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According to Minneapolis Star Tribune writer Megan Ryan, it appears as though Minnesota United are close to signing former U.S. international Joshua Gatt.
Gatt, who signed with Austrian side SC Rheindorf Altach out of high school, is originally from Michigan and has spent the last five seasons as a member of Molde FK in the Norwegian Tippeligaen. Gatt made 60 league appearances for Molde and scored nine goals, with his best scoring season coming in 2012 where he notched 5 goals in 19 contests.
The 25-year-old has been primarily used as a winger and one of his best attributes is his pace, as he once claimed to run 100 meters in 11 seconds flat. Gatt has struggled with injuries since 2013, as he made just seven first team appearances in the past three seasons. A move stateside will likely be beneficial for the former Molde man, who could put himself back in the national team picture with an extended run of good performances and a clean bill of health.
Gatt made four appearances for the United States U-20 National Team back in 2010-2011 and managed to score three goals. He was called into the senior national team camp back in 2012 but was withdrawn from the team due to a hamstring injury, eventually making his full debut on November 14th of 2012. He has two senior caps under his belt and was named to the United States’ roster for the 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup. He has not featured for the United States since 2013.
Gatt’s signing is another feather in the cap of Manny Lagos, who has ended up signing five players that he scouted during his trip to Scandinavia back in September.
The former U.S. international provides the Loons with great depth on the wing and in attack where he will compete for playing time with newly-signed Kevin Molino, the returning Miguel Ibarra, and recently-signed Bashkim Kadrii who just arrived from Denmark this week. The Loons have done a fantastic job assembling their attacking corps for their inaugural MLS season.
Altogether, this move represents another tidy piece of business from the Minnesota front office as they have brought in a once-highly touted national team prospect on a low-risk deal that has the potential to pay big dividends down the stretch.