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Loons Dayne St. Clair and Emanuel Reynoso named to MLS All-Star Game

andy greder, pioneer press
·2 min read
Loons Dayne St. Clair and Emanuel Reynoso named to MLS All-Star Game

Minnesota United will have three representatives at the MLS All-Star Game at Allianz Field on Aug. 10.

Loons goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair and central attacking midfielder Emanuel Reynoso have been selected to the 26-player roster for the showcase event in St. Paul, the club announced Tuesday.

MNUFC manager Adrian Heath will coach the MLS players against all-stars from Mexico’s Liga MX. Both Reynoso and St. Clair were among Heath’s 12 picks for the game. Twelve other players were voted in and commissioner Don Garber had two selections.

Reynoso has a team-high seven goals and five assists this season. He is one of only three MLS players with that level of production this season, along with Nashville’s Hany Mukhtar (10 goals, five assists) and Philadelphia’s Daniel Gazdag (seven goals, five assists).

St. Clair is second in MLS in expected goals minus goals allowed (plus-5.5). St. Clair has 63 saves, one of only five goalkeepers with at least 60 saves this season.

MNUFC had two player representative for a single All-Star Game one other time since joining the league in 2017, when attacker Darwin Quintero and defender Francisco Calvo made the game in Atlanta in 2018. Calvo started versus Juventus and Quintero subbed in against the Italian giants.

Reynoso was picked for the game in 2021, but a series of injuries kept the Argentine from playing in Los Angeles. Fullback Romain Metanire played in the all-star game in Orlando in 2019.

BENITEZ SIGNS

United announced Tuesday the signing of right back Alan Benitez to a contract through the 2024 season and a club option for 2025. Salary terms were not released.

Benitez, 28, has played for the Paraguyan national team and for three different clubs in Paraguay’s Primera Division since 2017. He has four goals and five assists across those six seasons.

The Loons have sought more attacking from their right back this season as Metanire has played just 22 minutes due to nagging hamstring injuries. D.J. Taylor has become the primary right back as the season progressed.

“(Benitez’s) biggest threat is going forward and contributing to the attack,” Heath said in a statement. “That’s something we’ve lacked in consistently over the season, and we believe this part and parcel of Alan’s game.”

BRIEFLY

MNUFC2 brought in attacking midfielder Sagir Arce, 20, on a loan from Mazatlan FC on Saturday. The Kansas City, Miss.-born player had two assists in 323 Liga MX minutes in 2021-22 and six goals for its Under-20 side. He played 15 minutes in a 2-1 loss to St. Louis City 2 on Sunday. The Loons hold a purchase option on Arce, a source said. … Loons social media manager Mike Shields, who has been with the club for six years, has taken a position with the Men In Blazers soccer production.

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