Lod joined the Loons in the middle of the 2019 season. In his four seasons with Minnesota United, he is the club leader in MLS regular season goals scored (22) and is second behind Darwin Quintero (27) in goals scored across all competitions with 26. The Finnish international stands as the Loons current active leading goalscorer.
In 2022, Lod showed off his versatility, playing not just on the right wing and as a false nine, but also slotting in at center-midfield alongside Wil Trapp and Kervin Arriaga throughout the second half of the season. He secured one of the starting center-midfield spots in the club’s 2022 MLS Cup Playoff game at FC Dallas.
2020 was a breakout season for Lod, starting 18 games and scoring seven goals, second in the team for the season. Lod notched his first brace as a Loon in a 4-0 win over Real Salt Lake on September 6 and recorded a “Gentlemen’s Hat Trick,” in the final game of the regular season, providing three assists in a 3-0 win over FC Dallas. The Finnish winger converted to a false-nine in the 2020 MLS Cup Playoffs and scored his first playoff goal in the first round against Colorado Rapids.
Lod was a mid-season transfer from Sporting de Gijon, where he first played in 2018. He made his debut with the Liga 2 side on August 26, scoring his first goal straightaway against Tarragona. During his time with Sporting de Gijon, Lod played 1,212 minutes across 77 games, scoring four goals. Lod began his senior club career playing for Klubi-04 before making his league debut for HJK in 2011 at age 18. He helped HJK win the Veikkausliiga during his second season with the club, then proceeded to help the club win three successive Veikkausliiga titles, the Finnish Cup and the Finnish League Cup. Across four seasons with HJK, Lod played in 120 games, accumulating 21 goals and 17 assists. He was selected as Player of the Year after the 2014 season. Ahead of the 2015-2016 season, Lod joined Panathinaikos of the Greek Superleague where he played for three years. While in Greece, Lod scored eight goals and played 4,773 minutes across 68 games before signing with Sporting de Gijon in 2018.
Lod and his wife Janni spend the offseason in their home in Finland. The two have a daughter named Louisa who enjoys scoring goals in front of the Wonderwall, post-game, at Allianz Field. Before the start of the 2022 season, Lod completed his military requirements as a Finnish citizen.
INTERNATIONAL: Lod currently represents Finland on the Finland National Team. Lod made his international debut in 2013 at age 20 and has more than 50 caps for the national team, including an appearance in the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers. He helped Finland qualify for the UEFA European Championship for the first time during the 2020 qualifying campaign and played in every UEFA Euro 2020 match for Finland.
