Minnesota United makeover: Six new Loons to know as MLS play resumes Saturday

At the beginning of 2024, the Minnesota United lineup included a lot of faces that were pretty familiar to the Allianz Field faithful. Look down the all-time list of players who have made the most MLS appearances for the Loons, and six of the eight were in 2024′s first starting XI of the year — Michael Boxall, Hassani Dotson, Robin Lod, Wil Trapp, Dayne St. Clair and Franco Fragapane.

It was good for continuity, but with four of the six also on the experienced side of age 30, chief soccer officer Khaled El-Ahmad went into the summer transfer window with two goals: To get better, certainly, but also to get younger, to change the squad from one full of known commodities to one that includes some youth and potential.

And so, Minnesota’s squad for Saturday’s game against Seattle could include as many as four new Loons, with another still working through the visa process and soon to arrive, and a sixth that already debuted before the Leagues Cup. Here is a guide to the summer signings — and what the Loons are expecting from them:

When El-Ahmad took over at Minnesota United, he had a specific way of playing in mind — energetic, high-pressing and vertical. As to whether the Loons have done that so far, El-Ahmad will only allow that Minnesota’s attack in 2024 has been a “hybrid.”

Yeboah, though, is a signing designed to get the team closer to his ideal. “We want that, pace, drive, wanting to run in behind, brave enough to kind of dribble past people with pace — and just a natural instinct that he wants to constantly go forward,” said El-Ahmad.

As for versatility, Minnesota believes that the Italian, who is 24, can play either centrally or out wide.

Minnesota’s new Argentine midfielder is the last of the new signings to arrive, with the club expecting his visa appointment to be next week. But when he does, the Loons are planning for a player who can fill multiple roles. The 25-year-old is left-footed, and manager Eric Ramsay was most enthusiastic about his skill level. “Raising the technical level of the group is a really big thing for us, and he certainly will do that,” he said.

Pereyra, 25, was a big piece for Atlético Tucumán in Argentina’s top division, including serving as the team’s captain during several stretches.

At just 23, the Colombian center back appears set to immediately slide into the right side of the three center backs in Minnesota’s defense, a role the Loons haven’t really been able to fill since selling Kervin Arriaga to FK Partizan. Ramsay, who called Díaz a “ball-playing central defender,” sees him as Arriaga’s replacement. “[His] aggression and physical profile will really add to the team, and that’s something that we’ve missed since Arriaga left, so he’s more than capable of stepping into those shoes,” Ramsay said.

Kmeť, who’s been a rising star in Slovakia despite playing for a smallish club there, is bringing youth and depth to the team on the right wing. Minnesota is hoping the 24-year-old can provide an option on the right to rival what Joseph Rosales has provided at the left wingback position.

One thing to watch will be whether Kmeť, who is listed at 5-8 and 132 pounds, can cope with the physicality of MLS; most of the players listed in that lightweight range in MLS are shifty attacking midfielders, not defenders or wingbacks.

Markanich was the last of Minnesota’s moves in the transfer window, arriving in exchange for cap space in a trade with St. Louis. The left back made 15 starts in MLS this season, but after City fired head coach Bradley Carnell, he appeared to fall out of favor and didn’t seem to be in the club’s future plan.

According to Ramsay, the hidden benefit of having Markanich is the chance to potentially use left winger Joseph Rosales in other positions, as well. “We’ve made no secret about wanting to be flexible in how we use players,” said Ramsay. “You’ve got someone in that side in Rosales who can play as a left wing back, at left back, at left-sided 10, as a midfield player — and perhaps in bringing Anthony in, we have given ourselves a little bit more scope to use Joseph across the pitch.”

Shashoua was the only summer signing who arrived early enough to already have played for the Loons, with substitute appearances in two of Minnesota’s three games since the transfer window opened. A self-described “dynamic dribbler, entertainer, someone who’s always trying to make things happen,” Shashoua’s initial role will likely be as one of the Loons’ “finishers” — an attacker who comes on in the second half with energy and the determination to make something happen late in the game.