12 May 2024
Emanuel Reynoso finally returned to Minnesota last week, but a comeback to MLS play appears further off on the horizon.
The Loons all-star midfielder was away from Minnesota United for seven weeks after he failed to go to his team-organized U.S. green card appointment in Argentina in late March. He stayed in his native country through early May.
Now Reynoso has to go through “a clear plan outlined for him before any first-team reintegration,” a MNUFC spokesperson said to the Pioneer Press this weekend.
Reynoso, who battled a knee injury to start the season, has only played 31 minutes in one game this season, coming off the bench in a 2-0 win over Los Angeles FC on March 16. He then left for Argentina when the Loons were idle the following week and didn’t come back.
It was considered an unexcused absence. the club and Reynoso were in communication during the hiatus, with Reynoso saying he would be back sooner than what actually happened.
On April 9, the Loons’ new Chief Soccer Officer Khaled El-Ahmad issued a statement on the situation. It included this line: “Our entire focus is on the players and staff who are here.”
The Loons attention to the active roster is paying off. MNUFC are off to a great start — 20 points through 10 matches — and sit in first place in the Western Conference in points per match.
Reynoso, who also missed the opening week of preseason camp this year, now might be subjected to training with the Loons’ developmental team, MNUFC2, for an undefined time period before any chance to rejoin the MLS side.
That approach would differ from what happened a year ago. When Reynoso missed the first 40 percent of the 2023 season, he soon rejoined the first team and played in a MLS match under former manager Adrian Heath in June.
The Loons new leadership, which includes head coach Eric Ramsay, do not appear likely to take a similar approach this year.
Loons players are also taking a different stance on Reynoso’s absence this season. Captain Michael Boxall told the Pioneer Press on April 16: “I think he’s made decisions that kind of shows everyone around here that he doesn’t care too much about the club.”
There’s also a possibility Reynoso has already played his last game for the Loons, with an option being the club offloads the talented playmaker in the summer transfer window from July 18-Aug. 14. That could come in the form of a trade to another MLS team or a transfer out to another league, such as Mexico’s Liga MX.