Darwin Quintero's ankle is improved, status uncertain for Saturday

Minnesota United star Darwin Quintero didn't train with the team Tuesday and just worked on his own after he injured an ankle in the first half Sunday against D.C. United.

His status for the team's home game Saturday against Seattle was uncertain Tuesday.

Quintero played the first half's remaining 15-plus minutes and the first six minutes of the second half with limited mobility before Miguel Ibarra came on for him.

Afterward, coach Adrian Heath said Quintero was in a lot of pain, but he was better by Tuesday.

"He's a lot better than we thought," Heath said. "He's doing a little bit of work inside, so I don't know about the weekend. We'll have to see over the next couple days, really."

Teammate Angelo Rodriguez left late in the game Sunday as well after he took a hit to a leg. But he said afterward that it was nothing and he was out for the start of training today. He and veteran midfielder Ozzie Alonso left the field early together after light training Tuesday.

There will lots of talk between today and Saturday because it will be Alonso's first game against his former Sounders team after he played 10 years there. I'll have more on that to come as the week goes on.

"It will be emotional," he said about Saturday's game. "I have to do my best for Minnesota. Play my game, you know? I know Seattle, but it's a different game. I do my best for Minnesota."

Said Heath: "It'll be a special day for him at the weekend, but knowing Ozzie, he'll treat it exactly the same and the only thing that will be on his mind is we've got to win the game."

Alonso is set to throw out the first pitch Wednesday night at the Twins-Astros game at Target Field.

Heath has done those honors before.

"You've got to go with velocity," Heath said. "You've got to get it over the plate. The catcher who caught mine, his hands have almost healed. There was that much velocity on the pitch, so we'll see how he does. Cuba, hey, they play that game. It was a one-off for me."

Before United moves on to Saturday's game, a look back at Sunday's 1-0 victory over D.C. United:

I asked goalkeeper Vito Mannone if he had a chance to see on video the first-half goal by D.C. United that video replay overruled. FS1's broadcast crew in the booth didn't see an obvious foul committed against Mannone as he tried to rise to punch out a ball that D.C.'s Donovan Pines headed over him and into the goal.

(See photo above).

"It's funny how those commentators don't see the fouls," Mannone said. "But if you try and jump and somebody is hanging on your shoulder, it is difficult to jump, I guess. So for me, it was a foul. The ref was onto my page straightaway and it was good that he checked it again. It's like me holding the header's head, so he can't score. It's same thing for me. I'm using my hands to go up and somebody pulls my hand down and I think it is a foul."

The Loons' first home victory allowed them to hear their supporters fill the new stadium with their post-match tribute song for the first time.