Minnesota United and right back D.J. Taylor have agreed to a new two-year contract, with a club option for 2026, the Loons said Friday.

Taylor, 26, played 2,511 MLS minutes across 30 matches for the Loons in 2023. Taylor has been a bargain a year ago with a guaranteed compensation of $98,261, according to MLSPA.

But the Loons back line struggled in its end-of-season swoon that cost manager Adrian Heath his job. When interim head coach Sean McAuley took over, Zarek Valentin started at right back over Taylor in the final two regular season games.

MNUFC is now amid transition with new leadership atop its sporting department. Chief Soccer Officer Khaled Al-Ahmad has been hired but is still seeing out his term with English club Barnsley, and the Loons have a vacant head coaching position.

Taylor’s new contract was completed before the end of the 2023 season. Given the top-level changes within MNUFC, it’s unclear what style of play the Loons will have in 2024 and what type of role Taylor might have with the new regime’s plans.

Taylor was brought to Minnesota from North Carolina FC of the USL Championship in 2021, playing in only a handful of games. Taylor then assumed a starting role with the Loons in 2022 after former MLS All-Star right back Romain Metanire could only play in one MLS game due to serious and reoccurring leg injuries.

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