Roster depth could serve Minnesota United well when play resumes

After last season ended with a first-round playoff loss at Allianz Field, Minnesota United went and acquired players — three of them in their mid-20s and still notably MLS experienced — chosen to provide depth when others are called for national-team duty, injured, ill or needed for U.S. Open Cup or Leagues Cup competitions.

Its management never imagined those moves might be needed for a condensed schedule.

MLS on Thursday suspended its season for 30 days because of coronavirus concerns, shuttering the Loons' scheduled Sunday home opener and likely three more consecutive games at Allianz Field.

There's no telling exactly when games will resume, how many will be postponed and what the league's options will be when it resumes. MLS officials could decide to shorten the regular season's number of games, lengthen the calendar to absorb the missed games or add midweek games to make up those missed games.

If an already busy schedule gets even busier, Loons coach Adrian Heath will call upon newcomers Raheem Edwards, Marlon Hairston and Jacori Hayes — all acquired in trades, all young and MLS experienced — as well 29-year-old striker Aaron Schoenfeld now back after he played four seasons in Israel.

"I'm excited about the depth of our team," Loons veteran midfielder Ethan Finlay said. "I probably say that year after year. But that's what we should be saying. We should be saying we're getting better and better and it's getting harder and harder for decisions to be made. I really do believe that. When I got my big opportunity years ago, I was way down the depth chart."

Heath has left Hayes and young designated player Thomas Chacon off the team's gameday 18 — the 11 starters and seven substitutes — while starting the season with victories at Portland and San Jose. He calls the increased competition the kind of problem every coach wants.

"The fact is, we have that depth now," Heath said. "We have one or two options now to decide which way we go. We have people who have waited and are champing at the bit. I've said to the first team: The people who are in charge of the [starters'] shirts at the moment, it's all about the quality of their performance to keep them because we do have the depth to bring people, to make changes."

The league's 30-day suspension includes a practice moratorium for teams until this coming week. The interruption will allow time for veteran midfielder Kevin Molino's hamstring strain sustained last weekend at San Jose time to heal, and young midfielder Hassani Dotson will be back from U.S. men's national Olympic qualifying team play.

Acquired in the November trade that sent star Darwin Quintero to Houston, Hairston turns 26 in a week and has already played six MLS seasons, starting 73 of the 107 games he has played with Colorado and Houston. The Rapids selected him 12th overall in the 2014 SuperDraft.

"My seventh year, played over 100 games now," Hairston said. "Youth is a good movement in the league right now. You see a bunch of teams jumping on the trend. I'm starting to feel like a vet, but I still feel part of the youth movement also. I've been in the league awhile now and I haven't won anything. I want to win. Hopefully, we can bring some hardware to the club."

Edwards is 24 and was part of an MLS Cup champion with a Toronto FC team that also won the Supporters' Shield when he was 22. He played 21 games, starting 10 that season, before LAFC selected him in the 2017 expansion draft and traded him to Montreal. The Loons obtained him in a February trade with Chicago.

"We've got guys now we've played in this league, who've won a MLS Cup and played in some of these other (cup) competitions," Finlay said. "That kind of experience is invaluable."

Heath targeted those players knowing that his first 18 could be without Dotson, Robin Lod, Jan Gregus and possibly others such as Chase Gasper when FIFA international play resumes as well.

"That's one of the things we're hoping come through in tough parts of the year, that there's no drop-off with any of our players," Loons veteran defender Ike Opara said Tuesday before MLS suspended the season. "That's the sign of a good team, when you can replace one, two, three, four guys and the results are still there. We'll be tested at that many times this year. I still like our ability and our group to get the results."

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