Minnesota United: First 18-man MLS squad, where are they now?
By Matt Coles
Defence
DEF – Jermaine Taylor – Austin Bold (USL Championship)
Jamaican defender Jermaine Taylor signed for Minnesota ahead of their first season in MLS, having already spent six years in the league, with the Houston Dynamo and Portland Timbers. He won the Eastern Conference Championship twice with the Dynamo in his time there.
The full-back would only spend a single season with MNUFC as the side struggled to a ninth placed finish in the West. He only started four times before leaving the club at the end of the season. Taylor has gone on to reach a century of international caps for Jamaica and has recently signed for USL Championship side Austin Bold ahead of their inaugural season in the league.
DEF – Vadim Demidov – Stabæk (Eliteserien, NOR)
Norwegian central defender Vadim Demidov spent all of his career in Europe, including spells at Rosenborg, Real Sociedad, Eintracht Frankfurt and Celta Vigo, before moving across to MLS with the Loons,
Demidov took the captain’s armband on his move to the Loons for the inaugural season, but only featured in three games all season. Minnesota conceded 16 goals in those three, including the Portland and Atlanta defeats. Since leaving the Loons in 2018, he has gone on to be a major part of the Stabæk team, back in his native Norway.
DEF – Francisco Calvo – Chicago Fire (MLS)
Costa Rican defender Francisco Calvo became the beating heart of the defence as soon as he made the move to the league in 2017. He came to the States after spending six seasons playing in his home country, with spells at Herediano and Saprissa among other clubs.
In his two-and-a-bit seasons in Minnesota, Calvo started all 60 of the matches he played, and he had the honour of becoming the first MNUFC player to be selected as an MLS All-Star. In the early part of 2019, Calvo was traded to MLS rivals Chicago Fire.
DEF – Justin Davis – Nashville SC (USL Championship)
Justin Davis started his career as a forward but was an established full-back by the time he made his MLS bow. That came in 2017, but the American had already spent six years with the club in the USL.
He only played eight times for MNUFC in the 2017 season, before leaving the club at the end of the year. Davis joined Nashville SC for the 2018 season, just after it was announced that they would become an MLS side in the near future.