Adrian Heath had an eye on midfielder Ethan Finlay during the 2014 Disney Pro Soccer Classic preseason tournament in Orlando, Fla.

Heath was coaching Orlando City in the United Soccer League and wanted to acquire Finlay, who was playing for the Columbus Crew in Major League Soccer.

But Heath said the talks were scuttled when Finlay, who played sparingly in his first two seasons in Columbus, had a strong tournament and used it as a springboard to 23 goals and 20 assists combined over the 2014-15 seasons with the Crew. Related Articles Houston Dynamo scores twice in 2nd half to tie Minnesota United

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Heath finally connected with Finlay last Wednesday just before the MLS summer transfer window closed. The Loons acquired Finlay from Columbus for the equivalent of $300,000.

After being named to the Major League Soccer Best XI in 2015 and the U.S. men’s national team in 2016, Finlay had one goal and one assist in 19 games for Columbus this season.

“I thought the play was there, to be honest with you, and that is why I think you had teams like Minnesota and others interested, because they did see the quality there, and sometimes you just need a reboot, a refresher,” Finlay said after his first training session in Minnesota on Monday. “And I’m reinvigorated.”

Finlay said Columbus allowed him a say in where his future destination would be, so arriving in Minnesota was something he wanted.

Heath sees Finlay as someone who can provide “energy, drive, enthusiasm.”

“Last two or three years, he’s been one of the best in his league at the position, so I think it’s something that we really need,” Heath said. “I like the fact that every time that he plays, he leaves it out there.”

LOCAL CONNECTION

Finlay was born in Duluth in 1990 and lived in Superior, Wis., until age 4. He then moved to North Carolina, and when he was 12 or 13, he resettled in Marshfield, Wis., before attending Creighton University in Omaha, Neb.

Four of his aunts and uncles live in the Twin Cities area.

“We used to come here and have family times,” Finlay said. “I’m very familiar with the city and everything that it has to offer.”

LEITON LATER

Fellow new Loon, winger Jose Leiton, will stay in Costa Rica to sort out visa paperwork before joining his new team. He will come on loan to Minnesota through next July, with an option to purchase his contract then.

“We are hoping to get him here this week at some stage, probably in the latter part of the week,” Heath said.

SCURRY AND SANNEH

Needing 66.7 percent of the vote, Anoka’s Briana Scurry received 68.9 percent to be inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame.

St. Paul’s Tony Sanneh was kept out of this year’s class, receiving 25.3 percent.

RAMIREZ AND BURCH

Defender Marc Burch trained Monday in his continued rehab from sports hernia surgery. In late June, the veteran left back was forecast to be out 8-12 week.

Heath said the club will be cautious with Burch, with an eye toward what’s best for the remaining 11 weeks of the season, not just Sunday’s game at Seattle.

Meanwhile, striker Christian Ramirez was rehabbing on the side after pulling his hamstring in the 4-0 victory over D.C. United on July 29. He missed the Aug. 5 game versus Seattle.

“He’s day-to-day at this moment in time,” Heath said. “He trained a lot harder on Friday. He felt a little bit tight and he wasn’t completely pain free. We’ll see.”

BRIEFLY

Defender Brent Kallman left Monday’s practice early; he has been dealing with a knee injury. … Midfielder Sam Cronin was struck with a ball during a drill and watched the rest of the session from the sideline.… United welcomed trainee Faris Pemi Moumbagna, 17, from Cameroon. He follows a couple of groups of college players brought in to establish connections with the club and provide players for drills.