With so many Minnesota United players away from the team, Saturday was a night for Loons firsts.
Victor Eriksson made his first MLS start. Backup goalkeeper Clint Irwin made his first MLS start this season. And all three subs were appearing for the first time, or returning after a long absence: Defender Morris Duggan and midfielder Kage Romanshyn made their first-team debuts, and striker Patrick Weah played his first minutes in MLS since August 2021.
A few weeks ago, the Loons introduced a new display at Allianz Field, the Minnesota Soccer Spotlight. It was meant to highlight Minnesotan players in the squad, to honor those that have come from the local soccer scene and made it all the way to MNUFC and MNUFC2.
They might want to add a tape of part of the second half of the 1-1 draw with FC Dallas to the display. For a few minutes, the Loons had four Minnesotans (Romanshyn, Weah, Padelford and Caden Clark) and two homegrown players (Padelford and Weah) on the field — both of which have to be team records.
Romanshyn, an Apple Valley native who will turn 19 on June 19, looked assured on the field in his 11-minute debut — and nervous afterward, talking to the media in the locker room. “Honestly, it was a surreal experience,” Romanshyn said. “I had so much fun. It kind of felt like a bit of hard work paid off, which was really fun. [I’m] just thankful for the coaches for believing in me.”
He did keep the media in the proper perspective, too. Asked whether it was worse making his MLS debut or having to talk to the media after the game, he said, “Unfortunately, probably having to sit here and talk to you guys. Sorry about that, though.”
It’s a sign of how much the club has changed this year that an 18-year-old academy product — one who had signed his first professional contract only this year — was trusted to come on and close out a 1-1 draw at home. Romanshyn has joined first-team training a number of times this year, and so he was ready to be part of the squad, instead of being thrown to the wolves — a big difference to past years with Minnesota United.
“Anyone that has been around us in preseason knows that he’s shown a lot of quality at times,” veteran Hassani Dotson said. “[He’s] in that professional mindset. And he has a bright future ahead.”