Teemu Pukki has been getting settled in Minnesota, and it’s starting to show on the field.
The new Finnish forward recently moved out of friend/compatriot Robin Lod’s suburban house and into his own home. Pukki’s wife and two daughters have joined him in the U.S., and he shared on social media Friday that they are expecting a third child.
For Minnesota United, Pukki scored in a second consecutive game Saturday, a 1-1 draw with the San Jose Earthquakes at PayPal Park.
Pukki, who ended a 729-minute scoring drought with a goal Wednesday, appeared to have a second goal in Saturday’s game, but he was left smirking when VAR wiped it off due to a handball call on Emanuel Reynoso.
In the 60th minute, Reynoso’s through ball was blasted by Pukki into the top of the net. It was the best finish for Pukki since he arrived from England in early July.
But referee Alexis da Silva and the video-assistant referee met to review the call, and it took minutes for a verdict to be reached: handball on Reynoso earlier in the build up. A slow-motion replay on Apple TV showed the ball bouncing off Reynoso’s shoulder, not his arm.
“The referee gives the goal, so he doesn’t know,” Heath said postgame. “I didn’t make the rules up and I didn’t make (the) ‘clear and obvious’ (requirement) up. That’s what they said. … If you’ve got to look at it for five minutes, I’m sorry, it’s not clear and obvious.”
Minnesota United took an early lead Saturday, but due to poor clearances in its defensive third, it didn’t last.
First, Reynoso stroked a perfectly weighted diagonal pass for Pukki to calmly bring to his right foot and finish in the fourth minute.
A dozen minutes later, MNUFC midfielder Jan Gregus wasn’t able to fully clear lines — a consistent precursor to goals allowed this season. Cade Cowell then benefited from a wicked deflection on his shot past Dayne St. Clair. Later on, the goalkeeper would keep the Loons in the game with five total saves.
Overall, the Loons earned five points from three games in the previous week, and their top expected goal scorer had two tallies.
“We all know what it’s like when you start a new job, or a kid who goes to a new school, it takes you a while to feel comfortable,” Heath said. “It takes you a while to be yourself and integrate within the group. He’s got his family here now. He’s really a close family man. … Having them here now and settled, it will do him a lot of good.”
Briefly
Sang Bin Jeong has been called into South Korea’s Under-23 national team for Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U23 Cup qualification. The Loons will now be without three players for their Sept. 9 game vs. New England. Pukki (Finland) and Joseph Rosales (Honduras) were called up to their respective senior national teams. … Zarek Valentin started at right back on Saturday with DJ Taylor suspended for yellow-card accumulation.
