Story byPioneer Press, St. Paul, Minn.

Minnesota United leaders downplay summer transfer window

Andy Greder, Pioneer PressTue, July 21, 2026 at 3:07 PM UTC·4 min read

The Major League Soccer summer transfer window opened last week, and Minnesota United supporters should not get their hopes up for big signings to drive fan interest coming out of the FIFA World Cup.

The Loons’ leaders pretty much say so themselves.

AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement

Last week, Chief Executive Officer Shari Ballard said Chief Soccer Officer Khaled El-Ahmad was working to add “a couple of players” before the window closes Sept. 2. El-Ahmad’s goal since joining the club in 2024 has been steady roster improvement in each transfer window while keeping enough money to remain flexible.

The Loons have traditionally been one of the lowest-spending teams in the 30-club league.

In May, the MLS Players’ Association shared roster spending figures, and MNUFC remained in the same bottom tier it has occupied for years, ranking 22nd in guaranteed compensation.

Last year, the Loons were 26th but advanced to the final eight in the MLS Cup Playoffs. That type of return on investment keeps MNUFC leadership believing in the process.

AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement

Last week, the Pioneer Press asked Ballard, who will retire at the end of the year, about the club’s ambitions regarding transfer fees and salaries.

“We want to win a cup and want to build to doing that,” she said. “We are not going to be the club that goes out and spends the most money to get a $20- or a $30 million-dollar player. We’re just not. Philosophically, we do not believe that’s the way that you build a sustainable, consistently high-performing team.”

The MLS-record transfer fee is the $26 million to Los Angeles FC sent to London club Tottenham Hotspur for Son Heung-min. No one is expecting Minnesota to put that many zeros on a check; the Loons’ record transfer fee is $5 million sent to Buenos Aires club Boca Juniors for Emanuel Reynoso in 2020.

In the ensuing six years, MNUFC hasn’t come close to breaking that.

AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement

This summer transfer window comes on the heels of a World Cup hosted in North America, and new soccer fans have sprouted in Minnesota this summer. MNUFC said it added roughly 11,000 new entries to its database through its World Cup watch parties in downtown Minneapolis; those newbies and casuals are likely looking for ways to engage with the sport.

MLS Commissioner Don Garber has long called this World Cup a “rocket fuel” opportunity for the league to add interest in the U.S. and Canada. The question is whether the Loons are giving prospective (and current) fans reasons to support them.

This transfer window also is situated before a crossroads of the MLS schedule, which will flip to a fall-to-spring slate next year. MNUFC is currently pursuing season-ticket renewals for next year, and fans need to decide if they are willing to keep spending for more cold-weather games in St. Paul in late fall and early spring.

MLS will mercifully pause play in the dead of winter.

AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement

“I find season-ticket renewals very important,” El-Ahmad said in May. “But I’m a fundamental believer that you cheer for your team regardless of the outcome of players in and out. …. I think that’s a beauty of supporting a team. My job, our job, is always to look how we can improve.”

Last week, MNUFC owner Bill McGuire pointed out that Minnesota has more professional sports teams per capita than any other MLS market. Spending money to support a team in Minnesota isn’t a “regardless” situation, especially when four of the other teams vying for fans’ attention play in the NFL, MLB, NHL and NBA.

The Loons end a six-week break for the World Cup with an MLS match at Sporting Kansas City on Wednesday. Minnesota (6-5-4, 22 points) is holding onto the eighth of nine playoff spots in the Western Conference, far from a comfortable position with 19 games to go.

The roster needs an infusion, but head coach Cameron Knowles starts up again with the same squad.

AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement

“It’s interesting seeing teams as we start back up,” Knowles said last week. “Obviously the transfer window is open, signings get made … and as the second half of the season unfolds, the way the roster looks and the way teams are playing is going to look a lot different to how everyone started the season.”

Looking ahead, MLS is having discussions on the next chapter of roster rules; McGuire seeks “reasonable competitive balance.”

“There’s always somebody with more money, and there are a lot of them out there with more money than we have,” McGuire said. “And we still have to play, not pay necessarily. And I think that’s where we’re going to land. …

“Along with that, we have to recognize that what we most want is to be competitive. We all recognize that life doesn’t fall away, that you just go out and if you throw a bunch of money at it, for instance, like some teams want to do, that you’re going to win. Doesn’t work that way.”

AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement

Loons’ Anthony Markanich named to First XI of MLS all-star team

Minnesota United: Anthony Markanich named MLS All-Star

Late goal helps Loons salvage 1-1 draw with Salt Lake

Loons continue to struggle at home in 1-0 loss to Colorado

How much is James Rodriguez’s salary with Minnesota United?