Goalkeeper

Newly-acquired Vito Mannone should start between the posts, with Bobby Shuttleworth playing the backup. Dayne St. Clair could be loaned out to Loons partner USL side Forward Madison FC (the “Flamingos”), though they appear to already have a quality starting goalkeeper, so St. Clair likely wouldn’t get much playing time there.

Defense

Given the relative “depth” at central defender and lack thereof on the left side, Francisco Calvo begrudgingly shifted over to the left fullback position in mid-September, and many have praised the move as an attempt to get more out of Calvo’s attack-supporting talents while not risking the integrity of the center backs’ positioning. Minnesota rejected a $2 million offer for Calvo last year, so he’s probably not going anywhere any time soon. He’ll be backed up by either the versatile Eric Miller or 15th overall SuperDraft pick Chase Gasper.

At center back, it’ll be Ike Opara and one of Michael Boxall and Minnesota native Brent Kallman. During the preseason, Opara has showed off his phenomenal passing skills, playing excellent long balls and splitting defenders to find open teammates; he looks to be a fantastic addition to the team already.

Kallman and Boxall went back and forth as starters until Calvo shifted out wide, in which case Kallman and Boxall both were starters. Heath has favored Boxall in the past, but Kallman may be close to overtaking his inclinations. It’s a close race, but I’m giving the nod to Kallman, since he has started next to Opara on the first team in the preseason games so far.

Eric Miller is the universal backup for the entire back line, but a player to watch is second-year center back Wyatt Omsberg. Through some of the defensive lapses of last year, he showed some promise in limited minutes, starting four games, but it will be interesting to see how the SuperDraftee will fare if the team’s depth is tested.

Romain Métanire is the obvious starter on the right side of the defense, and it will be interesting to see what sort of stability he can bring to the position. Eric Miller’s natural position is right fullback, and he will likely be the top backup to the Frenchman. Depth fullback Carter Manley showed some promise during the preseason with some excellent passes and a fantastic tackle versus Phoenix, but a few ill-advised passes and a silly attack-killing offside offense demonstrated his inexperience.

Midfield

Rasmus Schüller led the team in both tackles and passes in 2018. With Ján Greguš and Osvaldo Alonso expected to take on the central midfield roles (with Greguš likely playing a bit higher than Alonso), both aspects should see improvement, but it leaves Schüller without a defined role. I imagine Schüller will be the super-sub for nearly all the midfield positions; this preseason, Heath has been trying him in a more attacking position than he’s previously played for Minnesota, slotting him in as a “inverted midfielder” of sorts due to the coach’s belief in his shooting abilities.

As previously stated, Osvaldo Alonso should fill the role of “protector of the defensive line”. His fierce tackling and phenomenal organizational abilities should immediately provide a boost to the team’s defensive capabilities, and I’ve heard much of the offensive possession this preseason has gone through him. He brings the control to the midfield which was lacking in years past.

Ján Greguš immediately steps in as the [looks up oft-cited but never explained soccer position numbers again] number eight, also known as the central midfielder. He should take some pressure off Quintero in the key passes & assists department, given his consistent production in that department in the past. This preseason, the team has also been trying him out as their corner-kick-taker, a role he played for his former team, FC Copenhagen. United is counting on him to be the yin to Alonso’s yang, providing sound defending while being the organizer of the offense.

With the midfield solidified, Collin Martin drops farther down the depth chart, but he is a decent backup. SuperDraftee Hassani Dotson appears to have earned his position in the roster as a depth defensive or central midfielder, though he has played as a right fullback in his preseason appearances so far.

Attack

When healthy, the combination of quality and depth at the winger position is unparalleled in the league. Kevin Molino, Ethan Finlay, and Miguel Ibarra are all MLS-quality starters, and though we haven’t seen much of Romario Ibarra yet, he’s shown potential to be worth the fact that his paycheck was the highest of these four last year.

Miguel Ibarra came into Minnesota preferring the left winger position, but with the injuries to Finlay and Molino, Ibarra played on the right for most of the 2018 season. Heath was reluctant to start him at first, but he has put Ibarra in the first team at right wing for the 2019 preseason so far.

It’s anyone’s guess as to who Heath will start at the position, but I’m going to go with the dueling Ibarras to kick off the season. Once Molino and Finlay are fully recovered, though, that could change.

Darwin Quintero is the team’s second striker / attacking midfielder / substitute center forward depending on the formation, but almost certainly he is and will continue to be the focal point of the offense. And he’s been trying out those keeper-chippers again this preseason. Kevin Molino was tried in the central midfield role in 2017, but he just wasn’t as effective being the focal point of the offense as he was being creative on the outside. But you never know: he could be the one Heath turns to in case of a lack of Quintero.

Up top is DP Ángelo Rodríguez. If Abu Danladi can stay healthy, he should see minutes either in the striker position or as an outside attacker. And as long as Mason Toye can reign in his frustrations and stay disciplined, he’ll get his chances this season as the front man as well.

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What can we expect from the Loons in 2019?

The additions of Mannone, Opara, Alonso, and Greguš have given the team much more of a build-from-the-back look than late last season’s “kick ball far” farce. Frankly, those four acquisitions will probably do more for both the club’s defense and offense than anything Adrian Heath could do from a tactical perspective. The defensive weakness of last year often caused the team to overcorrect, leaving Quintero stranded trying to dribble his way past the entire opposing defense.

Strengthening the defensive manpower and adding proven passers into the mix should give this team what it needs to compete for a low-end playoff spot. And really, after the product they’ve seen these first two years of this MLS adventure, I don’t think the Minnesota fans can ask for anything less.