Khaled El-Ahmad, chief soccer officer for Minnesota United, has now been in charge in Blaine for a little more than a year. The Loons travel to Austin on Saturday, with El-Ahmad’s first real winter transfer window behind him, and the CSO’s vision for how he wants the Loons to compete is emerging.
In El-Ahmad’s words, it’s about being a club that will “make smart decisions with the resources that we have.”
“We have to be like an Atlético Madrid, or a [Borussia] Dortmund, and find our space,” he said, name-checking two huge European clubs that have historically competed with much bigger, richer rivals.
Looking back at the now-closed transfer window this winter, one can get an idea of what this means, to El-Ahmad.
It means making moves like bringing in wingback Julian Gressel, off waivers from Inter Miami. The Loons managed to acquire an American international, with almost 250 matches played in MLS, who’s still just 31 — without denting their salary cap or paying a transfer fee.
It means trying to find value in nontraditional markets. Even beyond their first-team signings this window, the Loons signed four undrafted college free agents this year to their second team, and have also brought in teenaged players from New Zealand and Sierra Leone — and one local product, Muba Nour of Brooklyn Park, after an open tryout last winter.
And above all, making smart decisions means being flexible, both now and in the future. “I wanted to keep flexibility for each window, so we can continue to improve,” said El-Ahmad.
“Flexibility” is a word that El-Ahmad applies to almost everything he’s trying to do, from the way he builds the roster, the way he conserves open roster spots and salary-budget space, even down to what the team looks like on the field.
