This week's bye and June's FIFA international schedule break mean Minnesota United plays just once between last Saturday's 1-0 victory over FC Dallas and its next game, a June 19 rematch in Dallas.
That means training time to get new striker Ramon Abila fitter and time to rest Emanuel Reynoso and Robin Lod, both with nagging injuries. It also provides time to get newly signed Adrien Hunou and Franco Fragapane to Minnesota and integrated and available to play a week from Saturday at Real Salt Lake.
Lod, fellow Finnish national teammate Jukka Raitala and Slovakia national team midfielder Jan Gregus will remain with the Loons for the Real Salt Lake game before they join their national teams preparing for the European championship. The commitment could keep them overseas until late June or beyond.
Hunou posted a photo from a plane window on his Instagram account Tuesday and was on a flight from Paris due to arrive in Minnesota near midnight. Meanwhile, the Loons waited by the hour for Fragapane's immigration paperwork to clear in Argentina.
"We're hoping today, tomorrow at the latest," coach Adrian Heath said after the team trained Tuesday at the National Sports Center in Blaine.
Hunou will get tested for COVID-19 when he arrives. He will train on his own at the team's Blaine facility in the afternoons while he clears a seven-day quarantine. Same for Fragapane, except his quarantine time from South America is five days.
"I'll be disappointed if both of them weren't available" for the Real Salt Lake game, Heath said.
Heath also said he's hopeful the team will strike deals to loan out some of its young players so they can get game action somewhere during the MLS break.
