Minnesota United coach Adrian Heath said the club is doing its due diligence before Major League Soccer’s primary transfer window closes Monday, but no moves appear imminent.

After Tuesday’s training session, Heath said the Loons and other clubs have been exchanging phone calls to gauge interest and answer questions on players over the past few days. Once the window closes, MLS clubs are no longer able to sign players under contract in another country.

“At this moment there is nothing jumping out at us that we feel as though we’d do,” Heath said. “But if it does, and we felt like it could improve the squad and help us moving forward, we’d do something. But we don’t want to do anything for the sake of doing it.” Related Articles Minnesota United’s injury list won’t shrink much in near future

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The most likely short-term change would come via trade, not signing a foreign player, a source told the Pioneer Press. The Loons’ top position targets are believed to be a speedy winger and center back, but the latter fix would probably need to include moving center back Vadim Demidov, United’s highest-priced player who hasn’t taken the field since March 25.

The secondary transfer window is July 10-Aug. 9.

On March 31, United acquired two starters from Colorado — defensive midfielder Sam Cronin and fullback Marc Burch, each of whom has been plugged into the starting lineup the past four games.

Minnesota sent role player Mohammed Saeid and unused reserve Josh Gatt to the Rapids. That exchange was one of the “troubling events” the Rapids’ main supporters group, Centennial 38, cited in its letter to the club’s leadership on Monday.

The grievance among the letter’s bullet points said: “The unbalanced trade that sent Sam Cronin and Marc Burch to Minnesota in exchange for unproven prospects and vague promises of future acquisitions.”

STADIUM PROGRESS

When Heath coached in Orlando, the Lions front office sought to raise the bar from preceding soccer-specific stadiums before it opened its new park this spring. In Minnesota, Heath has seen the same with the Loons’ proposed new stadium in St. Paul’s Midway neighborhood.

“Everyone is reaping the benefits of what has gone before,” Heath said Tuesday. “As I’ve said before, the plans (for St. Paul) look incredible. I think we are going to have the best soccer-specific stadium in the country.”

Before Saturday’s game, United owner Bill McGuire told WCCO-AM the team has solicited construction bids, is securing raw materials such as steel and concrete, and is making slight alterations to the stadium’s design.

“We are still spending a little bit of time trying to tweak some elements … interior-wise … locations of various concessions and how to respond to what the fans are suggesting that they would like to see,” McGuire told the station.

United has requested a property and sales tax exemptions for the $150 million privately financed stadium. A bill including those requests needs to be finalized by May 22, the last day the Legislature can meet without a special session.

“Legislature is moving ahead, we believe, and here before too long in the month of May, hopefully we will get all the tax elements worked out,” McGuire said. “So we are pushing ahead.”

OUTDOOR TRAINING

United has yet to train outside because of poor poor field conditions inside the stadium at National Sports Center in Blaine. Instead, United has trained on the smaller, turf field indoors.



“It’s a problem for us,” Heath said. “We need to get out on the grass as soon as possible because we are probably, in fact … we’re the only MLS team that now is indoors.”

Burch sat out of Tuesday’s practice with a groin injury that’s aggravated by turf. Midfielder Collin Martin also was out with an undisclosed injury, with Rasmus Schuller (hip) improving.

BROVSKY ARRIVES

Free agent midfielder Jeb Brovsky, who tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee and has recovered from a potentially fatal blood clot, started training with United on Tuesday.

The club described Brovsky’s current situation as similar to the training arrangement they had with goalie and Minnesota native Cody Cropper last summer. Cropper rehabbed a shoulder injury alongside the Loons before signing with New England Revolution.

Brovsky, who was mostly an observer Tuesday, told the Pioneer Press on Sunday that Heath said he will give him a shot to make the team when he’s considered up to speed.