Minnesota United have finally gotten their USL affiliate. According to ESPN FC’s Jeff Rueter, the Loons will form a partnership with St. Louis FC.

Though they were the last MLS club to do so, Minnesota United have finally gotten a USL affiliate. ESPN FC’s Jeff Rueter is reporting that Minnesota has entered a partnership with St. Louis FC.

Though they loaned a couple of players to the Pittsburgh Riverhounds last season, St. Louis will now be the destination for any Loons who need to go out on loan during the season. Players like Carter Manley, Xavier Gomez, Mason Toye, and Collin Martin seem like prime candidates to head to St. Louis for at least part of the season. All of that will, of course, determined by their performances in preseason and the injury situation in Minnesota at the time.

The affiliation provides is the opportunity for players from St. Louis FC to come to Minnesota and train with the Loons on occasion. St. Louis striker Christian Volesky recently traveled to Minnesota to train with the Loons during their preseason in Minnesota, but he did not travel with the club to Florida.

Minnesota fans were hoping for a USL affiliate last season, as it would’ve been the perfect place for players like Ish Jome, Joe Greenspan, and Thomas De Villardi to get some professional minutes at a lower level. Instead though, Minnesota United eventually parted ways with all 3 players, as they weren’t sure what they could contribute at the professional level.

A USL affiliate will now allow players like that to get minutes that they wouldn’t get in Minnesota, and have a chance to prove themselves in a professional environment.

It will be interesting to see how the partnership with St. Louis FC works out for the Loons, and just how much their younger players are helped by having a place to play if they can’t get minutes in Minnesota.