Minnesota United signs Colombian transfer Jefferson Diaz as Necaxa awaits in Leagues Cup

MINNESOTA UNITED | ANALYSIS

Tuesday night, Minnesota United plays against Necaxa from Liga MX. It’s a rare chance for the Loons to play against an opponent that fans don’t know much about — and it comes at a time when Minnesota is remaking its squad.

The Loons have now officially made two signings in the summer transfer window. Monday, they added center back Jefferson Diaz after officially signing forward Kelvin Yeboah over the weekend.

They are also close to completing a deal for Slovakian right back Matúš Kmeť, according to a source. Km󠅥eť, who plays for AS Trenčín in Slovakia, just missed out on making Slovakia’s team for the European championships this summer; he was included in the country’s initial squad, but was one of six players cut from the final 26-man roster.

It’s an appropriate time for the Loons to be thinking about defensive replacements. Friday against Seattle, Minnesota United was missing all three players who have started a game at right back this season — one of whom, Sang Bin Jeong, is better known as a forward, anyway. The Loons had to fill in with Loïc Mesanvi, a call-up from the second team who is also better known as a forward.

MNUFC has been short at center back this season, too. Nine different players have played center back, including four who weren’t considered center backs when the season began.

All of this helps explain why the team’s second signing of the window is a center back. Diaz comes to Minnesota after playing 50 games for Deportivo Cali, one of the biggest teams in his native Colombia. The 23-year-old is signed with the Loons through the summer of 2027, with a team option through the summer of 2028.

According to manager Eric Ramsay, Diaz will slot in as a right-sided center back, filling the role previously held by the now-departed Kervin Arriaga. Since Arriaga was sold to FK Partizan, the Loons have tried filling in with both fullback DJ Taylor and midfielder Carlos Harvey (as well as veteran Michael Boxall). Neither Taylor nor Harvey was as much of a success, as a convert to center back, as Arriaga was.

“It’s a part of the team that is really important for us in how we want to use the ball,” Ramsay said. “[Diaz] will bring a real physical presence, but also an intent with the ball — he’s comfortable on the ball, [and] has real personality, I would say, from the games I’ve seen.”

Diaz has not yet joined up with the Loons, since now that he’s signed his contract, he has to get his visa before he can officially play in the United States. Ramsay said that the team is targeting the resumption of the MLS season, August 24th against Seattle, to introduce both Diaz and Yeboah.

As for the more pressing matter of Necaxa, the Loons come into the game with their backs against the wall, in terms of the Leagues Cup.

The Loons need to win — either in regulation, or on penalties — to keep their hopes of getting out of their three-team group. Ramsay, though, says he’s not feeling the pressure.

“We’re completely focused on ourselves and our performance,” he said (in Spanish translated).“We have the opportunity to use players that haven’t played much recently.”

That would include players such as Wil Trapp and DJ Taylor, both of whom will be available for the first time in weeks, though Ramsay confirmed that neither would start the game. Caden Clark, who also missed Friday’s game because of an unspecified injury, is also “in contention,” according to the manager. Boxall remains with the New Zealand Olympic team, and Jeong is away from the team for personal reasons.

Necaxa is a team outside the big cities in its country, but trying to find a way to make a name for itself. Formerly of Mexico City, the team moved to Aguascalientes — more than 250 miles northwest of Mexico City — for the 2003 season. The club might be best known for having celebrity minority owners, including Wrexham AFC owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenny, who reportedly purchased a 5% stake in Necaxa earlier this year.

Reynolds and McElhenny also reportedly sold a 5% stake in Wrexham to Necaxa’s owners, who include actress Eva Longoria, Astros pitcher Justin Verlander, supermodel Kate Upton, NBA star Victor Oladipo, and German soccer star Mesüt Özil — and have started filming a documentary about Necaxa, in the style of FX’s popular “Welcome to Wrexham.”

On the field, they have what Ramsay called a “style that’s quite different, in comparison to what we’ve experienced.” According to the manager, Necaxa likes to mark opposition teams man-to-man, a big departure from the usual zonal schemes. It’s something MLS hasn’t seen much of since former San Jose Earthquakes manager Matias Almeyda tried it, without resounding success.

It will be something different at Allianz Field for Loons fans. And as Minnesota United continues to bring in new players, they’re looking for something different from the home team as well.