The Common Loon won’t be migrating back to Minnesota until mid-to-late April, but here at Minnesota United, the great migration has already taken place. Your uncommon Loons are back in Blaine to start their preparations for the 2025 season, and with largely the same squad that found fine form to close out 2024, spirits are high heading into the new year.
Following the club’s first full training session on Monday, Coach Ramsay, midfielder Wil Trapp, and new defender Kipp Keller spoke to the media, setting the scene for the preseason to come and discussing expectations heading into the 2025 MLS season.
Straight From the Pitch
In the initial stages of the players’ return to the pitch, the focus is largely on regaining sharpness and fitness levels. Between extra conditioning and a plethora of passing patterns, the players have been going through familiar motions to reacclimate themselves after the break.
“You can tell in instances already that we've got a far, far better baseline of the technical behaviors that we want to see, and obviously you'd expect that to be the case after last year,” said Coach Ramsay. “But I want to make sure that from day one, minute one, this year, we really feel like we are working on how we want the team to play.”
With a large group of players, including several DuperDraft picks and MNUFC2 regulars in addition to the first-team squad, the Loons made full use of the NSC Dome in their first days back. While the size of the group enabled the coaching staff flexibility in their planning, such big numbers aren’t conducive to the kind of technical fine-tuning that the team will be looking to get into as the weeks progress.
“We started today with 32,” Ramsay said. “Over the course of the coming week, maybe 10 days, that group will get smaller. Of course, it's impossible for us to train with this number of players for all that long; we want to make sure it starts to feel very purposeful very quickly. Everyone knows that the club’s working really hard behind the scenes, with some really good processes in place and a real plan to improve the squad. I think there'll be an expectation from all of us, and our players know that as well. So I feel like they've got a chance to get a head start without complacency, knowing that, of course, the intention is for us to improve.”
Re-Entry Draft selection Kipp Keller is among the new faces at training this season, and after making his way to the Twin Cities, the young defender seems ready to hit the ground running. Coach Ramsay noted Keller’s experience within a talented FC Cincinnati, as well as his general profile, when asked about how he would improve the club’s defensive depth. Keller himself gave some insight into what he has to offer.
“I'm just going to come in and do the best I can to support the team any way I can,” Keller said. “I'm a team-first guy, so wherever they need me to play, whenever they need me to play, I'll be there and be ready to go. For Cincinnati, we played a back three. I played in the middle, left, or right. I'm right-footed, but I can play anywhere.”
With new options to pick from and plenty of time for players to jockey for their spots before the start of the season, the next few weeks of training should bring some exciting developments. The first preseason trip of the year will be here before too long, with the team ditching the Minnesota cold for the Santa Barbara sun from January 19 to 30.
As the team approaches their first opportunity to get on some grass, the goals for the year ahead are starting to take shape in the players’ minds. For veteran midfielder Wil Trapp, this preseason offers a chance to focus and build on last season’s foundation, and that opportunity is a part of what kept him here in Minnesota.
“We fell short last year,” Trapp said. “Maybe no one expected it. Maybe we didn't even expect it halfway through the season, but by the end of the year, we were in a position in which we could have been vying for a trophy. And I think as players, especially as you get older, you want to win.”
Not only did Trapp identify the progress his team made last year, but he also identified why he feels confident in the year ahead.
“The belief stems from the confidence you have in your teammates, the confidence you have from ownership all the way down through our training on the field every day,” he said. “We're doing something that feels very organic to who we are as players and what resonates with this club and with the city. And I think for us, the belief in an MLS season can go like a roller coaster: up, down and everywhere. So what I really find great about our leadership is the consistency of attitude, even when we're in the playoffs pushing or when we were in the lowest points of the season. Last year, we had a consistent message and a consistent focus amongst all the players and amongst the staff.”
In a league as renowned for its parity as this one, the value of consistency can’t be overstated. As the team turns their attention to the 2025 season, it’s clear that the standards in the Twin Cities will not be dropping.
