Loons

New Minnesota United goalkeeper Drake Callender ready to lead reworked roster

Callender takes over for longtime Loons goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair, who joined Inter Miami this offseason.

For the Minnesota Star Tribune

January 31, 2026 at 5:00PM

New Minnesota United goalkeeper Drake Callender makes a diving save ahead of a scrimmage on Jan. 30 at the National Sports Center Dome in Blaine. Callender will replace Dayne St. Clair, who joined Inter Miami this offseason. (Anthony Souffle)

New Minnesota United goalkeeper Drake Callender said he is ready to give everything he has each game to earn the trust of his teammates and the Minnesota community as he prepares to make his Loons debut.

The Loons acquired Callender from Charlotte FC on Dec. 29 to fill the void left by longtime starter Dayne St. Clair. In his seventh and final season with the club, St. Clair was named MLS Goalkeeper of the Year and recorded the league’s highest save percentage (80.0). He joined Lionel Messi and Inter Miami this offseason.

In a role that relies heavily on connection and defensive communication, the transition in goal is about more than just shot-stopping abilities. New Loons coach Cameron Knowles said St. Clair did a lot for the team, but losing good players is part of the business.

“We’re not looking to replace anyone with someone else,” said Knowles, who was promoted from assistant coach after Eric Ramsay left to coach West Bromwich Albion in the English second division. “[Callender] brings his own skill set. He brings his own strengths to the team. He’s a very good goalkeeper. He’s won in this league. He brings winning experience, and that adds to the group.”

Before heading to Charlotte in 2025, Callender played for Miami from 2020 to ’24. He was Miami’s starting goalkeeper when the club won the 2023 Leagues Cup on penalty kicks. He also started 32 of the team’s 34 regular-season games in 2024 when it won the Supporters’ Shield for the best record in MLS.

Callender said once a player wins a trophy, they understand what it takes. That experience is what he hopes to bring to the Loons.

“I just want to be reliable and consistent in my style of play, and just be there for the team the best way that I can: Getting clean sheets, being a leader and ultimately just helping the team evolve,” he said.

Callender is focused on being vocal during the preseason, something he said is especially crucial as a goalkeeper.

“It’s important as a new player to be a bit more extroverted and get to know the guys, and kind of understand, of course, who they are as people, but how they work on the field as well,” he said.

Though he has only been with the team a month, Callender carries himself like a longtime member. At a practice on Jan. 30, Callender laughed, smiled and joked alongside some teammates while others ran sprints.

Knowles said the coaching staff has been trying to keep Callender connected to the group in order to foster a strong connection, rather than sending him off on his own with the club’s goalkeeper coach.

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“It’s not just that [the goalkeepers] go and do their thing,” Knowles said. “A lot of the training sessions we have them close with a lot of the possession exercises. We have them involved in a lot of the team defending.”

Callender said a successful season for the Loons is the same for most sports teams: One driven by wins. The team finished fourth in the Western Conference standings last year and lost to San Diego in the conference semifinals.

“Whether it’s winning the Western Conference, winning the MLS Cup, I think a big landmark will be just improving on last year,” Callender said.

The Loons head to California on Tuesday, Feb. 3, for the league’s largest preseason event, the Coachella Valley Invitational. The two-week tournament held at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, Calif., will play host to 12 MLS and nine National Women’s Soccer League teams.

The Loons’ first matchup of the event will come Saturday, Feb. 7, vs. Sporting Kansas City.

With a vastly different roster and a unique schedule due to the 2026 World Cup, Knowles said he hopes fans will see a team that reflects a new identity this season.

“I hope they see what we’re trying to implement,” he said. “A team that is a bit more on the front foot, a bit more aggressive. A team that has the ball a little bit more, is able to create chances through the run of play, that isn’t just reliant on set pieces in those moments to score goals. And I hope it’s a team that doesn’t lose the best of what we had, which was very hard to beat.”

Loons react to ICE presence

With ongoing ICE operations in Minnesota, both Knowles and Callender said staying united and supporting one another remains a priority as they head into the season — especially in a sport as diverse as soccer. MLS claimed to be the most geographically diverse top men’s professional sports league in North America in 2024, with 79 countries across six continents represented on its rosters.

“I hate to see people getting injured or any fatal incidents. I think it’s important that we just are there for each other,” Callender said.

Knowles added soccer can bring out the best in a community, citing the vast diversity of people that come together to cheer on their team.

“To be here where things are really divisive is hard. It’s hard on the group, it’s hard on players that are coming new to the country to see all of that, and so for their families and for the players, [we’re] offering them as much support as we can,” Knowles said.