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Minnesota United have their sights set on an early preseason match with Croatian club Istra 1961.
Slate for February 3, the early matchup comes just days before United will square off against three MLS teams in friendlies as part of the Portland Timbers’ annual preseason tournament.
If confirmed by United, the outing will be the first time Adrian Heath’s squad takes the field as a unit against an outside opponent in a friendly. Istra currently sits eighth in the Croatian league amongst 10 teams.
This feels a lot like an early confidence building exercise. Finding a relatively weak, non-MLS team and playing them first to get the jitters out is not a bad idea for a group that - just two weeks away from said game - is still under construction.