Over its first three seasons in Major League Soccer, Minnesota United was seen as something of a Jekyll & Hyde outfit. There were generally two forms of the team: the high-flying attacking juggernaut winning shootouts by 4-3 or 5-2 margins, or a stalwart defense hoping to eke out a 1-0 result. The run-in last season largely relied on the latter, with the attack sputtering to just 12 goals in their final 12 games while allowing 13. The skid saw them lose a U.S. Open Cup final, fall to fourth in the West and ultimately lose to the Los Angeles Galaxy in their postseason debut at home.



Going into the offseason, it was clear that finding a balance would be vital to the Loons’ attempts to fly into the upper-echelon of the West. Retaining all four starting defenders and both central midfielders helped make clear that denying goals would still be part of their DNA. But with striker Luis Amarilla serving as the only new projected starter in the attack, there were questions...