Minnesota United waits out a bye week after winning season opener at FC Dallas

Minnesota United follows Saturday's season-opening upset 1-0 victory at FC Dallas with a bye in MLS' Week 2.

The extra rest gives the Loons time for starting striker Luis Amarilla to get his U.S. green card and travel back from his home in Paraguay.

It also gives defenders D.J. Taylor, Brent Kallman, Doneil Henry and Mikael Marques more time to heal from injuries.

Then again, it could stop some of the momentum the team built by winning its opener.

"Well, I'm glad to have a bye on the back of a road win," Loons coach Adrian Heath said. "I'd hate to have 14 days mulling over getting beat on the road and overthinking everything as you do."

While Hondurans Kervin Arriaga and Joseph Rosales received their own green cards last week and returned in time for the game, Amarilla on Wednesday morning was still in Paraguay waiting for his immigration paperwork and passport to be finalized.

"It's day to day," Heath said. "We thought it was going to be last Friday. Then we thought it was going to be Monday. But as of this morning, nothing has come through. The fact we have a bye this weekend helps us a little bit."

Heath called Taylor "100 percent" recovered from some tendinitis and said he'd be available to play in the home opener next week against New York Red Bulls. Heath said Kallman is jogging and called that a "good sign." Newly acquired Marques is "a couple weeks" from healing a rolled ankle, and Heath said Henry is "three weeks maybe" from his return.

Heath said he remains "hopeful" the team soon will sign a young attacker under MLS' under-22 initiative. Technical director Mark Watson was flying home from Europe Wednesday, hopefully with good news, Heath said.

Heath said there have been no further conversations or developments with suspended star Emanuel Reynoso than there were the last time reporters asked Heath about it last week.

The Loons' MNUFC2 reserve team on Wednesday signed 19-year-old defender Britton Fischer from North Carolina FC of USL League One.

He signed a two-year MLS Next Pro contract and trained with the first team on Wednesday. North Carolina FC was the same team from which Taylor came.

MLS kicked off its 10-year streaming deal with Apple TV in last weekend's opening games.

"I'm sure it's going to be good for us long term, a huge company like that," Heath said. "They have the resources to do the game and the league a good service."

The majority of games will be played 7:30 p.m. Minnesota time. That's 1:30 a.m. in England or later in parts of Europe.

"My friends in England never knew when we were playing or what channel we were on," Heath said. "People in Europe now know when the game is going to be on. That's a huge bonus."

But will they watch at 1:30 a.m.?