Neal: New-look Loons bringing fresh mentality to 2026 MLS season

It’s strange to stop by a Loons practice and not see Dayne St. Clair’s mop of gold-tinted hair or hear Eric Ramsay’s heavy British accent.

St. Clair is playing with Lionel Messi at Inter Miami. Ramsay is managing English second division side West Bromwich Albion, which went winless in his first seven matches. Oy.

Those are two of the notable changes from a team that has undergone several of them since Minnesota United was last seen in the MLS playoffs. Other familiar faces in Hassani Dotson and Robin Lod are elsewhere, too.

Another change for the Loons, who begin their 10th season in MLS at Austin on Saturday: Mentality.

“I think we just want to be a bit more on the front foot,” defender Michael Boxall said. “And if we can regain balls closer to the opposite goals, then it increases our chances, I think.”

So the days of yielding possession and hunting for counterattacking opportunities appear to be diminishing. The Loons, now managed by Cameron Knowles, want to be more aggressive, especially farther up the field. They also intend to continue to be masters of the set piece, which they should.

Nevertheless, I have concerns.

Through absorbing pressure, hitting opponents on the counter and being the kings of set pieces, the Loons set a club record with 58 points and reached the Western Conference semifinals. They must be delicate about how they tweak things.

“That’s the tough thing, right?” Knowles said. “Yes, last year is a record points total for the club, and that’s why we don’t want to deviate too far from it. But I think even prior to the change here in leadership, we were talking about, what does the evolution look like of the team? I think the league continues to evolve. The players that come into the league, the standard gets better, and so we have to always be thinking about how the team is going to change and evolve with it.”

While I’m all for being more aggressive, the Loons must prove they have the personnel to carry out Knowles’ plans. I’m not sure they do.

One big reason the Loons defense was effective last season was they had St. Clair, the MLS Goalkeeper of the Year, pulling them out of perilous situations time and time again. I’m sure newcomer Drake Callender is a capable keeper, but he unfortunately is following someone who was the best in the league a year ago.

They had a hole at right back and are attempting to fill it with 28-year-old Kyle Duncan, who made 166 appearances in all competitions across eight seasons with the New York Red Bulls.

In the end, the new players must prove there’s not a big drop-off from St. Clair and Lod. And they’ll miss Dotson, when he was healthy.

Is James Rodríguez the great equalizer? The Colombian legend was approved for a visa rather quickly and could make his debut on Saturday, Feb. 28 in the Loons’ home opener against Cincinnati. It’s worth a visit to Allianz Field to find out how he impacts this squad. Attackers like Anthony Yeboah could benefit from Rodríguez’s playmaking. Rodríguez’s left foot will be an asset on set pieces and he’s a good fit for a team that wants to be on the front foot more in 2026.

But the man is going to be 35 years old in July. How are those legs? The Loons will get whatever is left in Rodríguez, who wants to be in form by the time the World Cup begins in June.

“In five months, I have the World Cup, and so I’m in a stage where I can’t fail, where I have to do things right,” Rodríguez said during his introductory news conference on Feb. 6. “I’m very focused on that.”

While on the Twins beat, I would announce my ‘picks to click’ during spring training. There were some hits and misses. I leave you with my Loons pick to click and a prediction.