According to Metro US, Minnesota United are in talks with New York Red Bulls for US international midfielder Sacha Kljestan.
According to Metro US, Minnesota United are in talks with the New York Red Bulls for Sacha Kljestan, and according to an anonymous source, Minnesota United “has pieced together a sizable deal” for Kljestan. Though the 32 year-old attacking midfielder has shown some slight decline over the last couple of seasons, he’s still done well enough to lead the league in assists in each of the last two seasons. Kljestan’s biggest strengths are also has vision and passing, so in theory he should have a couple more years left in him.
Should the Loons sign Kljestan, he would provide them with an elite chance creator, which is something they have been missing last season. Kevin Molino played there out of necessity, but he didn’t perform well, and it’s clear that he would better utilized on the wing. This move, should it come to fruition, would allow Molino to make that move, and should in turn help the attack overall.
Potential Out of Contract targets for MNUFC
Friday is the first stage of the MLS Re-Entry Draft, a draft for players who are currently out of contract. Who could the Loons target?
The price tag for Kjlestan should be fairly sizable, likely somewhere between $400k-500k in allocation money. This means that Minnesota’s front office needs to decide if the price is worth it for an aging midfielder. It will interesting to see if the Loons can beat out LAFC, who are also interested in Kjlestan, and just how much he is able to help their attack next season if they are able to bring him north to Minnesota.
MLS Reveals Home Openers
Minnesota United now know where they will start their season. The Loons will open the season in San Jose against the Quakes at Avaya Stadium on March 3rd. Minnesota ended last season at Avaya, and lost 3-2, allowing the Quakes to sneak into the playoffs, where they were routed 5-0 by the Vancouver Whitecaps. The Loons will surely be looking to avenge last year’s season finale, and start the season off with 3 points.
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As for the home opener, Minnesota United will play host to the Chicago Fire at TCF Bank Stadium on Saint Patrick’s Day (March 17th). The Loons only played the Fire once last season, and they came away with a surprising 2-0 win away at Toyota Park, which was their first road win in MLS history.
It will be very interesting to see how these openers play out for the Loons, as they hope to start the season off strong.