{
  "id": 12157231,
  "title": "Few Minnesotans have played for U.S. soccer, but MNUFC touts a few new prospects",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/05/few-minnesotans-have-played-for-u-s-soccer-but-mnufc-touts-a-few-new",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-05T13:22:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/few-minnesotans-played-u-soccer-132200705.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The U.S. men’s national team will play at Allianz Field for the fourth time since 2019 on Tuesday, but fans in St. Paul have yet to see a Minnesotan cheer them on. Minnesota has produced a limited roster of players for the U.S. national team (USMNT) and Minnesota United has struggled to develop local talent at the MLS level, let alone for the USMNT. The club's decision to shut down its academy during the pandemic further hindered player development, with top players exiting the club during that period.\n\nAmos Magee, MNUFC's vice president of youth development, believes the club is now on the cusp of a youth development turning point. This year, the club has seen five academy players receive youth national team call-ups, with four for the U.S. and one for Mexico. Magee is confident in MNUFC's ability to produce an elite player in the future. The two brightest prospects are 18-year-old goalkeeper Kayne Rizvanovich and 19-year-old forward Darius Randell, both named to the U.S. Under-20 men’s national team training camp in Spain. Other promising prospects include forward Nosa Osagie, midfielder/forward Jose Orta Ruiz, and midfielder George Porter.\n\nThe Loons have only produced five \"homegrown\" players in their 10 MLS seasons, with Devin Padelford contributing the most at 52 appearances. Randell and Rizvanovich are the most likely to earn first-team minutes. Randell, born in Monrovia, Liberia, has been dominating for the club, while Rizvanovich, born in Chicago, played in an academy in Chicago and FC Cincinnati before joining MNUFC's U18 team in 2025. He had significant minutes during the CONCACAF U20 tournament.\n\nThe shift in the club's focus from mature players to younger prospects has been facilitated by Khaled El-Ahmad, who replaced former manager Adrian Heath. El-Ahmad tore down the wall between the first-team and academy offices at the National Sports Center in Blaine, giving Magee more latitude to move players within the Loons' system. Despite the Loons' struggles in the Western Conference standings, Magee emphasizes that the key to player development is the mantra, \"If you're good enough, you're old enough.\"",
  "summary": "On Tuesday, the U.S. men’s national team will play at Allianz Field for the fourth time since 2019, but fans in St. Paul have not yet had the chance to cheer for a Minnesotan on state soil. Minnesota has produced only a small list of players to wear red, white and blue, and over the last decade Minnesota United has not identified, developed and produced many local players for the MLS level — ...",
  "key_points": [
    "Minnesota United has produced limited USMNT players.",
    "Five academy players received youth national team call-ups this year.",
    "Kayne Rizvanovich and Darius Randell named to U.S. Under-20 men's national team training camp."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}