Minnesota United’s perceived pursuit of primarily wingers became a running joke among fans last offseason, but nobody is laughing anymore.

The Loons started the season with as many as eight players who could man the wing position, but that number started dwindling almost immediately. Two of those players, Ethan Finlay and Kevin Molino, were lost to season-ending knee injuries by late April. Then Sam Nicholson was traded to Colorado in early May.

Now, there is a real dearth at the position as ninth-place Minnesota (5-9-1) faces second-place FC Dallas (8-2-5) at 7 p.m. Friday at TCF Bank Stadium. The Loons are down to roughly four players capable of playing on the wings.

“We always get accused of having too many wide guys, and we haven’t any at the minute virtually,” Loons coach Adrian Heath said Tuesday. “We will have to see what’s the best available to us.”

Miguel Ibarra, a key outside prong in United’s attack, will miss the game while serving a one-game, red-card suspension for his shoving match with a couple of Rapids players in the Loons’ deflating 3-2 loss to then-last-place Colorado on Saturday.

Forward Abu Danladi won’t be available to move outside as he recuperates from a left leg injury sustained in training more than 10 days ago. It’s at least the third injury setback for Danladi, whose second MLS season has yet to get off the ground. It left Heath at a loss for words to describe the injury’s severity.

“Um,” Heath said before a pregnant pause. “We’ll see. We’ll see. Um, certainly not available for this Friday.”

Against Colorado, the Loons had injuries to fullbacks Eric Miller and Jerome Thiesson, which forced winger Alexi Gomez to move back to a defensive spot in the formation, and Collin Martin, more of a central midfielder, to play wide.

While Thiesson (right leg) is expected to remain out Friday after a setback in training last week, Miller has improved from his left hamstring injury and could return against Dallas. This means Gomez could move back up, or Frantz Pangop, an offseason signing from Cameroon, could make his first start.

But Gomez, brought to Minnesota on a year-long loan from Peruvian club Universitario in mid-April, has underperformed, producing no goals or assists in 555 minutes across eight games. He has taken 12 shots, with only four on goal, and rumors circulated earlier this month about him being offered to a Brazilian club. Related Articles Loons’ late rally falls short in 2-1 loss to Columbus Crew

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The MLS summer transfer window opens July 10, and one reported addition for Minnesota appears to be in the works: winger Romario Ibarra, a 23-year-old Ecuadorian currently with club Universidad Catolica in Quito.

While United declined to comment on reports of the acquisition, Ecuadorian reporter Mayra Bayas sent this tweet Monday: “Romario Ibarra will play in MLS, at Minnesota United,” according to a Spanish translation. “… Employer is closing details of the transfer. The option to get to Mexico to (Club) Leon fell (through), the economic offer of the MLS was superior.”

Given Minnesota’s current depth at the attacking position, and the fact that the Loons’ 19 goals rank them tied for second-to-last in MLS scoring this season, means another winger seems in order.