Minnesota United sent starting right back Romain Metanire for imaging on a troublesome hamstring on Tuesday after he made his season debut as a second-half substitute in Sunday's 1-0 loss at Austin FC.
Romain Metanire's possible hamstring setback 'would be huge blow' for Minnesota United
In his season debut Sunday, the Loons' defender "maybe tweaked his hamstring again," coach Adrian Heath said.
April 12, 2022 at 8:16PM
Those 26 minutes played were his first this season on his way back from a hamstring torn in a first-round playoff loss at Portland last fall.
"Hopefully nothing too bad," Loons coach Adrian Heath said. "He maybe tweaked his hamstring again, which would be a huge blow considering we've missed him really for the last four months or so. He didn't really join in with us in the preseason. We felt as though he was over that, so he's going for an MRI."
Heath said after Tuesday's training that he'll know more in the next day or two. The Loons have started veteran Oniel Fisher, Hassani Dotson and DJ Taylor at Metanire's right-back spot in their first six games.
They have scored five goals in those first six games, which they have started 2-2-2 after Sunday's shutout loss.
Recently acquired Kemar Lawrence started at left back Sunday for the first time with his new club and left the game in the 67th minute clutching his leg. He was on the training ground Tuesday.
"He's good," Heath said.
The great outdoors
The Loons trained outside at its National Sports Center facility in Blaine on grass Saturday and Tuesday for the first time this season.
"It's just nice to be outside," Heath said. "Natural light. The surface. The ball coming through truer than it does the artificial. Hopefully that will help one or two issues we have at the moment and we're trying to sort out, predominantly we have to do better in their half of the field."
Mark the calendar
The club announced new dates for two games this season: An Aug. 3 game at LA Galaxy the week before Minnesota United hosts the MLS All Star Game has been moved to 9:30 p.m. Central time on June 29 .
A Saturday home game scheduled that same week for Saturday, July 2, has been moved back a day to 7 p.m. on July 3.
Both will still be carried on Bally Sports North Extra, CW Twin Cities and AM-1500.
Minnesota started only two strikers against Seattle, leaving Sang Bin Jeong and Joseph Rosales to provide the width behind Teemu Pukki and Kelvin Yeboah.
