Minnesota United announced today the club has signed Swedish defender Mikael Marques to a three-year contract, with a club option for 2026. Marques will occupy an international roster spot. Marques will join the Loons pending the receipt of his P1 Visa, ITC and a physical.

“Mikael [Marques] comes highly recommended. Several big teams in Sweden, Norway and Denmark were starting to take an interest but we got him through a good contact of ours who felt Mikael had so much upside,” said Head Coach Adrian Heath. “It’s an area of the field that we’ve been trying to get more depth. Bear in mind, the three mainstays have been Michael Boxall, Brent Kallman and Bakaye Dibassy, who suffered an injury last year, so we felt as though we needed depth there. He’s 21, incredibly athletic, has played fullback, played right side in a three man backline, played right side of a four – there’s a lot of versatility there. We’re excited to get him in and we feel he’s only just started. There’s a lot of growth in him.”

The 21-year-old defender joins Minnesota from AFC Eskilstuna of Superettan in Sweden where so far in the 2022-23 season, Marques has played in 28 of 30 games and provided two assists. Marques began his professional career with IFK Malmo of the Swedish second division in 2017 where he played 38 games, scored one goal, through 2019. In 2020, the centerback signed with Jönköpings Södra IF. He spent two seasons with the club, playing 21 games, before joining AFC Eskilstuna in 2022.

Transaction: Minnesota United signs defender Mikael Marques to a three-year contract, with a club option for 2026. 

VITALS
Mikael Marques
Position: Defender
Date of birth: September 8, 2001
Height: 6’0”
Last club: AFC Eskilstuna
Birthplace: Stockholm, Sweden
Citizenship: Sweden, Brazil