Minnesota United’s developmental team has brought together players from both the other side of the world and from neighboring suburbs.
MNUFC2 consists of more than a dozen local academy players trying to climb into the professional ranks but has also signed 10 prospects from U.S. colleges, USL leagues and faraway places such as Australia and Trinidad and Tobago.
The Loons have brought in three young players on short-term loans from Colombia, Honduras and Ivory Coast. Three more players from the MLS roster (a Californian, Honduran and a Swede) have come down to this lower-level league, MLS NEXT Pro, for some needed playing time.
In this diverse locker room, the story of Emmanuel Iwe stands out. The Nigerian-born midfielder moved to St. Louis Park at age six, played in Joy of the People academy and its low-level team in St. Paul and for St. Cloud State University.
Iwe was a rare find in one of MNUFC’s local tryouts, and he was signed to a second-team contract before the 2022 season.
“That tryout was basically a Hail Mary,” Iwe said after making his MLS debut in March. “… When you’re a non-league player trying to make it … to the next step, you need someone to take a chance on you, and that’s what this club did on me. I’m very grateful for that.”
Iwe and MNUFC2 will make their home debut at 7 p.m. Sunday at the National Sports Center in Blaine. After netting 10 points in six straight road games to start the season, MNUFC2 (3-2-1) will play Chicago Fire II.
Given the diversity of the MNUFC2 roster, coach Cameron Knowles knows firsthand player development is far from linear.
“He’s been great,” Knowles said of Iwe. “I said that to him the first time when he played for the first team: ‘Can you imagine a year ago? You were in an open tryout, wondering what is next.
“The way he has taken the opportunity has been fantastic,” Knowles continued. “He has to keep developing and growing, but once you get a taste of it, it makes you hungry for more.”
Iwe’s appetizer for MNUFC’s first team came in a friendly against English Premier League side Everton last July. After his MLS debut against Vancouver in March, he scored in the Loons’ 3-1 win over Detroit City in the third round of the U.S. Open Cup.
“Getting that goal, for me, was a big relief,” Iwe said Friday. “Even in the Vancouver game, there were chances for me to score or create. It didn’t really go my way. Even in Everton, there were opportunities, so to get something to go my way was big. Finally, the one I’ve been hunting for.”
Iwe said he likely would have been nervous for the tryout in December 2021, but strangely he wasn’t pensive. He was aided by his experience playing for Joy in the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) and briefly for Costa Rican club Saprissa’s second team in 2019.
“Those three days in the trials, I knew what I was going to do to get seen, and during it, my confidence was through the roof,” Iwe said. “That is what got me noticed because I had that prior experience.”
Iwe, 22, is above the average age for MNUFC2 starting XIs, which Knowles estimates is roughly 20 1/2 years old.
Iwe’s underdog story continued last season when he tore a ligament in his foot, had multiple surgeries and couldn’t walk for months. The rehab continued into preseason in Florida in January.
“There was a day that I almost just broke down because I couldn’t run,” Iwe shared.
The surgery took away Iwe’s quickness, one of his best attributes, Loons manager Adrian Heath said. It’s that, his left foot to provide service and score and his courage to do new things, such as the tryout.
“He might have gotten a little fortune with the deflection (to score against Detroit), but he’s in the right spot,” Heath said. “He’s had the courage to take the opportunity.”
Briefly
Knowles sees MLS NEXT Pro at a higher level in Year 2, but it’s still below the USL Championship. That’s why MNUFC has loaned out two players to the tier below MLS: forward Tani Oluwaseyi (San Antonio) and goalkeeper Alec Smir (Colorado Springs). … Knowles named two leaders in MNUFC2’s quality start: midfielder Diogo Pacheco (five goals) and St. Paul native and goalkeeper Fred Emmings (one or fewer goals allowed in five of six games played). … MNUFC2 center back Geremy Rodas has been called into the Honduras Under-20 team for the U20 World Cup in Argentina in late May. … MNUFC2 will have all home games at National Sports Center this season after splitting time in Blaine and Allianz Field last season. The club will have tailgating opportunities for supporters, plus player autograph sessions and the chance for kids to take penalty kicks after games.
