Bongokuhle Hlongwane shines again for Minnesota United in MLS
SA attacker Bongokuhle Hlongwane continued his fine run of form in Major League Soccer [MLS], putting in another stellar performance for Minnesota United against LA Galaxy on Thursday morning.
Hlongwane was on the scoresheet to help his team, Minnesota United, secure a draw of 2-2 in a league tie with LA Galaxy at the Allianz Field Stadium.
The goal was the third of the season for Bafana Bafana attacker Bongokuhle Hlongwane, coming in just his third start. The versatile 23-year-old has impressed in all nine of his league appearances this campaign, consistently injecting energy into Minnesota United’s play.
He has only missed two league games, which were the first two games of the campaign.
BONGOKUHLE HLONGWANE BREAKS THE DEADLOCK
Minnesota started the game on a front foot, with Hlongwane breaking the deadlock in the 30th minute of the showpiece.
However, a minute after Hlongwane was substituted in the 61st minute, Galaxy came back to equalise in the 61st minute through Dejan Joveljić. Diego Fagúndez added to the scoreline to give the visitors the lead seven minutes after the restart.
Minnesota were never discouraged. They bounced back to level matters in the 80th minute of the contest courtesy of Kervin Arriaga. The game ended in a draw.
As things stand, Hlongwane’s Minnesota are currently placed second in the MLS Western Conference table with 21 points from 11 games.
BONGOKUHLE HLONGWANE SNUBBED FROM BAFANA BAFANA SQUAD
Hlongwane will be looking to better his numbers from last season. He scored 17 goals in 38 games across all competitions and contributed five assists for his MLS side, Minnesota.
Bafana head coach Hugo Broos announced his preliminary squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Nigeria and Zimbabwe on Wednesday. One of the omissions from the squad is Hlongwane. This is despite continuing to put in decent performances for Minnesota.
Broos’ charges will battle out with Nigeria away from home in Uyo on Friday, 7 June. A few days later, they will face Zimbabwe at the Free State Stadium on Tuesday, 11 June 2024.
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