UPDATE Tuesday, 11:21 am ET: Minnesota United have signed French fullback Wilfried Moimbe from France’s Ligue 2 side AS Nancy, the club announced Tuesday.
“We’ve added another experienced piece [in Wilfried] to what’s going to be a really important last half of the season – he’s vastly experienced, very athletic,” head coach Adrian Heath said in a statement. “We’ve been so pleased with Chase Gasper’s emergence but we are mindful of the fact that Chase is the only natural left back that we have on the roster at this moment in time. This will bring added competition. It’s another important piece because we want to keep incrementally adding to the squad and improving the already talented roster that we have. We feel as though this will be important for us moving forward for the rest of the season.”
TRANSFER TRACKER STATUS: Reports
Monday, 11 am ET: Minnesota United are fortifying their backline with a summer signing from a familiar source, according to new reports from L'Equipeand The Athletic.
The Loons are expected to complete a transfer deal for veteran French left back Wilfried Moimbe this week, from Ligue 2 (second division) side AS Nancy.
Termed as "a short-term deal that gives Minnesota flexibility at the end of the season" by The Athletic's Minnesota-based correspondent Jeff Rueter, the acquisition injects experience, depth and competition into the left side of MNUFC's defense, where rookie Chase Gasper has been starting of late; former Loons captain Francisco Calvo was traded to Chicago earlier this year.
Moimbe, 30, was previously a teammate of US international Alejandro Bedoya at Nantes, and bears a similar profile to Romain Metanire, the aggressive, endline-to-endline right back who joined Minnesota from France's Reims over the winter and has been a marked success in his first season in MLS.
