A 2013 season that began with the promise and excitement brought on by new ownership, a rebrand, and seemingly good signings ultimately devolved into a season of inconsistency, unfulfilled expectations and mid-table anonymity. Resultantly, areas needing further address were made clear.
The bulk of the offseason has been a good one for Manny Lagos and co., as yet more proven talent has been brought in to complement the club's formidable core. Yet, with one very significant injury on Minnesota's recent trip to England, the likelihood of Minnesota's involvement in the postseason suddenly doesn't look as sure as it might have before.
Goalkeepers
Matt Van Oekel returns and is a steady goalkeeper at the NASL level. He does a great job of making the area his and hardly shies away from coming off of his line to claim crosses before they cause any danger. Mitch Hildebrandt returns as a very capable #2.
Defenders
The back line was a source of Minnesota's problems on several occasions last season, but the addition of the experienced Tiago Calvano from Sydney FC should help the cause greatly. Aaron Pitchkolan, fresh off of an NASL Best XI selection, returns, though he is just as likely to play as a holding midfielder this season as he is to star at center back. With that in mind, NASL veteran Cristiano Dias might be the safe bet to start at the second center back spot.
Brian Kallman returns at right back, though midfielder-turned-defender Kevin Venegas will by vying to start on the right as well. Justin Davis should be the mainstay at left back and does well in both getting forward and providing service on set pieces, but he could likewise be pushed by recent signing and former New England draftee Tyler Polak, brother of reserve striker Nate.
Midfielders
One would not be wrong in saying that Minnesota's midfield stacks up nicely with the strongest units in the league, as they are replete with depth, speed, creativity and bite.
Lagos will have some interesting decisions to make in the heart of his midfield. As previously mentioned, Aaron Pitchkolan may be starting in a holding role this season, with either the scrappy MLS and NASL veteran Floyd Franks or new man and deep-lying playmaker Juliano Vicentini to start alongside him. Indeed, the choice of Pitchkolan's partner may be determined on a game-by-game and tactical basis.
With the likes of Pitchkolan providing an imposing presence behind Minnesota's plethora of attacking midfielders, whoever ends up starting with have free reign to create as they wish. Miguel Ibarra, easily one of the fastest players in the league, is back on the left to build upon his NASL Best XI 2013. Jamaican international Omar Daley will likely be the pacy option off the bench, as he'll certainly have a hard time in keeping either the ever-classy Simone Bracalello or former Orlando City facilitator Jamie Watson off the pitch. Of course, Bracalello's role may change greatly this season, as we'll talk about in a moment.
Strikers
Alas, it was only a couple of weeks ago that this area of the team looked to be the last thing Minnesota fans would have to worry about; why would they? Pablo Campos scored 13 times last season, has always been a dominant force, whether in physicality or production, at this level, and was always going to be leading the line. Fate, however, would not smile kindly upon Minnesota when Campos tore his ACL and MCL, leading Manny Lagos to have a tactical rethink that he would have rather done without.
Cristian Ramirez would appear to be the heir apparent after coming over from Charlotte of the USL, and while he physically looks like he can fill Campos' role, questions about his ability to come anywhere close to Campos' output are not unjust. Simone Bracalello could feature up top should Ramirez disappoint, but it has to be said that this would not be his preferred deployment.
Daniel Mendes was signed on loan in the aftermath of Campos' injury and has had a good spell with Sweden's Kalmar, but like Bracalello, he would be better served to play as either a withdrawn striker, an attacking midfielder, or wide.
Verdict
Before Pablo Campos was lost for the season, I had no doubts about Minnesota being one of the final four teams standing in November, but now I'm not so sure. That is not to say that it is out of the question, however.
Any respectable goal tally from whoever ends up claiming the top spot, or even if it's striker by committee, should still be enough to see Minnesota challenge for any one of the three trophies on offer this season. The unfortunate thing for Minnesota fans, however, is not knowing if this will actually happen or not.
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