Ahead of the inaugural match in Portland on Friday, Minnesota United has released their official roster. As it stands there are 25 players on the team, although defender Thomas de Villardi expected to sign soon.

The roster release finally answered the question over who would wear the captain’s armband for the Loons. Vadim Demidov will captain the club, while Justin Davis will serve as vice-captain.

Manager Adrian Heath hailed Demidov’s leadership abilities from the day he signed him. The veteran center-back is a strong communicator and speaks four languages, which should help him be able to reach out to everyone on the team.

Justin Davis led the team out of the tunnel in the 2016 NASL season and was one of the first players from that team to be signed for MLS. JD is the club’s longest tenured player, registering 163 appearances since joining the club in 2011.

There will be two Minnesotans representing the North Star State on the pitch this season. Ismaila Jome of Brooklyn Center and Brent Kallman of Woodbury will be pulling on the grey and blue in MLS. The team also features a native of our neighbors across the St. Croix in Patrick McLain of Eau Claire, Wisconsin.

Roster

Goalkeepers:

John Alvbage - #1

Patrick McLain - #24

Bobby Shuttleworth - #33

Defenders

Francisco Calvo - #5

Justin Davis (VC) - #2

Vadim Demidov (C) - #6

Joe Greenspan - #12

Brent Kallman - #14

Jermaine Taylor - #4

Jerome Thiesson - #3

Kevin Venegas - #22

Midfielders

Bernardo Anor - #23

Ibson - #7

Josh Gatt - #45

Miguel Ibarra - #10

Collin Martin - #17

Kevin Molino - #18

Mohammed Saeid - #8

Rasmus Schuller - #20

Collen Warner - #26

Forwards

Abu Danladi - #9

Ismaila Jome - #15

Bashkim Kadrii - #16

Christian Ramirez - #21

Johan Venegas - #11