Ex-Loons midfielder Ozzie Alonso signs free-agent contract with Atlanta United

Ozzie Alonso, a defensive midfield fixture with Minnesota United for the past three seasons and the club's captain, signed a free-agent contract with Atlanta United on Thursday.

Alonso, 36, is a four-time Major League Soccer all-star selection who has played 13 seasons in MLS, the first 10 with Seattle. He signed with the Loons before the 2019 season and helped anchor a defense that has since shown marked improvement. He played 61 games with Minnesota, compiling three goals and three assists and helping the Loons make the MLS playoffs for the first time in 2019.

He played 1,412 minutes over 24 games last season.

Alonso scored the Loons' first goal at Allianz Field on April 13, 2019, against New York City FC.

Atlanta United said on its website that Alonso agreed to a one-year contract with a club option for 2023.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that Alonso would receive the senior minimum salary and would be on Atlanta's supplemental roster, so he wouldn't count against the salary cap.

Also Thursday, Minnesota United chose goalkeeper Eric Dick in the MLS re-entry draft. Dick was a first-round pick of Sporting Kansas City in the 2018 SuperDraft and has one MLS appearance in three seasons. If he agrees to contract terms with the Loons, he would join Tyler Miller, Dayne St. Clair and Fred Emmings as goalkeepers on the team's roster.

Among the other five players chosen in Thursday's draft was midfielder Jan Gregus, who like Alonso spent the past three seasons with the Loons, posting two goals and 18 assists in 63 appearances. Gregus, chosen by San Jose, was one of the Loons' higher-paid designated players. His playing time diminished appreciably over the last half of the 2021 season.

The re-entry draft is for veteran players who were out of contract or did not have their contract options renewed.

— Star Tribune staff