One big transfer need for Minnesota United before the primary window closes | OneFootball

Perhaps no team has been more interesting to watch this season than Minnesota United.

While most teams in MLS either opt to be ball-dominant or high-pressing (and occasionally both), Eric Ramsay's MNUFC does neither as their primary strategy. Instead, they've primarily sat deep in a 5-3-2 formation designed to maximize their counterattacking ability with strikers Kelvin Yeboah and Tani Oluwaseyi.

The results have been pretty dang good: A seven-match unbeaten run in the league (four wins, three draws), five goals for Oluwaseyi, four more for Yeboah and possession of second place in the Western Conference after Matchday 8.

But if you've watched the Loons closely, you'll have seen that there's a relatively clear weakness to this approach: It can become considerably less effective as the minutes tick closer to 90.

In the last five matches, Minnesota gave back a three-goal lead in a 3-3 draw at Sporting Kansas City, twice led before settling for a 2-2 home draw against the LA Galaxy and nearly gave back a two-goal advantage in a 2-1 win over New York City FC.

A pressure-release vale

And the eye test also reveals that this is a team whose menace wanes a bit toward the final whistle, perhaps because of all the work they're doing without the ball. That vulnerability might only become greater as the weather warms up over the bulk of the season.

As a result, what Minnesota should be looking for between now and the end of the primary transfer window on April 23 is a ball-possessing midfielder, someone who can at least be a pressure-release valve when defending a lead.

This needn't be a high-profile No. 10-type signing. It might not even have to be someone who regularly plays 90 minutes. The Loons are clearly creating enough chances; their 11 goals scored lag behind their 14.6 expected goals created.

But Ramsay could desperately use someone in the mold of Darlington Nagbe or Obinna Nwobodo, just to mention a couple of players in MLS who excel at this role.

Of course, there are very few central midfielders out their with Nagbe's 99th-percentile passing completion rate, and a 90-minute player of that caliber may not be something Minnesota can find right now, particularly at a price point that works for their budget.

But they could be freed by expanding their search to veterans who might only be 35- to 65-minute players at this stage of their careers, since the way they've played early in matches has been exceptional. That could open the possibilities for a lot of intriguing veterans.