Kelvin Yeboah helps Minnesota United break out of slump with blowout win

The Minnesota United had been skidding until this weekend's five-goal blowout win against one of the better teams in the Western Conference.

"Been a lot of talks about expected goals and all this sort of stuff. But in the end, when we play together and we stick together, everybody can score," said Loons forward Kelvin Yeboah. "If the team wins, that's the most important thing."

Yeboah scored two goals in the win against San Jose. They were his first tallies since May. It was a return to the starting lineup after he was relegated to a limited off-the-bench role in the previous two games.

"When you've been out of the team, that's exactly what you want to see when you come back into it. I thought he was excellent," said United manager Cameron Knowles. "He was excellent on the ball. He was excellent off the ball. There were times where was defending like a right winger, defending like a left winger, getting behind the ball, pressing in the right moments."

For the first time, Yeboah was paired up top in the formation with Marcus Caldeira. The two-striker combo was a resounding success in their debut.

"It was amazing because we have played together never," said Yeboah. "So, to go into the game and see such a connection and understanding. I think when everybody understands his roles, awareness in the game becomes a lot easier. Yeah, it was surprisingly good."

Because of a hot scoring start this winter, Yeboah, currently with 10 goals, has a shot at the Loons single-season record.

"As a forward, you just want to score as many as possible," he said. "I don't even try to focus on how many I've scored. I was speaking to my uncle; he always says, 'Forget it.' Because the next is the most important goal that you have to focus on."