It was a relatively quiet weekend at Minnesota United; players trained, coaches coached, and everyone else did their thing. That’s it. End of Preseason Report.
Oh, and then we signed a player. You might have heard of him: Star of the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, scorer of absolute screamers, the captain of the Colombian national team. Ring any bells? Yes, you’ve got it! Bienvenido, James Rodríguez!
Obviously, your Loons had a busier week than I let on — sue me. I’ll drop the bit now and let you read up on all the latest happenings.
El Nuevo Pibe
In the history of Colombian soccer, few players have made as much of an impact as our new number 10. The last Colombian superstar to come to MLS was Carlos Valderrama back in the league’s infancy, and now, three decades later, the heir to his throne has arrived in the Land of 10,000 Lakes to carry on the legacy.
Rodríguez’s career is stacked with huge moments and names, most notably an incredible showing at the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, where he earned the Golden Boot for scoring an impressive six goals in just five games. Since then, he’s starred for some of the biggest clubs in the world, from Spain’s Real Madrid to Germany’s Bayern Munich, all the while leading Colombia on the international stage.
Rodríguez, often known simply by his first name, James (pronounced ha-mez), brings a totally new and unique player profile to the Loons, with a short-term contract until June and a club option to extend another six months. His availability will give Head Coach Cameron Knowles and his staff plenty to think about when they select their lineups this season.
During his introductory press conference today, Chief Soccer Officer Khaled El-Ahmad noted that James’ unique skillset will certainly impact the team but gave some context as to how fans can expect his addition to change the on-field product.
“I've always said that we're a group that is flexible and adaptable, and we always look for quality players, and that is what we're bringing in today,” he said. “I think the traits that we have will also help James. If you look at the Colombian national team, they're somewhat pragmatic. They're fast players. They do want to press. And I think that addition is actually a good contribution to what we're doing. So, the core principle of who we are is not going to change. Will it evolve and adapt? I think it does that with every player that you bring in, and I think we're both very excited for him to meet the team and start training and see how that kind of evolves together, versus sitting here and telling you one thing. The one thing I will say is the identity of who we want to be is not going to drastically change in any way.”
Coachella Valley Invitational
While James was getting introduced in Saint Paul, the rest of the squad was busy preparing for the final preseason test ahead of the 2026 regular season: the Coachella Valley Invitational in Indio, California. Over the course of the next week, your Loons will be playing three matches against MLS opposition to test the lineup, experiment with tactics, and generally assess the condition of the team before taking to the pitch for the season opener.
While Kansas City is a familiar foe, both D.C. United and Charlotte FC offer intriguing matchups with Eastern Conference clubs that will be hoping to improve their fortunes in 2026. Expect to see plenty of squad rotation, new ideas, and perhaps a leftover dose of chaos as some of the remaining kinks get worked out.
This will be Coach Knowles’ first chance to see his squad line up against another club since taking over and will likely prove to be formative in the introduction of his style, philosophy, and general management of the team. All three matches will be streamed right here on mnufc.com, as well as televised across the state via FOX Television Stations and Gray Media properties.
Additional player movement during the past week filled in the rest of the calendar, with defender Matúš Kmeť being sent on loan to FK DAC 1904 Dunajská Streda of Slovakia’s top flight through June of 2026 and several new additions filling out the MNUFC2 roster ahead of the MLS NEXT Pro season. The transfer window remains open, rosters are still in flux, and the excitement for the 2026 season is building. Tune in to the first match of the CVI tomorrow, Saturday, February 7, at 3:30 p.m. CT to scratch that Black and Blue itch a little early.
