After rebuilding himself on loan in his native Finland at the end of last season, midfielder Rasmus Schuller has returned stateside, worked his way back into Minnesota United’s lineup and has become a stout presence in the Loons’ midfield.
The 27-year-old Schuller is not the type of player who will stand out on the stat sheet, but his fingerprints are dotted all over matches. The box-to-box workhorse covers a ton of ground for the Loons and is a fearless tackler when it comes to breaking up plays in the central midfield.
“I try to play the role that I have been given and play the way the coaching staff and Adrian ask of me,” Schuller said. “Some of the games I have been a bit higher on the pitch and some have been a bit lower in the midfield and I try to adjust to that.”
But the Finland international’s transition to MLS was not seamless. Schuller started four of Minnesota’s first seven matches in 2017, but only saw the field two more times after that before ending the season on loan with Finnish club HJK. With HJK, Schuller got the playing time he needed to find his game and fill his reservoir of confidence.
MNUFC Assistant Coach Ian Fuller said the pace and athleticism of MLS caught Schuller by surprise and Schuller realized he had to up his play, physically, in order to better acclimate. The work Schuller put in over the offseason to get healthy and adjust to the rigors of MLS play has paid immediate dividends and Minnesota is reaping the benefits. He has started in 16 of his 17 appearances this season and has chipped in a pair of assists.
“He has come back and taken off,” Fuller said. “His engine is incredible. He has become that player that we bought and I think there is only more from Rasmus. He is at the right age, he is getting fitter and fitter, and adapting his game more and more to this country. There is more to come from him.”
Speaking with Schuller, you would never guess his reserved off-the-field demeanor gives way to something else entirely when the whistle blows. When match day arrives, a different, less soft spoken Rasmus comes out during pre-match, at halftime and on the field and teams can never have enough players like that — ones who are low maintenance, but highly intense and who back up their vocal leadership with a ceaseless work rate.
“Every player needs to be a leader and step up,” Schuller said. “I am just trying to do my part. It is good when people speak up and care and show what they want. We have a lot of those guys in the team and we need even more.”
WHAT TO WATCH FOR: DEFENDING SET PIECES
Defending set pieces has been unquestionably been Minnesota United’s Achilles heel over the last three weeks. The Loons have given up a goal via a set piece — specifically from corner kicks — in each of their last four matches. Against Colorado, Dallas and Houston that weak point proved fatal as each opponent’s match-winner was conceded from a set piece.
With its eyes on Saturday's home match against Real Salt Lake, MNUFC has placed increased emphasis on set pieces in training this week and midfielder Miguel Ibarra said it is up to the collective to ensure the team is defensively responsible and difficult to break down.
“We have to be responsible for our marks,” Ibarra said. “It is the whole team, not just one person. Everybody knows who they are marking and everybody knows how tough they need to be in the area to prevent (opponents) from getting a head on the ball. We have to be hard to beat.”
