Minnesota United strikers have had more setbacks than successes in this season’s opening month.

Abu Danladi and Christian Ramirez each has dealt with nagging injuries, and neither has scored in four games. They will have one more chance in March when the Loons (2-2) play MLS expansion cousin Atlanta United (2-1) at 7 p.m. Saturday at TCF Bank Stadium.

Ramirez and Danladi ascended to MLS with aplomb last year, accounting for 46 percent of Minnesota’s 47 goals. Danladi, the first overall pick in the 2017 collegiate draft, finished strong with eight goals and was runner-up in rookie of the year voting. Ramirez, climbing from the lower-level NASL along with the club, scored a team-high 14 goals, which was tied for 11th-most in MLS last year.

This year, Minnesota has six goals — all from midfielders — while Danladi has managed one shot on goal in 56 minutes. Ramirez has none in 278.

During the 3-0 loss to New York Red Bulls last Saturday, United coach Adrian Heath yanked Ramirez, attacker Miguel Ibarra and winger Sam Nicholson in the second half. Postgame, he was critical of his players’ effort, a view he maintained Tuesday.

“I didn’t think we were good enough — the bottom line,” he said.

Heath’s disappointment remained because the GPS monitors players wear showed the lowest amount of distance covered and the fewest higher-speed runs among any of the four games this season. That came a week after the young season’s highs were registered in the home opener, a 2-1 win over Chicago.

“Facts, figures don’t lie,” Heath said.

On Friday, Heath said players have responded this week and will likely need it against Atlanta, which blew Minnesota out, 6-1, in the snowy debut MLS game in Minnesota last March. But the Loons rebounded in a 3-2 road win over Atlanta in October. Heath said Atlanta has one of the most dynamic attacks in MLS, with tens of millions of dollars committed to players paid to score.

But, he added, the October result showed “they give you opportunities to score.”

Danladi began the season as Heath’s starting striker, but hamstring injuries have continued to bother him — a concern dating back to his days at UCLA. A left hamstring pull, originally suffered preseason, was tweaked in the 3-2 loss to San Jose in the season opener March 3. He exited after 29 minutes.

“In my head, it was ‘Oww,’ ” Danladi said. “It really hurt, not in terms of pain, but just (because of) all the work I put in in preseason and it happened right after the season started.”

Danladi missed the next two games and returned to play 27 minutes against Red Bulls last week.

“It’s definitely the same hamstring injury from last year,” he said. “Then there are things that I should be doing more … which (are) the strengthening in the gym after and before training to make sure that I activate my hammy.”

Ramirez subbed on for Danladi in the season opener and promptly rolled his right ankle. He stayed in that game and battled through the next two matches.

“People don’t really know the severity of how my ankle injury was in that first game,” Ramirez said. “Still, to this day, I can’t cut without any pain.

“(Against) Orlando, probably shouldn’t have been out there. Chicago at home was a little bit better; I took a knock to it and turned it sore. New York, I had no option. I had to be out there; we were already really short-handed.” Related Articles Loons’ Adrian Heath, Kei Kamara believe they can strike simpatico partnership

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Ramirez pegged his current health at 75 percent. With the potential of Danladi starting Saturday, rest could aid Ramirez with the bye week coming up. The Loons will next play Portland on April 14.

The context of Ramirez’s injury helps explain his 278-minute scoring drought — the longest of his MLS tenure — but the man fans refer to as “Superman” is trying to remain impenetrable mentally.

“I’m in no rush and no wrong mental state,” he said.