Minnesota United coach Adrian Heath was conspicuously missing from practice this past Wednesday and Thursday. It was certainly a lot quieter without his loud English accent ringing out instructions.
Heath and sporting director Manny Lagos flew south on a scouting mission, reportedly for 30-year-old Club America forward Darwin Quintero. Upon his return Friday, Heath said the trip was "good" and that he saw "a lot of good players," but he didn't go into much more detail than that.
But the fact that Heath would miss two valuable days of training ahead of the home opener Saturday to pursue a player shows the signing must be a priority.
"We've said all along that if the right players became available, we'd try to do it," Heath said. "The one thing I know is, I think we've got a really core group. And the one thing that I promised the players last year was that we would get better, and the way we get better is by bringing more talent into the group. And that's what were trying to do.
"I'm hopeful in the next two or three weeks to add a minimum two, maybe three players that will all be vying for a first-team place. So that will be good for everybody, I think."
United has until May 1, when the primary transfer window closes, to make moves.
USL unlikely
United CEO Chris Wright spoke during halftime of United's game Saturday, and one of the interesting points was about a United Soccer League team.
MLS teams typically either field their own second-division team or affiliate with an existing one as a way to gain playing time for their reserve players. Wright said a USL team is on his two-year strategic plan but still "on the horizon."