With promising early returns on investment from the Primary Transfer Window, Minnesota United find themselves in a strong position after 14 matches: above the playoff line in the Western Conference standings. And after Sunday's match against the Philadelphia Union, they have a chance to be tied for 4th place (4 pm ET | MLS LIVE on ESPN+ in USA; MLS LIVE on DAZN in Canada).
The Loons look the part of a playoff team, too.
In the world of MLS, that can all change quickly, which means Minnesota have another crucial transfer window coming up to ensure they remain ensconced on the right side of the divider.
Newcomers Ike Opara, Romain Metanire, Ozzie Alonso, Jan Gregus and Vito Mannone have solidified the club's spine, but a pair of outgoing moves towards the end of the last window leaves the club with flexibility – both with allocation money and roster slots – to add to the team this summer.
“The window will be an interesting one for us," Loons sporting director Manny Lagos told MLSsoccer.com on Wednesday. "We want to think about areas of the field that make sense in both the short and long term. Loaning Romario [Ibarra] out leaves us some opportunities to think about what kind of pieces would fit in the wide positions. Certainly moving [Francisco] Calvo opens up a position too that we can really try and address that can help us push the club forward."
Calvo had been playing left back for Minnesota this season before his trade to Chicago, leaving Eric Miller, Hassani Dotson and Miguel Ibarra deputizing the position for now. It's an area that the club have put a priority on.
Angelo Rodriguez, Darwin Quintero and Adrian Heath | USA Today Sports Images
“Left back is very important for us to focus on primarily, then after that, it has to be a combination of right time, right players that would make sense for the long term," Lagos said. "We’re looking for the right player and right fit. I’ve been doing this long enough to know that doesn’t necessarily mean you can get deals done in a business that, it’s really hard [to] sign and get deals across the line. It’s a position we’re looking very hard to add to the roster.”
The flexibility grants Lagos room to get creative. Any potential acquisitions this summer could be a rotational piece or a bigger investment.
“Everything, truthfully, is all in play," he admitted. "A lot of it has to do with where we are with allocation, resources and comfort level in investment appropriate for players, which goes all the way up to the ownership group.”
Minnesota have enjoyed a positive start to the season, hovering above the playoff line for most of the year despite starting the season with a five-game road trip awaiting the opening of Allianz Field. Given that the Loons have struggled on the road in each of their first two years in the league, that in and of itself was a welcome sign.
"The balance between attack and defense has been steady," Lagos said when noting positives to the season thus far. "When you combine that with excitement, stress and adversity of opening a new stadium that encompasses the entire club. I think we handled that really well on and off the field. Certainly we would have wanted to be a little more consistent, but overall we’ve hit some bumps and reacted really well. We have a lot more of this story to grow and tell, but we’ve handled adversity well so far this year.”
As for areas to work on, well, Lagos wants his team to prove their mettle this summer as the fixtures pile up and the pressure intensifies to make the playoffs for the first time since joining MLS.
“No matter what as the group evolves and continues to evolve, the ability to deal with the summer months of MLS is a grind," Lagos said. "To me, that’s one area that’s really important for us to show we can gain points throughout a tough week.”
A player key to consistency this summer is Darwin Quintero. The Designated Player hasn't contributed a goal or assist in his last six matches, but that can change quickly.
Quintero hit a stretch last summer where he racked up seven goals and seven assists in eight games.
"For Darwin, he’s a creator and goal scorer," Lagos said. "Those type of players sometimes, whether because of fitness or form, come or go. We fully expect he’s going to come back into good form soon.”
