Minnesota United coach Adrian Heath on Tuesday promised more changes coming soon and two days later, the club brought back its 2017 No. 1 overall draft pick, Abu Danladi, after two seasons away.
Minnesota United reunites with Abu Danladi after two seasons apart
The Loons brought back their former No. 1 overall draft pick, who went to Nashville in the 2019 expansion draft.
January 13, 2022 at 8:08PM
The Loons signed Danladi, 26, on Thursday to a one-year contract with a one-year club option after he spent 2020 and 2021 with Nashville SC.
Nashville claimed Danladi in the November 2019 expansion draft, and he scored three goals in 25 games in all competitions after scoring 11 goals in 67 games during his first three MLS seasons with the Loons.
He was the first player taken in the 2017 draft, out of UCLA.
The Loons also are working on bringing back another striker who played for them, Luis Amarilla.
Amarilla played an injury- and COVID-shortened 2020 season with Minnesota United before he returned to play in Ecuador last season.
The Loons also in recent days have added South African international forward Bongokuhle Hlongwane as part of MLS' new Under-22 initiative and drafted 6-2 forward Tani Oluwaseyi in Tuesday's SuperDraft.
They join Adrien Hunou, Justin McMaster and injured Patrick Weah up front.
The Loons open training for the 2022 season on Monday at their training facility in Blaine.
In a team statement, Heath called himself "really pleased" that the club was able to bring back Danladi for what Heath termed "a little bit of unfinished business."
"Everybody knows I was really disappointed when we lost him," Heath said. "There's a top player there. ... People forget that he scored eight goals in his first year as a professional, and if we can get him back to playing in that vein of form, then I know we've got somebody who can contribute for years to come."
Minnesota started only two strikers against Seattle, leaving Sang Bin Jeong and Joseph Rosales to provide the width behind Teemu Pukki and Kelvin Yeboah.
