Bongokuhle Hlongwane returns to Minnesota United starting lineup

FRISCO, TEXAS – Minnesota United forward Bongokuhle Hlongwane returned to his team's starting 11 on Monday night at FC Dallas for the first time he last played, against the very same team on Sept. 3.

FC Dallas scored three goals back then in dizzying succession at Allianz Field, four minutes that Loons coach Adrian Heath termed "madness."

Without Hlongwane, the Loons went 1-3-1. That was part of a longer stretch in which they went 0-5-1 before beating Vancouver at home on Decision Day to make the playoffs for a fourth consecutive season.

Hlongwane trained fully with the team on Saturday. Afterward, Heath said Hlongwane would be eligible to play, but wouldn't guarantee he'd start in a right-attacking spot that newly acquired Mender Garcia filled in his absence.

Garcia scored one goal in five starts without Hlongwane, whom Heath praised for helping the team's 8-1-2 late-summer run before that late-season collapse.

"Bongi was in particularly good form," said Heath, who reunited healthy Robin Lod and Wil Trapp in Monday's starting midfield as well.

Loons star playmaker Emanuel Reynoso remains the club's highest-paid player even before his new, improved contract begins next season, according to MLS players' salaries published by its union.

Reynoso is earning $1.07 million this season, the Loons' only seven-figure salary.

Versatile midfielder Lod isn't far behind with $952,496 total compensation, in salary information compiled as of Sept. 2.

The Loons have six other players earning more than $500,000: Romain Metanire $819,250, Luis Amarilla $785,000, Trapp $784,875, Bakaye Dibassy $743,125, Michael Boxall $655,307 and Hlongwane $580,250.

Other interesting bits: Starting central midfielder Kervin Arriaga earns $103,667 while summer signee and little-used left back Alan Benitez is making a pro rated $437,250 this season.

Newcomer Garcia's annual salary is $322,313 while second-year attacker Franco Fragapane makes $257,496.

Former SuperDraft first-round picks Hassani Dotson and Dayne St. Clair were signed to new contracts that began this season: Dotson is making $457,500 while starting goalkeeper St. Clair is earning $321,875.

Ten family members and friends traveled from Northern California to suburban Dallas to see recently acquired Jonathan Gonzalez probably play his first MLS playoff game.

A designated substitute Monday, Gonzalez was born and raised in Santa Rosa — home to native Minnesotan and famed cartoonist Charles Schulz later in his life — before he signed at age 14 with famed Mexican Liga MX club Monterrey.

"My dad had the pleasure to meet him," Gonzalez said.

Schulz has hockey arenas — a favorite pastime of his — named for him or his creation Snoopy in both St. Paul and Santa Rosa. Schulz died in Santa Rosa in February 2000, 10 months after Gonzalez was born there.

"We would go there [Snoopy's Home Ice arena] when I was 8, 9 years old," he said. "The 'Peanuts' guy and all that, right?"

New York beat Inter Miami 3-0 on Monday night, leaving the Loons-Dallas winner to complete the field for the conference semifinals. Cincinnati visits Philadelphia on Thursday and NYCFC plays at Montreal on Sunday in the East. In the West, LA Galaxy visits rival LAFC on Thursday while Monday night's winner plays Sunday at Austin.