Minnesota United’s current roster of 26 players needs not only replenishment but proven difference makers.
The summer transfer window, which opens next Thursday, puts Loons Chief Soccer Officer Khaled El-Ahmad in the spotlight to make his first full round of adjustments. El-Ahmad, who arrived in Minnesota in late January, had a truncated first attempt at adding to the roster before the season started and through the primary transfer window into April. He took a wait-and-see approach to what he was inheriting.
El-Ahmad has since had 22 matches (65% of the season) to understand and assess his team — both its potential in a club-record start and its shortcomings in its current club-record six-match losing streak. El-Ahmad has been encouraged by the “resilience” of the shorthanded team to keep fighting amid the recent skid, which has pushed the Loons (8-9-5, 29 points) to 10th place and out of the nine-team Western Conference playoff field.
“My strategy towards this window was the same: it’s to strengthen the team and evaluate and try to be as proactive as we can within the means that we have. And the needs that we need to address,” El-Ahmad said in a wide-ranging interview on Wednesday.
How that pans out for the Loons is yet to be seen. It could range from Designated Players to next tier additions using Targeted Allocation Money to Under-22 Initiative signings and squad players. All appear to be on the table, from newcomers across the formation and to additions both inside MLS and out.
Given the slide, the Loons’ roster can use immediate help from a handful of players even if the window is open until Aug. 14. El-Ahmad is still expected to take a longer-range view of the full roster, and a few windows might be needed before it’s considered adequately reshaped.
El-Ahmad has been more active in moving on from current players than bringing new ones in, including selling two-time MLS All-Star midfielder Emanuel Reynoso to Club Tijuana in Mexico in May, and in June, versatile player Kervin Arriaga to Partizan in Serbia and the underwhelming center back Victor Eriksson to Hammarby in Sweden.
El-Ahmad said the Loons tried earlier this season to extend Arriaga’s contract, which expired in December, after he had performed well in a position switch to center back. But the 26-year-old sought a new challenge in Europe.
MNUFC had an outside transfer offer for Arriaga last season, but El-Ahmad said they got a larger transfer fee for Arriaga this year: $500,000.
“We sold for profit,” El-Ahmad said. “I think it might be the first sale for profit, I’ll say in a long time, because I don’t know historically (at MNUFC). I said it from the beginning, I also want us to be a club that can develop and move players on. The other alternative is (Arriaga) would have left for free (after the season).”
Eriksson was the top addition El-Ahmad brought in last winter and the Loons’ leader chalked up the quick U-turn exit of Eriksson as primarily “situational” — a long offseason for Eriksson, visa issues once he arrived and finding it hard to crack into the first team. He struggled once he got a shot to play in MLS and wasn’t assimilating into the team.
That doesn’t mean El-Ahmad isn’t willing to look in mirror.
MNUFC held a larger sporting staff meeting Wednesday afternoon in Blaine to discuss the club’s second quarter of 2024; they were set to review processes and data points compared to the first quarter. “Just like I want us to improve on the players, we as a club have to look: How can we improve on everything around?” El-Ahmad asked.
The Loons have finalized one signing for the summer: attacker Samuel Shashoua through the 2024 season, with two club options for 2025-26. He has been training with MNUFC since early June and will be eligible for his first match on July 20 vs. San Jose.
Briefly
Captain center back Michael Boxall has been called into the New Zealand team for the Summer Olympics in France. He will remain with Loons for next three MLS matches through July 20 and then head abroad July 21. The Kiwis have three group-stage matches: versus Guinea in Nice on July 25; against USA in Marseille on July 28 and versus France in Marseille on July 31. The Loons play two Leagues Cup matches during that span: at Seattle Sounders on July 26 and host Necaxa of Liga MX on July 30. … Goalkeeper Clint Irwin (groin) returned to the open portion of training on Wednesday. … Right back DJ Taylor (hamstring) might be out a month after aggravating his injury in the 2-1 loss to L.A. Galaxy on Sunday.
