The top tier of Minnesota United’s leadership — owner Bill McGuire, CEO Shari Ballard and Chief Soccer Officer Khaled El-Ahmad — met with free agent goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair on Sunday.

The pitch was clear: the Loons were serious in their effort to retain the 2025 MLS Goalkeeper of the Year with a new multi-year contract that would keep the 28-year-old Canadian in Minnesota.

“We offered him a very good package that would have made him, I think, a top two or top three-paid goalkeeper in the league,” El-Ahmad told reporters in a video call Thursday. “… We like Dayne. We valued him and still value him because he is a good person and a great professional. We did everything we could, and ultimately it’s Dayne’s decision and we respect that.”

St. Clair is nearing a deal with Inter Miami, according to The Athletic, which will pay him significantly less than what he could have earned in Minnesota.

To be among the highest paid in MLS, the sum offered from MNUFC to St. Clair would have been around $1.1 to $1.2 million. St. Louis goalkeeper Roman Burki was the highest paid at $1.7 million in 2025, while Orlando’s Pedro Gallese was at $1.2 and Philadelphia’s Andre Blake at $1.1 million, according to the MLS Players Association figures.

With St. Clair gone, United is moving onto Plans B and C for a starting goalkeeper in 2026.

“Ongoing conversation,” El-Ahmad said about the next steps. “Do you go with the very talented young goalkeepers we have and assess that situation? Do you look internationally? Do you look domestically? … We will make sure that whatever we do, we are comfortable and we can be competitive and continue to … improve.”

Plan B it appears is experienced goalkeeper already within MLS.

Lod update

The Loons have put a new contract offer on the table for midfielder Robin Lod, who was the club’s highest paid player ($1.6 million) last season.

“The ball is in his court,” El-Ahmad said. “Robin is someone we would like to keep, but in these negotiations, there is always so many aspects of it. We give an offer we think is fair; the other party might think it’s not fair enough.

“They might have other interest. Is it the term of the deal? Do I want to live in the United States? Is there something else that we are not aware of? But we want to keep Robin.”

Lod, who will be 33 in April, had 20 goal contributions (seven goals and 13 primary assists) in 2024 but only eight (five goals and three assists) in 2025.

Four draft picks

The Loons made four selections in the MLS college draft Thursday, the first for Southern Methodist left wing/left wingback Jaylinn Mitchell with the 23rd overall pick. MNUFC will look to see if he can flip to the right side of the field.

“We see an incredibly athletic player with a profile to dribble at the back line, someone that we think can play as a wingback or a winger,” said Hank Stebbins, MNUFC’s head of recruitment, roster strategy and negotiations. “He’s a young player with a lot of playing time at a very good school.”

Mitchell, a 5-foot-8 junior from La Miranda, Calif., had four goals and nine assists across 60 total collegiate games for the Dallas program. SMU won the Atlantic Coast Conference championship.

With the 53rd pick, MNUFC took Princeton left midfielder/center forward Badia Hormuz. The 5-10 junior from Bethesda, Md., had six goals and four assists for the Ivy League School last season.

At No. 67, United took Cal State-Fullerton center back Aiden Bengard, a 6-1 Fullerton, Calif., native who played 17 games during his redshirt freshman season last this fall.

At No. 83, Minnesota picked Evansville goalkeeper Michael Mroz, a 6-2 product from Elk Grove, Ill., who allowed 19 goals in 20 games during his sophomore season last fall. Mroz is a favorite of MNUFC head of goalkeeping Thomas Fawdry, Stebbins said.

MNUFC will work with the four underclassmen to see if an immediate transition to the pros is the next step or they should take more time developing in college. None of them will need international roster spots.

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