✔ Five key new additions for Minnesota United
Minnesota United 2019 roster
Here's a look at the Loons team for the MLS season.
GOALKEEPERS
No.NameName/HometownAgeHgt.Wgt.Hometown1Vito Mannone306-2170Desio, Italy✔ He's United's only player with English Premier League experience, 82 games over a decade with Sunderland and Arsenal, which signed him at age 17. "It's always nice to come with a new club," he said. "This one is different for me, different culture, different kind of football. I'll bring whatever I learned in my career and hopefully I can help the guys." 33Bobby Shuttleworth316-2205Tonawanda, N.Y.97Dayne St. Clair216-3165Pickering, Ontario
DEFENDERS
No.NameName/HometownAgeHgt.Wgt.Hometown15Michael Boxall306-2200Auckland, New Zealand5Francisco Calvo265-11170San Jose, Costa Rica31Hassani Dotson315-11170Federal Way, Washington77Chase Gasper236-0185Alexandria, Virginia14Brent Kallman286-2190Woodbury2Carter Manley225-11170Elkridge, Maryland19Romain Metanire285-10159Metz, France✔ United coach Adrian Heath praises his fitness and says he has been what was expected, if not more: competitive, athletic, good in both boxes and loves to attack from the right-back position. "He's going to attack more," left back Francisco Calvo said. "Sometimes I go and feel like I'm a striker because I try to score. Romain, he shows in a few days he's going to help us a lot."4Eric Miller266-0175Woodbury22Wyatt Omsberg226-4180Scarborough, Maine3Ike Opara306-2180Durham, North Carolina✔ Acquired from Sporting K.C., the 2017 MLS Defender of the Year provides a physical presence. Said Heath, "His athleticism to get out of trouble, you don't realize it until you actually see it yourself … Our goals-against column has been there for everybody to talk about, and we have to do something about that. We've upgraded to do that."
MIDFIELDERS
No.NameName/HometownAgeHgt.Wgt.Hometown6Osvaldo 'Ozzie' Alonso335-11155San Cristobal, Cuba✔ Ten years in MLS and four times an All-Star, all in Seattle, where he is beloved. United maneuvered to acquire him on waivers. "We know what we've got," United coach Adrian Heath said. "When you look at the top people at his position, is he in the top two or three? I would think so. For us, it's a big pickup."–Sam Cronin325-10165Atlanta13Ethan Finlay285-9165Marshfield, Wis.8Jan Gregus286-3170Nitra, Slovakia✔ United's third and final designated player, acquired from Copenhagen FC, where he said time had come to move on. A long-distance scoring threat who's also a free-kick and set-piece specialist. His height (he's 6-3) helps defend them, too. "He has played on a big stage at a high level," teammate Ethan Finlay said. "Guys like that hit the ground running in MLS."10Miguel Ibarra285-6145Lancaster, Calif.11Romario Ibarra245-9169Atuntaqui, Ecuador17Collin Martin245-11150Chevy Chase, Md.18Kevin Molino285-8155Carenage, Trinidad and Tobago25Darwin Quintero315-5142Tumaco, Columbia20Rasmus Schuller275-10148Espoo, Finland
FORWARDS
No.NameName/HometownAgeHgt.Wgt.Hometown99Abu Danladi235-10170Takoradi, Ghana9Angelo Rodriguez295-11176Isla de San Andres, Columbia23Mason Toye206-3180South Orange, N.J
Minnesota started only two strikers against Seattle, leaving Sang Bin Jeong and Joseph Rosales to provide the width behind Teemu Pukki and Kelvin Yeboah.