Things are coming together as Minnesota United moves forward with plans for the team’s new home in the Midway neighborhood of Saint Paul. Mortenson Construction has received the grading permits to allow earthwork operations to begin. By the end of the day on Thursday, June 15, the perimeter fencing marking off the construction site will be completed and up, with earthwork equipment moving onto the site in short order. Asphalt stripping and select soil remediation work will begin on Thursday and Friday this week.

We’ve got some interesting facts and figures to share with you as well in the context of an expanded timeline. The earthmoving and utilities work that happens in the first phase will handle over 200,000 cubic yards of soils. The foundation, consisting of almost 20,000 cubic yards of concrete, will begin in July, followed by steel work beginning in early November. 4,700 tons of total of structural and architectural steel will be used to support the backlit polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE, for short) screen that will surround the stadium. The structural steel will be complete in late winter of 2018 with installation of the nearly 100,000 square-foot of PTFE screen beginning in May of 2018 and being completed in fall of 2018. The stadium itself will be ready to welcome over 19,000 fans at the start of the 2019 MLS season.

We’ll have lots more to talk about in the coming months from concessions to clubs to more about the programmable backlighting that will truly make the stadium a Twin Cities landmark. Catch up on some of the other elements we recently announced with this previous update and watch this space for more.

Minnesota United takes on the Portland Timbers on Wednesday, June 21 at 7:00 p.m. at TCF Bank Stadium. The 5-Match Flex Plan provides fans the chance to pick the matches they’re most interested in for the rest of Minnesota United’s inaugural MLS season. Come see what all the buzz is about. 5-Match Flex Plan and other special ticket packages are available now at MNUFC.COM or by calling 763.4SOCCER.