Minnesota United expected to give Teemu Pukki his first start Wednesday

7:30 p.m. Wednesday at Houston • Streaming on Apple TV's MLS Season Pass; KSTP-AM 1500

Preview: Minnesota United coach Adrian Heath said he expects Teemu Pukki to notch his first start Wednesday at Houston. "The chances of him doing a full 90 [minutes] in what's going to be probably a 100-degree heat is not highly likely. But I think he would draw the start [rather] than come off the bench, and go from there." Heath said. He added that Ismael Tajouri-Shradi, another recent addition to the team, will likely see time off the bench as he did Saturday. Goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair was at his first Loons practice since he was called up to compete in the Concacaf Gold Cup with the Canadian national team nearly a month ago. Starting defender Kemar Lawrence remains with the Jamaican national team, which will face Mexico in the Concacaf Gold Cup semifinals Wednesday. MNUFC (6-8-6) is 11th in the Western Conference, four points behind eighth-place Houston (8-9-4). The teams' U.S. Open Cup matchup on May 23 ended as a dominant 4-0 win for the Dynamo in which midfielder Corey Baird managed a hat trick. Baird is one of three Houston players who've scored three goals in league play, trailing midfielder Amine Bassi's team-leading eight.

Injuries: Sang Bin Jeong (groin) and Emmanuel Iwe (hamstring) were active participants during the open period of Tuesday's practice, though Heath noted they won't likely be available until Saturday's match against Los Angeles FC, at the earliest. Heath said that midfielder Franco Fragapane (thigh) indicated he "felt a lot better today than yesterday." Still, Heath mentioned that he likely won't be available to play this week.