah's second goal with a pass in the box, and that the goal was Yeboah's team-leading tenth of the season.
Minnesota extends lead in second half
Caldeira scored his first career MLS goal in his fourth appearance in the 65th minute, making it 4-1. Yardbarker reported that Caldeira capitalized on a turnover deep in San Jose's end. González capped the scoring in the 86th minute, heading in a redirected corner kick, according to Yardbarker.
Gunn finished with one save for the Earthquakes, the Associated Press reported.
San Jose's slide continues
The loss extended San Jose's winless run to six straight matches. The Earthquakes (10-8-3) have lost four in a row, the Associated Press reported. Yardbarker provided additional context: San Jose has been outscored 18-5 during their winless drought and, after beginning the regular season with a 9-1-0 record, have gone 1-7-3 in their last 11 league matches.
Minnesota's win also continued its recent dominance over San Jose. According to Yardbarker, Minnesota United are 9-1-4 in their last 14 regular-season matches with San Jose, dating back to the 2019 season.