For at least one game every year, Minnesota United retires its traditional black and blue colors for something a bit more colorful.
On Friday evening against FC Dallas, the club will host its fifth annual Pride Night. United has been dedicated to publicly including the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) community since the current ownership group took charge of the then-North American Soccer League team in 2013.
That's in contrast to teams such as the Timberwolves and Twins, which took until this year to organize their first pride nights. The Vikings recently had their first booth at last weekend's Twin Cities Pride Festival, in addition to hosting the first LGBTQ summit by an NFL team.
"This isn't a come-on-lately because it's a fad. This was there on literally that first year when it wasn't nearly as prevalent," Minnesota United owner Bill McGuire said of the team's efforts. "It's the kind of thing we have to make statements about because if you stand back and say nothing … you don't help evoke or create positive change."
McGuire said he and the rest of the ownership group are committed to making sure the club represents its values in its actions, which means supporting and including a diverse community no matter the sexual orientation, gender, race or religion. While the front office never had specific conversations about being on the forefront of societal issues, McGuire said the club was never afraid to lead the way.
In 2013, 12 players and two coaches — including current winger Miguel Ibarra and sporting director Manny Lagos — pledged support to Athlete Ally, an organization that works to end homophobia and transphobia in sports through education, policy and activism. The next year, United became the first pro sports team to sign the pledge as a group, a partnership orchestrated by Nick Rogers, the former team president.
Several more United players pledged again in the Loons' first MLS season, including current players Jerome Thiesson, Marc Burch, Collin Martin and Collen Warner.
A few players also have taken part in a fundraising campaign called Playing for Pride, which North Carolina FC player Austin da Luz started in 2017 as a way to raise money and start conversations after the controversy of the bathroom bill. Last season, Martin and midfielder Sam Cronin were two of about 40 players to take part in the campaign, in which they donated money based on how many games they played and other statistics while encouraging fans to match them. This season, Martin and defender Eric Miller are participating.
