Emanuel Reynoso has experienced a frustrating preseason, but Minnesota United’s star midfielder was smiling and laughing with teammates after Thursday’s training session in Blaine.

In a 16-minute interview with reporters, he was talkative, informative and in good spirits — despite not being able to play in the club’s four preseason friendlies nor being in the mix to play in the season opener at Austin FC on Saturday night.

Reynoso addressed why he was a week late to preseason camp in early January. He detailed what’s going on with the sprained MCL in his left knee, his name coming up in transfer rumors in Brazil and shared his outlook on the 2024 season.

How do you describe this preseason?

“Happy that I was able to return on time. There is a small injury on my knee that won’t let me kick off the season. But happy to be with the team and with the same illusion of winning a trophy with the team.”

We’ve seen a couple of setbacks with your knee. How frustrating has that been?

“It’s very frustrating. Like I mentioned, I was happy I was able to make it for preseason and start working with the team, then I got injured, recovered and then got injured again. I wasn’t able to play in any preseason games to be able to get some game rhythm, but I’ll keep fighting to improve. I’m working with the medical staff and the coaching staff to get better physically and be readily available for the coach.”

Did you think you were on track to play on Saturday?

“Yes, I was under the impression that I had a chance because I was improving really well. But on Tuesday, my knee started bugging me again, so I would rather not risk it since I’ve had issues with my knee in the past. I can sit out the first game, but after that I need to be physically well, build up the strength in my knee and be mentally ready. I want to be 100 percent ready to help my teammates and be ready when the coach calls my name.”

How do you look at the high-pressing style that will be played this season?

“It’s good. The team is physically capable of doing it. (Interim head coach Cameron Knowles) knows us and he has worked with us in the past when Adrian (Heath) was here, and the second-team players that are currently playing with us in the preseason also know him and he knows them. It’ll be good for us. With us pressing higher up the field, we are able to steal the ball from the opposing team and have more goal-scoring situations, and when we have the ball also being able to defend it. But overall, positioning ourselves higher on the field will allow us to have better scoring opportunities and be better prepared.”

How do you look at Cameron Knowles’ leadership knowing there is going to be a permanent head coach at some point?

“He is a coach that has a lot of personality. He is always talking with the players, which is very important. Players who are playing or not playing, injured or not injured, he is always talking with them, and that’s important for a player. The players trust him, and he trusts us, which is the most important (thing). The team is behind him 100 percent, so we’re going to continue learning from him and hearing from him. Little by little, we’re understanding his ideas, and if we focus on what he wants, there will be no room for margin of error and we’ll have a good start to the season.”

What is possible this season with the attacking pieces on the team?

“There are many options, really good options like he mentioned: (Teemu Pukki, Robin Lod, Sang Bin Jeong, Franco Fragapane, Bongi Hlongwane). Honestly, we have a lot of options and every day we’re getting to know each other a little bit more. With Robin and Fraga, we’ve been playing alongside each other for a while now.

Now we have Sang Bin, Bongi and Pukki that we get to work with, so it’s a healthy competition. It’s all a healthy competition because we all want to help the team and be in the starting lineup. Whoever does have the chance to start gives it their all and whoever comes off the bench will also support their teammates. So it’ll be good for us to have many options, I’m happy for that. For me, it’s now making sure I can be out there to help the team and win things with the team.”

Was your knee issue something that came up during preseason or were you dealing with that beforehand?

“No, it was during preseason. I was training well and doing well, but there was a training session (in Tucson) where I injured myself, then recovered and then re-injured it. So I’m working on it day-by-day to get better, get stronger, minimize the pain and properly prepare so it doesn’t happen again. Like I mentioned earlier, I want to be 100 percent in trainings and mentally to be available for the coaching staff and teammates.”

What went into you being a week late to preseason?

“I had asked permission from the club and I talked to them because I’m expecting a child with my girlfriend. She’s pregnant and I found out shortly before I needed to report. So I asked the club for one more week to be able to arrange medical plans for her and make sure she was taken care of during her pregnancy because I was going to be here and she would be by herself for a while. The idea overall was to make sure she was calm and could go through a healthy pregnancy, which is important. After that, I could come here to work hard and give it my all and work to get her here.”

How did you view your name in transfer rumors (in Brazil)?

“A lot of rumors came out that I was leaving, but like I mentioned earlier, I’m here to win things. The first year I was here, we fell short in a final, so I have that itch to win something. But right now, I’m here and I’m well and happy with the club. My family will be here soon, so I’m happy here.”

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