The start of Minnesota United’s 10th season in MLS comes with a large amount of turnover that churns up big questions.
In 2025, the Loons set a club record of 58 points and reached the Western Conference semifinals for a second straight postseason. The bar has been firmly set.
But since November, Minnesota has seen its head coach, Eric Ramsay, exit for a return home to England to coach a second-tier club, West Bromwich Albion; reigning MLS goalkeeper of the year, Dayne St. Clair, leave in free agency for MLS super club Inter Miami; and United’s MLS-era leading goal scorer, Robin Lod, depart for a longer contract with Chicago Fire.
The newcomers include longtime assistant Cameron Knowles promoted to head coach; former Miami ‘keeper Drake Callender stepping into net; and the shocking signing of Colombian superstar James Rodriguez on a short term deal to the FIFA World Cup in June and perhaps through the rest of the MLS season in December.
The Loons’ anniversary season starts at Austin FC at 7:30 p.m. Saturday and here are four burning questions going into the campaign:
Can MNUFC maintain its top-tier status?
Pundits league-wide have responded with a resounding no.
As a collective, the predictions don’t have MNUFC falling off a cliff this season, but the consensus is Minnesota will take at least one step backward over these upcoming 34 matches.
“People will always see things from the outside and internally we have a really driven group of players,” Knowles said this week. “We have guys that have high expectations. We have guys that are at various points in their careers, some that are coming in young, hungry, ready. Others that are getting toward the end that are desperate to have a chance to win something.
“The statement of intent from the players through the course of preseason is that they have attacked every moment and stacked a lot of good days together. They went after the preseason games as if they were regular-season games and I’m excited to see what happens when the whistle blows come Saturday. I think we have a really motivated group.”
What style of play will Knowles implement?
The new head coach wants to make “subtle changes” to the style Ramsay had success with over two seasons: a compact defensive structure, with an ability to score on set pieces.
Where Knowles wants to put the biggest fingerprint on the team is with a higher line of confrontation and in purposeful possession. A year ago, Minnesota was dead last in MLS in possession (39.7%) and their low block defending was considered by supporters of Seattle Sounders, whom MNUFC bounced out of the playoffs, to be a crime against soccer.
“We are trying to get them to be a little bit more aggressive higher up the field in the way they defend, trying to use the ball better, control the game with the ball a little bit better,” Knowles said.
The Loons went 1-1-1 across three preseason matches, and in those friendlies, Knowles showed he favors a four-man back line instead of the five Ramsay used during his two seasons.
Can new players seamlessly replace the old ones?
This is to be determined.
Callender won’t have the same elite shot-stopping ability that St. Clair showed over his MNUFC tenure, but the aim is to make that difference as negligible as possible.
The Loons traded for attacking midfielder Tomas Chancalay from New England around the same time Lod picked Chicago. Lod was a versatile playmaker for MNUFC for half a decade, while Chancalay continues to search for the form he had before an ACL tear in mid-2024.
The Loons also went within MLS to add central midfielder Peter Stroud and right back Kyle Duncan, who were both previously with New York Red Bulls. Both veterans who should be able to slide in.
MNUFC made one other international addition in 21-year-old Colombian winger Mauricio Gonzalez but he has yet to receive his work visa and will likely need more time to acclimate to a new league and country.
What will James provide Minnesota?
This question comes last, but is far from least important.
MNUFC’s objective to be more on the front foot offensively comes hand in hand with how much the former Real Madrid and Bayern Munch No. 10 can provide on the field.
The quality the UEFA Champions League winner has within his left foot is not debatable, but how much he has left in his 34-year-old legs will be watched closely as he prepares for what is expected to be his final World Cup.
“I’m in a stage where I can’t fail, where I have to do things right,” James said in Spanish at his introductory news conference in early February. “I’m very focused on that. It’s true and everyone was right that (getting ready for the World Cup) was one of the big reasons I was able to come here. The club made it clear that they can help me with that.”
The Loons will be asking Rodriguez to be a two-way player, so his willingness to defend will be part of the criteria to be a fulcrum on the field.
Rodriguez received his work visa this week, but he did not travel with team to Texas on Wednesday, putting a debut Saturday in serious doubt. The next opportunity will be in the home opener at Allianz Field on Feb. 28 vs. FC Cincinnati.
The Loons have only 15 league games before the World Cup break in June and will need to determine before that if they will exercise Rodriguez’s contract option for the rest of the season.
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