Loons score early, hang on for 2-1 home victory over Sporting Kansas City

Minnesota United scored in Saturday's second minute and then held off Sporting Kansas City 2-1 at Allianz Field to win for the second time in five home games this season.

Six days after a victory at formidable Charlotte, the Loons rode that second-minute goal from defender Michael Boxall and a score from Tani Oluwaseyi in the 25th minute the rest of the night.

The Loons now are 5-2-2 overall, Sporting is 2-3-5.

SKC star striker Alan Pulido got one back with a 38th-minute goal.

Boxall's goal was his seventh career MLS goal – and his first since last season's finale at Sporting Kansas City – and it came before another full capacity crowd could settle in.

It came on a corner-kick set piece that he redirected with a stretching right-foot kick at the far post.

Loons midfielder Robin Lod flicked a shot from the near post. It traveled just above traffic to Boxall at the far end of the line and he was able to lift his right foot just high enough to guide the ball into goal.

Oluwaseyi scored his fourth goal this season – and his third in April alone – with a 25th-minute goal, a tap-in near the far post for a 2-0 lead.

Pulido drew his team within 2-1 with a one-touch run from the top of the 18-yard box that converted SKC captain Daniel Salloi's cross into a bouncing shot that eluded Loons keeper Dayne St. Clair.

It was Pulido's third goal this season.

The Loons played on without injured rookie defender Hugo Bacharach (knee surgery) and Jordan Adebayo-Smith (ankle) and remain without star midfielder Emanuel Reynoso, who, for the second consecutive year has remained in Argentina away from the team to start the season.

A goal scorer a week before in a 3-0 victory at Charlotte, midfielder Hassani Dotson on Friday was listed as questionable because of what coach Eric Ramsay calls a hamstring "grumble." Ramsay indicated he might get Dotson in the game for some minutes somehow, but Dotson was neither starter nor sub Saturday night.

Centerback Micky Tapias started the night as a substitute on his way back from an ankle injury. He subbed in for Oluwaseyi in the 65th minute.

Veterans Franco Fragapane, Wil Trapp and Lod started in the midfield below Teemu Pukki and Oluwaseyi up top and a backline that had Joseph Rosales and DJ Taylor on the outsides while Devin Padelford, Boxall and versatile Kervin Arriaga creating a three-man backline between them.

Earlier Saturday, the Loons signed their second-team goalkeeper Alex Smir to a short-term agreement so he could back up St. Clair. He can be called up to the first team one more time this season for MLS action or two more times for non-MLS competition.

Loons attacker Sang Bin Jeong made it back to Minnesota by Saturday's game from playing for his U-23 Korean national team in Asian Cup Olympic qualifying play. But he wasn't deemed ready for the gameday roster after scoring a second-half substitute's goal in Korea's 11-10 penalty kick loss to Indonesia on Thursday that eliminated it from Olympic contention.