Minnesota United will be joining Major League Soccer in 2017, however it won’t be the first time the state has been involved with the league. Over the years, Minnesotans have made their way onto MLS clubs, and several players have made career stops in the Land of 10,000 Lakes on their way to the league.
As the offseason begins, there are currently seven people with ties to Minnesota that are either playing or coaching in MLS. Depending on where their careers take them ahead of the 2017 season, most of them could be making their way back to Minnesota as visitors in the upcoming year.
Minnesota Natives in MLS
Teal Bunbury
Bunbury grew up in Prior Lake and attended Shattuck-St. Mary’s where he developed into a top young prospect. He signed a Generation Adidas contract and was drafted fourth overall by the Kansas City Wizards in the 2010 MLS SuperDraft. He helped Kansas City to a U.S. Open Cup title in 2012 and an MLS Cup championship in 2013 before being traded to his current club, the New England Revolution. In his first year with the Revs, the team made the MLS Cup Final. Bunbury has become one of the top players with the club during his three seasons in New England. He has totaled 29 goals and 20 assists in the MLS regular season over his career. Bunbury also made four appearances for the U.S. men’s national team from 2010 to 2012.
Ethan Finlay
The Duluth native was selected tenth overall by the Columbus Crew in the 2012 SuperDraft and has spent his entire professional career with the club. He was an offensive powerhouse in 2015, with 12 goals and 13 assists on the way to a MLS Cup Final appearance. Following his outstanding performance that season, he has made three appearances for the men’s national team during 2016, scoring the game-winner against Canada in February.
Eric Miller
Though he was born in Florida, Miller grew up playing in Woodbury and is a product of the Minnesota Thunder Academy. He won the Gatorade Player of the Year and Minnesota’s Mr. Soccer awards in 2011 for his outstanding play in high school. He was drafted by the Montreal Impact as the fifth overall selection in the 2014 SuperDraft, and played two years for the club. He was traded to the Colorado Rapids ahead of the 2016 season, where he became a regular member of the lineup.
Nick Theslof
Theslof was born in Minnesota and is the grandson of Swedish Olympic figure skater Vivi-Anne Hulten. Theslof played in the youth system of PSV Eindhoven and was drafted by the Columbus Crew in 1998, but was released by the club before making an appearance. He then began his coaching career and has been an assistant with PSV, the German national team, Bayern Munich, and Chivas USA before taking his current position as an assistant coach with Toronto FC.
Cody Cropper
Cropper grew up in Maple Grove playing for Minnesota Thunder Academy before playing in the youth system of Ipswich Town. He then signed his first professional deal with Southampton in the Premier League in 2012. He spent three seasons with the Saints, playing mainly with the reserves while getting spot starts with the first team as well. Cropper then moved to Championship side MK Dons for the 2015-16 season before signing with the New England Revolution in late 2016. He has played numerous matches for the U.S. youth national teams and a handful of callups to the men's national team.
Former Thunder players
Lawrence Olum
A native of Kenya, Olum played one year for the Thunder in 2009, scoring five times in 28 appearances. He currently plays for Sporting Kansas City, having re-signed this season after playing with the club from 2011 to 2014. He was a part of both SKC’s 2012 U.S. Open Cup and 2013 MLS Cup titles and has five goals and four assists in MLS play. Olum has made four appearances with the Kenyan men’s national team during his career.
Former Minnesota United players
Bernardo Añor
The Venezuelan joined Columbus Crew after being drafted in the third round of the 2011 SuperDraft. He was a mainly a substitute during most of his four seasons with Columbus, but became a regular in the lineup after recovering from an ACL injury. Añor signed with Sporting Kansas City in 2015, and made 13 appearances for the club. He was loaned to Minnesota for the 2016 season and made nine appearances, but missed most of the season with an ankle injury.
Damion Lowe
Lowe was drafted eighth overall in the 2014 SuperDraft by the Seattle Sounders, but an injury sidelined him during his rookie season. He came back in 2015 with Sounders 2 and was loaned to Minnesota in 2016. Lowe was a key part of Minnesota’s defense last season, making 29 appearances with two goals to his credit along with one assist. He helped the Loons post 10 shutouts during the year and earned his first call up to the Jamaican national team.
Calum Mallace
Born in Scotland, Mallace came to Minnesota when he was nine years old. He played his high school soccer at Henry Sibley in Mendota Heights before attending Marquette University. He was drafted twentieth overall by the Montreal Impact in the 2012 SuperDraft. After making just a few appearances for the Impact, he was loaned to Minnesota United in 2013 where he made 12 appearances and scored once. When he returned to Montreal, Mallace became one of the club’s top midfielders, and provided a historic assist in the 2015 CONCACAF Champions League to send his team to the final.
Luke Mulholland
After spending a majority of the year with the Wilmington Hammerheads, Mulholland signed with Minnesota late in the 2011 season. He came in just as Minnesota was beginning what would be a historic playoff run to claim the 2011 Soccer Bowl Championship. Mulholland scored a pair of goals in the playoffs, including the winning goal in the championship series. After a successful career in the lower divisions, Mulholland signed with Real Salt Lake in 2014 and has played near every game since joining the club. He currently has 13 goals and 11 assists in his MLS career.
