Last week, I spent 2,000 words sorting out how Minnesota United would account for Kevin Molino's ACL-induced absence. With potential acquisitions of Darwin Quintero and Alexi Gómez unlikely to factor into lineup decisions until April, Adrian Heath had two options: pivot to a more conservative 4-3-3 formation, or fill the Trinidad international's space behind the striker.



To the Loons' benefit, Heath stuck to his guns and kept his tried-and-true 4-2-3-1 intact. Somewhat surprisingly, it was Miguel Ibarra who got the nod as the team's new No. 10. The surprise wasn't due to Ibarra's skillset and experience, however. While Ibarra has played predominantly on the wing since 2015, he made his name and earned his international call-ups (and transfer to Club León) by the virtue of his central playmaking ability.



Take that, rewind it back.



Ibarra wasn't assigned his jersey number by coincidence. He isn't an orthodox No. 10, who generally stays camped...