Minnesota United will loan out midfielder Rasmus Schuller to Helsinki-based club Helsingin Jalkapalloklubi from Finland's top division, the Finnish club confirmed. The Finnish national team member played for the club from 2012-15.

Schuller played only seven matches, with four starts, for United. His most recent appearance was June 17 and most recent start April 15..

United's director of player personnel, Amos Magee, reiterated that Schuller "is a player [the Loons] still believe in."

Schuller's departure opens up a senior roster spot for winger Ethan Finlay, a Duluth native whom United officially announced Wednesday before the end of the transfer window that night.

Finlay comes to the Loons in a trade with the Columbus Crew SC in exchange for a combination of general allocation money and targeted allocation money: $100,000 in targeted allocation money this season as well as $250,000 in targeted allocation money and $75,000 in general allocation money in the 2018 season. A source close to the team said in order for United to comply with the salary cap, Columbus is holding a portion of Finlay's $290,000 salary, and United will pay that portion back to Columbus next year with money that will be available then. So the allocation money in the deal will come off as $425,000 but is actually $300,000.

MEGAN RYAN

Burnham advances in match play

Sarah Burnham of Maple Grove made a birdie on the 16th hole and defeated Indonesia's Tatiana Wijaya 1-up in the U.S. Women's Amateur match play at San Diego Country Club. Burnham advances to the round of 32 on Thursday against California's Lilia Kah-Tu Vu, who rallied from an early 2-down deficit to beat Chanhassen's Brenna Lervick 4-and-3.

U volleyball ranked No. 4

The Gophers volleyball team enters the 2017 season as the fourth-ranked team in the nation, announced Wednesday by the American Volleyball Coaches Association.

Texas (1), Stanford (2), Washington (3) and Nebraska (5) round out the top five. Minnesota is set to face nine teams ranked in the preseason poll, eight of which hail from the Big Ten. The Cornhuskers, Penn State (6), Wisconsin (7), Michigan (16), Michigan State (17), Ohio State (21) and Purdue (25) are ranked, while the Gophers face nonconference opponents Texas and North Carolina (11) during the first three weeks of the regular season.

Minnesota returns 11 letter winners this season and welcomes in the nation's fourth-rated recruiting class.

The Gophers open the season Aug. 25-26 in Madison, Wis., taking on the Tar Heels and Louisville in conjunction with the Big Ten/ACC Challenge.