Minnesota United defender DJ Taylor wins key battles, keeps starting spot

He abandoned an experimental hairstyle earlier this season, but Minnesota United defender DJ Taylor is back solidly in the starting 11 now that a preseason training injury is gone, too.

In his third MLS season, the former USL Championship right back has overcome kneecap tendinitis and earned the job again.

At 25, Taylor has done so by winning 1-on-1 battles his team hasn't always won in the Loons' 3-3-3 season start.

Last season, he won the job over Paraguay's Alan Benitez, this season over 10-year MLS veteran Zarek Valentin.

"He's got the legs, quick feet," Loons coach Adrian Heath said. "He's difficult in those 1-on-1 situations. I think he's starting to impose himself a little. Football is like 10 individual battles going on the field — their left winger against our right back, their right winger against our left back. If you win enough of them, inevitably you have a good chance of winning the game, and I think DJ has done really well."

Tendinitis limited him to 30 minutes of game action in preseason play. He didn't play in the season's first two games; Valentin started both. Taylor has started the past seven MLS games at right back heading into Saturday night's game at Vancouver.

"For sure it adds pressure, but it's good pressure," Taylor said about competing with Valentin for the job. "Z and I have a good relationship and no matter who's playing, we're going to push ourselves. We're good teammates about it."

"I usually don't get hurt a lot, so this preseason probably was one of the hardest, to be honest, in my career," Taylor said. "It definitely took way longer than I expected it would. I trained until I was limping and they had to pull me off the field. It was frustrating. I definitely didn't want to come off, but I needed time to recover."

Valentin, 31, started the season opener at FC Dallas and the home opener against New York Red Bulls before Taylor was healthy and ready.

"DJ knows he can't drop his standards," Heath said. "Zarek is really experienced and had a good preseason. The most important thing is DJ keeps getting better. He knows if he does drop his standards, there's people waiting to the take the shirt."

Taylor said the tendinitis is long gone. So is a fleeting dyed hairdo that wasn't quite red or purple. Too bright for him either way. It only lasted a matter of days.

"I'd say burgundy," Taylor said. "I wanted to try something new and see what the wife would think."

"Let's say it looks better," Heath said, "although it you go through my back catalog, there's some not- so-clever haircuts over the years."