Preview: Minnesota United vs San Diego - prediction, team news, lineups

Winless in six matches, an out-of-form Minnesota United side will look to get back on track when they welcome San Diego to Allianz Field on Sunday in the latest round of Major League Soccer action.

For the visitors, meanwhile, this weekend's trip offers the chance to secure back-to-back wins for the first time since March and continue their rise up the standings.

Match preview

Minnesota's 2026 MLS campaign has been a rollercoaster so far, although recent results have threatened to turn things into a disaster, with their winless league run now stretching to just under three months - albeit largely due to the World Cup break - following a goalless draw against the Vancouver Whitecaps last time out.

Before that, Cameron Knowles's men won five of their six matches between early April and early May but have managed just three points from the subsequent 18 available. Only Atlanta United and Toronto FC have collected fewer points in that span.

No team has reached the postseason more often than the Loons since 2019, featuring in all but one campaign. Despite their recent woes, they continue to occupy the final play-in spot in the Western Conference, two points clear of the Portland Timbers.

While Knowles retains the full backing of the Minnesota hierarchy, he knows results must improve if his first full season in charge is to be considered a success after taking over from Eric Ramsay.

Sunday's clash sees Minnesota host the team that knocked them out of last season's play-offs, but they have since levelled the head-to-head record at two wins apiece following a 2-1 victory in April.

The Loons now aim to move ahead with maximum points in Minneapolis before beginning their Leagues Cup campaign against Liga MX outfit Juarez.

After back-to-back defeats on either side of the World Cup hiatus, with the latter coming via a 95th-minute dagger, San Diego breathed a huge sigh of relief at the end of Sunday's clash with FC Dallas, claiming a narrow 1-0 win thanks to Alejandro Alvarado Jr's solitary strike.

Capitalising on the Colorado Rapids' 1-0 loss to St Louis, Mikey Varas's men have moved into 12th in the West and now sit just three points outside the play-off places, which is notable considering they had won just one of 13 MLS matches before their latest victory.

However, none of San Diego's struggles can be attributed to a lack of effort, as only the Columbus Crew have covered more distance per game this season, while only the Vancouver Whitecaps have recorded more expected goals on target and expected assists.

All signs point to an upward trajectory for the California-based side, but football does not always follow the script, as Varas knows well from the past two years.

Like Minnesota, Sunday's visitors also have Leagues Cup duty on the horizon. In the meantime, their focus is on returning to winning ways away from home, where they are winless in seven games since March and have failed to score in four of those.

Minnesota United Major League Soccer form:

San Diego Major League Soccer form:

Team News

Minnesota duo Nicolas Romero and Nectarios Triantis are still unavailable, but Carlos Harvey is back in contention after returning to action last time out.

While he is still awaiting his first league goal of the season, Mamadou Dieng is expected to lead the line for the hosts for a third game running.

Kevin Yeboah has scored in two of his four appearances against San Diego and will be aiming to find the net again.

Pablo Sisniega remains sidelined with a back injury, giving CJ Dos Santos another opportunity to start in goal.

Amahl Pellegrino (muscle) and Andres Reyes (leg) are also ruled out this weekend, although the latter is nearing a return.

Twenty-year-old Luca Bombino returned from suspension with a four-minute cameo against Dallas and is likely to feature off the bench again.

Minnesota United possible starting lineup:

Callender; Boxall, Duggan, Diaz; Duncan, Trapp, Gene, Markanich; Pereyra, Yeboah, Dieng

San Diego possible starting lineup:

Dos Santos; Verhoeven, McVey, Duah, Sargeant; Alvarado Jr, Tverskov, Valakari; Dreyer, Ingvartsen, Mighten

We say: Minnesota United 2-1 San Diego

Having won just two of eight home league matches this season, Minnesota United have struggled in front of their fans and approach Sunday's game under increased pressure after a poor run of results.

We are backing them to edge a narrow victory and relieve some of the pressure on Knowles for now.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.