Minnesota United signs rising wingback Joseph Rosales to three-year contract extension

Minnesota United have yet to officially sign any exciting young players in this year’s transfer window — but they have made a move to lock up one they already have.

Thursday, the Loons announced Joseph Rosales had agreed to a contract extension, one that should give him a significant raise — and will tie him to Minnesota through at least the 2027 season.

Rosales, 23, is in his fourth year with Minnesota after arriving on loan during the 2021 season. He steadily earned more responsibility over the past three years, and starting this year, the Loons converted him from a midfielder into a left wingback — a move that made him into one of the team’s breakout stars, in a role that allowed him to use his speed and versatility.

The Honduran said he had opportunities to go elsewhere, but decided to stay with the Loons. “Minnesota is like my home now, and my family is happy,” he said, via translator. “The decision to stay with the club was more for my family. The club has always supported me, has opened doors for me, and I’ll always be very grateful for that.”

Said Loons coach Eric Ramsay: “He’s someone that we love as a player, love as a character, and someone who I think has a really high ceiling in the game. He obviously started the season incredibly well; he represented a lot of what we did at our very best.”

According to an MLS roster update, Minnesota has a number of potential other extension candidates, who — like Rosales, prior to Friday — have only option years left on their contract after this season. Dayne St. Clair, Hassani Dotson, Tani Oluwaseyi and Bongokuhle Hlongwane all fall into that category, as do several others.

Stop this if you’ve heard it before, but the Loons will be missing some key players in Seattle.

Wil Trapp and DJ Taylor are nursing hamstring injuries. Michael Boxall is playing in the Olympics with New Zealand. Sang Bin Jeong is away from the team for personal reasons. And Ramsay all but said flat-out that Robin Lod wouldn’t play Friday, after playing in Wednesday’s MLS All-Star Game in Columbus.

Nothing like beginning a tournament with five starters already out.

The absences do mean a chance to take a look at some other players, including center back Hugo Bacharach, who’s finally returning from a mid-April injury. Bacharach, selected with the ninth pick in the MLS draft last winter, had surgery on his meniscus, then injured his hamstring while trying to recover.

It was unfortunate timing — given Minnesota’s shortage of center backs this year, a healthy Bacharach would almost certainly have gotten some playing time.

“I was never thinking, ‘oh, I missed an opportunity,’” he said. “I was just trying to get ready for the next opportunity, and that’s how I approach the recovery time.”

Bacharach has also developed a relationship with new Loon Samuel Shashoua, who lives in the same building — and last week called Bacharach “useless,” given that Shashoua drives Bacharach to training. The 22-year-old defender, with an opportunity to fire back, wasn’t ready to let that slide. “I’m sure he didn’t mention that every time we have to go get gas, I’m the one paying for the gas,” he said.

MNUFC2 players Loïc Mesanvi and Kage Romanshyn have also been training with the Loons first team this week, and are included on the team’s roster for the Leagues Cup. MLS rules stipulate second-team players can only play in two league games per season, but those limits don’t apply to the Leagues Cup, opening the door for Mesanvi — who’s already played in two MLS games this year — to potentially feature again for the Loons first team.