Minnesota United signs Inter Miami castoff Julian Gressel, a two-time MLS Cup winner

Minnesota United moved to shore up the right side of its attack on Tuesday, signing right winger Julian Gressel after he was waived by Inter Miami.

Gressel won an MLS Cup with Atlanta in 2018 and with Columbus in 2023, and he started 38 games across all competitions last season for the record-setting Miami team that won MLS’ Supporters’ Shield.

Gressel had yet to play for the Herons this season after the arrival of new coach Javier Mascherano, making him perhaps the top transfer target in MLS during the primary transfer window, which ended last Wednesday.

“He basically told me that he doesn’t think I’m going to fit into his system,” said Gressel of the new Miami boss. “I’m grown up enough to respect that and then be OK with that and ultimately try to just find the best solution to that situation, which now turned out to be here.”

The MLS waiver process is slightly different than other sports; it includes a component of how much salary the claiming team is willing to pay. To quote the rules: “The player will be awarded based on a number of factors, including but not limited to, waiver order and which club is willing to absorb a salary budget charge that is meaningfully higher than other clubs.”

It added up to a big-time bargain for Minnesota. The Loons are getting a hugely experienced MLS player, one who fills a genuine need for them — without giving up anything at all, besides paying some of his salary.

“He’s been a serial winner, and that’s something that we want to add to what we’ve got,” said manager Eric Ramsay. “If you would script the type of player that we need at the moment, to give us some depth and competition on the right-hand side and in midfield … he certainly provides that.”

Gressel could slot in easily at wingback, a position he played with Columbus down the stretch in 2023 — either in relief of Bongokuhle Hlongwane or to give Hlongwane a chance to play more as a forward, which has always been the South African’s more natural position.

Gressel also could fit in as a right-sided midfielder in Minnesota’s 5-3-2 formation in the spot that’s been filled by Robin Lod for most of the season. That would allow the Loons to rotate their veteran midfield, as they integrate young signings Owen Gene (who’s slowly returning from an ankle injury) and Hoyeon Jung.

“If we’re not going to have loads and loads of depth, we’re not going fill all the spots, we want a versatile player - and he certainly gives you that,” said Ramsay, who wouldn’t commit to playing Gressel either in midfield or at wingback.

Ramsay also specifically mentioned Gressel’s set-piece skills as a right-footed player, something the Loons — who usually depend on left-footers Joaquín Pereyra and Joseph Rosales – don’t have.

“I obviously haven’t played this season, so I just want to be on the field,” said Gressel, who said he was comfortable in both spots. “We can change things up and we can have different types of formations, we can have different types of playing styles and be a little bit more unpredictable.”

At 31, Gressel will be one of the oldest Loons, but he brings a wealth of experience. He won rookie of the year in 2017 with Atlanta United and has made 248 appearances in his MLS career. He’s played six times for the U.S. Men’s National Team, after becoming a U.S. citizen in 2022.

A player of his pedigree likely had many potential suitors, but Ramsay and others managed to convince him that Minnesota was the place for a family man — despite any complaints about the weather.  

“I can sell it to someone like him who’s got kids,” said Ramsay. “I can sell it from my experience pretty genuinely. … I think he’s had a conversation with Wil Trapp. I think he knows [assistant coach] Zarek [Valentin] well, so it’s easy for those guys to sell what a good thing we’re onto here and how it feels to be here with young kids.”

And it’s not like he hasn’t experienced Minnesota’s weather before. Gressel’s first MLS assist came in one of the most infamous losses in Loons history — Atlanta’s 6-1 snow-bowl drubbing of Minnesota in the Loons’ first home game in MLS.

“I think the two coldest games I’ve ever played were here in Minnesota,” he said.

Veteran greats (music division)

Minnesota United announced some game-day activities for fans before the Inter Miami match on May 10. The game begins at 3:30, but activities outside the stadium start at noon, headlined by a performance from legendary Minneapolis rock band Soul Asylum. Also performing are indie rockers Porch Light.