After eleven days in Florida and nine days in Portland, preseason is officially over and the Loons are back in Minnesota. The team traveled to Florida, as they do every year, to train in a warmer setting on some grass. MNUFC returned home for a week before heading to Portland, where they had an opportunity to participate in a small tournament. It was the first step in getting the Loons prepared for their 2022 season, playing in Portland’s stadium, in front of fans, giving the team a feeling of what the season will feel like.
“It’s good to be home, everyone is settling in and realizing that preseason is finished, and now we are ready for the regular season, and it’s nice to focus on that from our home base,” said midfielder Wil Trapp.
During preseason, the Loons added some new players to their roster, along with familiar faces that fans recognize. The team welcomed Kervin Arriaga, Bongokuhle Hlongwane, and Oniel Fisher. Alongside, MNUFC welcomed back two Loons that had left in 2019 and 2020; Paraguayan, Luis Amarilla, and forward Abu Danladi.
“The assimilation of the group has been very impressive. And they’ve shown quality too,” said Wil Trapp. “You look at the other night against Viking FC and you look at Luis Amarilla’s impact, at Bongi’s [Bongokuhle Hlognwane] impact and these are players that will help us immensely, and Oniel Fisher will help us a lot as well.”
Amarilla is no stranger to the Loons, as he played with the team in 2020. Unfortunately, he didn’t see too much of the field due to an injury. The promise he made to the team and fans, of scoring 25 goals, has yet to be completed. With 23 goals left, Amarilla is ready to play his all-time best this season.
“Well, the most exciting thing for me, obviously, is doing things right,” said forward Luis Amarilla. “I know that I didn’t have a great year in 2020, unfortunately with the injury, but now I am here with the intention of doing things right. I mean to do what I promised the team, to score goals. And well, I think my aspirations and the history, they were fundamental to being able to be here.”
Individually, the players know what they have to do to help the club succeed. As a team, the Loons know their ultimate goal lies ahead of them.
“A good season is obviously making the playoffs, first and foremost, and after that anything can happen,” said Wil Trapp. “We saw it last year with a team like Portland or NYCFC where a couple things start to go their way, and they gain momentum, and that’s what happens in the playoffs. So for us, first and foremost make the playoffs, give yourself the best possible chance with that playoff seeding in terms of hosting games and from there, win your home games.”
The Loons look to take the first step in reaching that goal this Saturday, as they take on Philadelphia at Subaru Park at 12 p.m. CT.
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February 26, 2022 at 12:12AM
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The Notebook: 2022 Season, Here We Come - Minnesota United FC
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