{"id":467268,"date":"2026-02-14T01:09:11","date_gmt":"2026-02-14T01:09:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/467268\/"},"modified":"2026-02-14T01:09:11","modified_gmt":"2026-02-14T01:09:11","slug":"the-right-place-for-him-why-james-rodriguez-signed-in-minnesota-amid-a-federal-occupation-minnesota-united","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/467268\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018The right place for him\u2019: why James Rodr\u00edguez signed in Minnesota amid a federal occupation | Minnesota United"},"content":{"rendered":"

Two weeks ago, few could\u2019ve expected that the most notable international acquisition of the MLS offseason would be made by Minnesota United<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The team\u2019s marquee import until last week was Finland striker Teemu Pukki, with honorable mentions for Colombian playmaker Darwin Quintero and ex-Porto midfielder Ibson. The Loons aren\u2019t known for paying sizable transfer fees, and their wage bill last year was the league\u2019s fifth-smallest.<\/p>\n

This year, they also had to contend with Operation Metro Surge. The siege-like deployment of more than 3,000 federal immigration agents into the state of Minnesota is now due to end<\/a>, but only after three harrowing months for residents throughout the Minneapolis\/Saint Paul metro area and beyond. The occupation caused two confirmed deaths, with Renee Good and Alex Pretti slain by ICE agents.<\/p>\n

Nonetheless, Minnesota United have managed to recruit one of this generation\u2019s biggest stars, Colombia playmaker James Rodr\u00edguez.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been in top leagues, but I wanted to play in this league,\u201d Rodr\u00edguez said in his introduction at Allianz Field. \u201cWhen the chance arose with this great club, things were progressing a bit slowly, but it happened. Both sides made an effort, and when a club trusts you, you have to give it your all so everyone feels good. That\u2019s why I\u2019m here, to help and hopefully win things.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rodr\u00edguez arrives nearly half a decade removed from his tenure at Everton, which proved to be his final stop as the centerpiece of a major European club. His path from the Premier League to MLS<\/a> makes for good pub trivia: Al-Rayyan, Olympiacos, S\u00e3o Paulo, Rayo Vallecano, Club Le\u00f3n.<\/p>\n

One would be forgiven for struggling to picture him in most of those clubs\u2019 shirts, as Rodr\u00edguez\u2019s legacy continues to be most directly associated with his exploits for Colombia. He\u2019s readying for his fourth World Cup, having captained his country to their best showing in Conmebol qualification since 2014 after being named player of the tournament at the 2024 Copa Am\u00e9rica.<\/p>\n

A free agent since New Year\u2019s, he needed a club with whom he could prepare for this summer\u2019s tournament. Having secured the player\u2019s discovery rights in the fall, Minnesota chief soccer officer Khaled El-Ahmad saw a \u201cunique opportunity\u201d to boost the entire squad, calling MLS \u201cthe best league to be in at this time when you\u2019re preparing for the World Cup\u201d.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s some historical backing for that claim. Gareth Bale was similarly driven to train in world-class facilities ahead of the 2022 World Cup, latching on to Los Angeles FC<\/a> for half a season, while Brazil goalkeeper J\u00falio C\u00e9sar<\/a> signed a short-term deal with Toronto FC before the 2014 World Cup.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow does a player of that caliber and that history prepare?\u201d El-Ahmad told the Guardian before Friday\u2019s press conference. \u201cWhat energy would that bring to our culture as we\u2019re trying to get younger, adding him to our collective? Adding that dimension, I believe, will evolve the group.\u201d<\/p>\n

El-Ahmad quickly summarizes Rodr\u00edguez\u2019s priorities and how the club meets them. He wanted a team that performs well; Minnesota expects to maintain its competitive standard, having missed the postseason just once since 2019. He wanted a top physio department; Minnesota was honored as MLS medical staff of the year in 2025<\/a>.<\/p>\n

He wanted calmness away from the field; \u201cwe have the best fans, but they don\u2019t show up at your house or hotel,\u201d El-Ahmad assures with history backing him up. He has a big interest in the NBA; managing partner Bill McGuire has courtside seats for the Timberwolves.<\/p>\n

James Rodr\u00edguez and Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert pose for a photo after the Colombian\u2019s introduction. Photograph: Jordan Johnson\/NBAE\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

And then there\u2019s the club culture, which El-Ahmad hopes he has refined since being appointed in November 2023, having previously been a scout for City Football Group and the CEO of Barnsley.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf this was 2024 or maybe even 2025, I\u2019m not sure we would be ready as a club for that potential addition to our culture,\u201d El-Ahmad said. \u201cI\u2019m so confident in the coaching staff now, in the club itself, that we\u2019ve been evolving over the last 24 months heading into year three. I\u2019m very comfortable with the core group of players, that [Rodr\u00edguez] is an exciting cherry on the top.<\/p>\n

\u201c[The acquisition] is not to change the culture. It\u2019s to evolve the group.\u201d<\/p>\n

If there\u2019s a recent MLS comparison, Thomas M\u00fcller\u2019s arrival in Vancouver last summer feels apt. It worked out for the Whitecaps, with the German bolstering a strong side as they reached their first MLS Cup final.<\/p>\n

El-Ahmad confirmed that despite his profile, Rodr\u00edguez won\u2019t take up one of the club\u2019s limited designated player (DP) spots even if the club picks up his option for the back half of 2026. He also won\u2019t disrupt head coach Cameron Knowles\u2019 playing time plans more than any other new signing would.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur culture doesn\u2019t guarantee starts for any player,\u201d El-Ahmad said. \u201cIt\u2019s a conversation about workload. Will this one be more delicate? Of course. There\u2019s no way not to have the delicate conversation, but it\u2019s also delicate with our captain, Michael Boxall. Does he recover more? Does he need an extra rest? Because Boxall is going through the same thing: he\u2019s going to go into the World Cup [with New Zealand]. It\u2019s the same thing with [Panama defender] Carlos Harvey. What does that mean the week before they go into the international camp in March?\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a collectivist tone that seems welcome for Rodr\u00edguez, who becomes the first Loon to don the 10 shirt since Emanuel Reynoso in 2023.<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom what I\u2019ve seen, this is a club that has done things the right way,\u201d Rodr\u00edguez said. \u201cI\u2019ve come to an established club, and now I\u2019m just another member of the club and the team as well. I\u2019m eager, passionate, and ready to be a part of the club, and I hope to do things right.\u201d<\/p>\n

As for questions of how bought into the club Rodr\u00edguez will be following the World Cup, El-Ahmad cited \u201cgood, transparent conversation\u201d as the two sides settled on the contract\u2019s structure. After consulting his locker room leaders for input, El-Ahmad was confident reasonable risks were being avoided.<\/p>\n

\u201cAgain, it\u2019s a club option,\u201d El-Ahmad said. \u201cHe\u2019s talking about, OK, so how are we going to make this a longer deal? It\u2019s all going to come down to how we align our interests and performance, what impact [he makes], if he likes it. There\u2019s a lot of assumptions and unknowns, but we are really starting out from a very positive place.\u201d<\/p>\n

The positivity in tandem with the welcome news of US Immigrations and Custom Enforcement\u2019s impending withdrawal from Minnesota \u2013 a sorely needed silver lining.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think there\u2019s no way around it: it\u2019s been very mentally tough,\u201d El-Ahmad said of life under Operation Metro Surge. \u201cStanding in front of the players, asking a certain group of the players to take care of the other group of the players, creating specific WhatsApp groups to support certain groups within the club.\u201d<\/p>\n

Minnesota United made a run to the Western Conference semi-final last season. Photograph: Jordan Johnson\/Minnesota United FC\/MLS\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

Minnesota United never made a public statement regarding the occupation \u2013 perhaps understandable given the Trump administration\u2019s culture of retribution, but still a decision questioned by some fans. Local businesses and citizens saw hastily written warrants mere hours after speaking out against ICE or recording their activity, feeling such actions were tactics of retaliation<\/a>.<\/p>\n

One of the few public comments addressing the situation was made by Boxall and Joaqu\u00edn Pereyra, speaking to the St Paul Pioneer Press<\/a> in January. Both were critical of the operation and leadership at all levels, with Pereyra adding that he carries his Argentine passport and green card with him whenever he leaves home.<\/p>\n

\u201cI empathize with Joaqu\u00edn,\u201d said El-Ahmad who was born in Lebanon<\/a> before his family moved to Sweden when he was young. \u201cI also drive around with my passport and green card. My kids have an extra note in their bag, just in case mom and dad don\u2019t come home, which, in its instance, is something that brings back childhood memories of me being a war refugee. It\u2019s not a pleasant thing to carry.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt the same time, I\u2019m really, really proud of the players and the staff and how we\u2019ve really managed it. It\u2019s not easy when you\u2019re preparing for a season, and then you see the pictures in our community that are not normal and they should not be happening. It\u2019s not even about political views. For me, it\u2019s about human values and human decisions and what is right and what is wrong. With the things I\u2019ve seen, I empathize and stand behind the community. We see a lot of wrong things being done.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the interim, the team is far from home at the Coachella Valley Invitational, a California preseason event involving Minnesota and 11 other MLS sides. The Loons won their first tune-up match two days after unveiling Rodr\u00edguez, notching a 3-0 win over Sporting Kansas City.<\/p>\n

Rodr\u00edguez didn\u2019t participate and won\u2019t join future training sessions until he obtains his work visa \u2013 another aspect of the signing impossibly linked to the Trump administration. The Pioneer Press also reported that at least two potential international signings decided not to join Minnesota in light of ICE\u2019s occupation.<\/p>\n

Given the tension between Trump and Colombia president Gustavo Petro<\/a>, the political situation was another item El-Ahmad discussed with Rodr\u00edguez\u2019s representatives.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s different with James because of the profile he has,\u201d El-Ahmad said. \u201cHe feels more comfortable about his situation compared to some other recruits that we tried to sign. His representatives asked about what\u2019s going on since he\u2019s obviously Colombian. I don\u2019t want to make this political, but it\u2019s not easy. We\u2019re still waiting for the visa for Mauricio Gonz\u00e1lez, who we signed like a month ago.\u201d<\/p>\n

In a turbulent time for Minnesota, its MLS team now rosters one of the sport\u2019s most famous active players. Rodr\u00edguez is determined to impress, both to round out his World Cup preparations and to make the most of his move to the North American league.<\/p>\n

In a deal with little risk involved for the club, his arrival is a surprising but welcome development in an offseason like no other.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is the right place for him because of the community,\u201d El-Ahmad said, \u201chow we stand up to each other, the fans, the group of players that we have. He will be a good addition here, and they are a good addition to where he is [in his career]. Hopefully, we can manage it as we move forward for what everyone hopes is a positive outcome.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Two weeks ago, few could\u2019ve expected that the most notable international acquisition of the MLS offseason would be…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":467269,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[69],"tags":[403,99],"class_list":["post-467268","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-soccer","tag-soccer","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/467268","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=467268"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/467268\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/467269"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=467268"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=467268"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=467268"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}