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A little quiet around here this weekend, huh? I hope you didn’t get used to it. We’re officially in the first non-holiday week of the new year and there are a whole bunch of signings and moves that just need a tiny push to get over the finish line. Gut call here: With preseason beginning soon and everyone officially out of their post-New Year’s stupor, this week is going to have something close to an overwhelming amount of news. We’ll try to help you sort through it all.
For now, though, we’ll work through a handful of smaller notes. Consider it a warm-up exercise for what’s to come.
A bit of a situation in Minnesota
You might have balked a bit at the first headline in “What You Need To Know” today. Understandable. It’s not often you see an interim manager get replaced by an interim manager before the first interim manager interim manages a game in the new season. It’s especially odd considering Minnesota opted to fire former manager Adrian Heath two games before the season ended. They seemed to be in a hurry to move on. Now they’re on their second interim manager five days before preseason begins.
There’s no getting around it. It’s weird. Even if you agree with The DKO’s stance on managers typically having little impact overall, you probably still want your organization to have a clear path forward when it comes to signing players that fit into the overall direction of the team. It’s easier to sign players that fit into that overall direction when you have a clear game model established.
It seems like it’s just one of those situations that will require some patience. The Loons hired Khaled El-Ahmad as their sporting director and chief soccer officer back in early November knowing he wouldn’t officially take the reins for a while. Now, El-Ahmad is reportedly awaiting visa approval before he can arrive.
Once he does arrive, he’ll be busy. In addition to finding the team’s second-ever manager, he’ll be looking to add a new DP. Ménder García’s departure at the end of 2023 left an open spot along with Teemu Pukki and Emanuel Reynoso.
Along with the coaching hire, that’s two huge decisions that will require some urgency. As of now, the Loons aren’t set up to float through the first half of the season and come roaring back into the playoff picture once everything is sorted out midway through the year. Then again, maybe it’s MLS and every team is set up to do exactly that. It’s hard not to lean toward pessimism right now though. We’ll have to wait and see how quickly Minnesota can get up and running once the wheels finally start turning this offseason.
Tiki-Taka
- New England have signed a new goalkeeper. I know nothing about him and neither do you. However, we both know that, until proven otherwise, we have to operate under the assumption that he’s going to be the best shot-stopper in league history. This is just how the Revs operate at this point.
- The LA Galaxy have acquired Japanese international right back Miki Yamane. Who knows how he’ll translate to MLS, but he’s a player with a ton of experience and an impressive resume. He feels like a high-floor signing that should help provide some stability. And stability is very much a welcome attribute for the Galaxy.
- And, lastly, we wanted to shout out an MLS alum abroad. Former New England standout Tajon Buchanan signed with Inter Milan this weekend. I wrote about Tajon’s journey to the Revs a few years back. He’s come a long way from paying his way into Syracuse soccer camps.
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