Austin Lindberg – Football Scout

How Minnesota United rose from doormat to MLS Cup contender

It’s hard to quantify leadership but you know it when you see it. Good teams have it, bad ones tend not to. And no one knows this better than Minnesota United.

Minnesota finished ninth in the Western Conference in each of its first two seasons in Major League Soccer, but with a newfound sense of leadership in 2019, the club finished fourth in the West and is primed to make some noise in the playoffs — especially as the Wonderwall welcomes the LA Galaxy to Allianz Field for the club’s first-ever…

Minnesota’s Opara eager to show former club SKC what it’s missing in MLS Rivalry Week

Orlando City though they were awarded a penalty to seal the win over Minnesota, but Tesho Akindele was judged to be offside and the potential handball was negated.

As much as things have changed for Ike Opara, at the office, it’s business as usual. Last season, he shepherded a defense that ranked fourth in Major League Soccer in both goals against and expected goals against. This season, the back line he leads ranks fourth in goals against and seventh in expected goals against.

What has changed is that those defenses are on two different teams: Sporting Kansas City in 2018 and Minnesota United this season. And the change in fortunes of those clubs — Minnesota’s…

Simeone: ‘Dynamic’ MLS All-Stars could have hurt us

The MLS All-Stars were held scoreless for the first time since 2011 as Joao Felix and Atletico Madrid went on to a 3-0 victory at Orlando City Stadium.

ORLANDO, Fla. — Despite his side beating the MLS All-Stars 3-0 on Wednesday night, Diego S…

All-Star Game piqued Schweinsteiger’s interest in joining MLS

In an interview with ESPN, Seattle Sounders star Nicolas Lodeiro discusses how MLS has grown and his desire to return to Boca Juniors before he retires.

ORLANDO, Fla. — Bastian Schweinsteiger says his introduction to Major League Soccer at the 2014 All-Star Game kickstarted his interest in the league, and ultimately led to his signing with the Chicago Fire in 2017.

Schweinsteiger was fresh off Germany’s World Cup triumph in 2014 when he joined up with Bayern Munich to take on the All-Stars in Portland, and he says that the atmosphere and pageantry of the occasion forced him to take an interest in MLS.

“I spoke to teammates, they liked it in…

Zlatan, Vela rivalry won’t spill into ASG – O’Connor

Zlatan Ibrahimovic joins SportsCenter to talk through his second career MLS hat trick and what makes him stand out from the rest of the league.

ORLANDO, Fla. — MLS All-Star coach James O’Connor doesn’t expect the war of words between two of the league’s biggest stars in Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Carlos Vela to spill over into the North American team’s friendly match against Atletico Madrid on Wednesday night.

Less than two weeks ago, Ibrahimovic told ESPN’s Ahora o Nunca that he is “by far” superior to Vela, despite the Mexico international leading the league in goal scoring — six ahead of the Swede. After scoring a hat trick in the…

Maybe you’re gonna be the one that saves me: The genesis of Minnesota United’s ‘Wonderwall’

Minnesota United’s Ethan Finlay and Brent Kallman take ESPN behind the scenes at Allianz Field, the Loons’ jaw-dropping new stadium.
On Saturday, Minnesota United will open its brand-new home at Allianz Field in Saint Paul. If the 19,400 in attendance are lucky, they will celebrate a victory vs. New York City FC (watch LIVE on ESPN2, 5 p.m. ET) by belting out Oasis’ 1995 hit “Wonderwall,” with help from the club’s players. How far the club has come…
At the turn of the decade, nobody in the Twin Cities was serenading this club with Britpop anthems. Indeed, not many were singing about the club in any genre. In those days, it…

Quintero, Ibra, Vela the kings of MLS Dual Threats: stars with double-digit goals and assists

Darwin Quintero, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Carlos Vela are amongst an elite group in Major League Soccer who both score and assist just as much.

The talent level in Major League Soccer has never been higher than it is right now. That’s evident by payroll in 2018, which topped $250 million league wide — the most that’s ever been spent on players in MLS history.

The wisest investments are proving to be in dual threats: the exceedingly rare player as comfortable creating for others as he is finishing himself. Just 10 players in 2018 recorded double digits in both goals and assists.

Within that exclusive list are two of the past four…

Marco Reus happy as the constant and the mentor at Borussia Dortmund

Mario Gotze discusses Borussia Dortmund’s win over Manchester City in the ICC and describes how the German side is feeling early in preseason.

ESPN FC’s Stewart Robson feels Christian Pulisic must improve his end product at Borussia Dortmund this season.

Mario Gotze converted after Christian Pulisic won a penalty kick to lead Borussia Dortmund past Manchester City in an ICC showdown in Chicago.

CHICAGO, Ill. — Borussia Dortmund is a vastly different place to the club Marco Reus left as a 17-year-old. It’s a very different place to the club he rejoined as a 23-year-old, too.

Reus left the academy in 2006 after 10 years in its classrooms and on its training fields. The senior side was 29 points adrift of champions Bayern Munich that season, stuck in seventh place, and fell at the first hurdle in the DFB-Pokal. He spent three years at Rot Weiss Ahlen, propelling the club from the third…

World Cup Boot-Spotter’s Guide: What the top 50 players of the tournament are wearing

Neymar, Antoine Griezmann and Lionel Messi will be the faces for Nike, Puma and Adidas at the World Cup.

The spotlight doesn’t shine any brighter than on the stage that is the World Cup. And the top 50 players at this summer’s tournament, as named in our World Cup Rank, will no doubt revel in the attention of taking centre stage.

Soaking up all that attention, and converting it into brand awareness, are three of the world’s biggest names in football: Nike, Adidas and Puma. The trio account for 49 of our 50 best players in Russia — and it would’ve been a clean sweep if not for Sadio Mane’s switch…

Boxall at forefront of New Zealand’s increasing influence in booming MLS

An early own goal helped Atlanta United hold on for the win against Minnesota United after being reduced to 10 men before halftime.

MINNEAPOLIS — In its 23 years of existence, Major League Soccer has been home to just 18 players from New Zealand. Of those 18, eight are plying their trade in MLS right now. Not since 2011, when five Kiwis played in the U.S. and Canada, has the league been home to so many players from the Land of the Long White Cloud.
Michael Boxall captained the All Whites in their friendly against Canada last month, and the Minnesota United defender has witnessed both of MLS’ New Zealand high-water marks firsthand.
The…

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