Minnesota United completed some crucial business, but it doesn’t appear everything was checked off the club’s wish list as the summer transfer window closed Wednesday night.
The Loons have finalized the acquisition of Argentine attacking midfielder Joaquin Pereyra but probably won’t add a defensive midfielder as the clock ticked toward the midnight end of MLS’s midseason opportunity to deal.
Pereyra, a left-footed 25-year-old playmaker from Atletico Tucuman, comes in as a Designated Player, the Pioneer Press understands. That would be two new DPs under Chief Soccer Officer Khaled El-Ahmad this summer, along with striker Kelvin Yeboah who was added in July.
Going into Wednesday, United was linked in the pursuits of two 22-year-old D-mids: Slovakian Tomas Rigo and Hungarian Mihaly Kata. And 26-year-old Argentine defensive midfielder Santiago Longo first appeared on the Loons’ radar Wednesday.
But all three efforts were reportedly thwarted by the players’ current clubs over financial offers.
With Pereyra done, the Loons will go with the three-DP route in MLS’s new roster-building options this season. They will need to use allocation money to buy down midfielder Robin Lod’s salary to take him off the DP line and be roster-compliant. The three DPs will be Teemu Pukki, Yeboah and Pereyra.
MNUFC had purchased Alejandro Bran’s contract from Costa Rican club Herediano and loaned him to Burton Albion in England’s League One on Monday; that indicated the club had two vacant international slots available for new foreign players: Pereyra and a D-mid.
The Loons still have an opportunity to add a free agent defensive midfielder before the roster freeze deadline Sept. 13, or they might opt to pursue one in the offseason.
On the grass
Two of the new Loons additions — right back Matus Kmet and center back Jefferson Diaz — trained in Minnesota for the first time on Tuesday. Yeboah was expected to join them in Blaine on Wednesday.
During one drill, Diaz and Kmet were inserted into a potential starting back line for when the Loons are set to restart MLS play Aug. 24 versus Seattle Sounders. They were on the field with left wingback Joseph Rosales and center backs Micky Tapias and Michael Boxall.
Loons head coach Eric Ramsay commented on Kmet for the first time Tuesday. Kmet, 24, comes from AS Trencin in Slovakia’s top division.
“I think this is all worth putting into perspective relative to the level that he’s come from — of course, this is going to be a big step up (to MLS),” Ramsay said. “But definitely at that level, he’s a very technical player.”
With the Loons struggling to keep possession this season, Ramsay sees Kmet as a player who can bring connection.
“He’s definitely someone that can add in that sense,” Ramsay said. “He’s very composed, not necessarily up and down, dynamic wing back/fullback type, but more on (he’s) going to be able to handle the ball, he’s gonna be able to create chances. He’s gonna be able to pass back inside the pitch to give the team some continuity in longer spells of possession. In that sense, I think he brings a different dimension.”
Kmet, who is listed at 5-foot-8, comes in as one of the smallest and slightest players on the team, while Diaz, who is marked at 6-foot-1, is one of the tallest and most imposing.
Potential schedule conflict
If Seattle beats LAFC in a Leagues Cup quarterfinal Saturday, the Loons-Sounders MLS game at Allianz Field on Aug. 24 will need to be rescheduled.
With a victory, the Sounders would be guaranteed a spot in either the Leagues Cup final or third-place match to be played on Aug. 25.
MNUFC has not played since July 30 and wants to get back on the field in a timely fashion. To build up to the planned game on Aug. 24, the Loons will have a closed intra-squad scrimmage this weekend.
It’s unclear when that potentially rescheduled game might take place. The Loons are next set to play at San Jose on Aug. 31.
Briefly
Leading scorer Tani Oluwaseyi (hamstring) was progressing in his rehab Tuesday. He was jogging on the side and doing some ball work. … Sang Bin Jeong returned to MNUFC after taking an extended period to deal with a personal matter. He participated in training Tuesday. … Pereyra had been courted by New England Revolution earlier this year.
