Report: Minnesota United invite trialist centerback Diallo to stay on

Minnesota United have asked trialist centerback Abdoulaye Diallo to remain with the club in light of steady improvement, according to a report from Andy Greder of the Pioneer Press.

The news comes just two days after the club dismissed goalkeeper Bill Heavner, a short-term solution that was brought in to provide emergency depth when both first-string John Alvbage and third-string Patrick McLain went down with injuries.

Diallo joined the club in late March as a free agent after being released from Latvian side FK Jelgava. He is left footed, a trait he will share with both Francisco Calvo and Justin Davis. Over 54 appearances with his former club, the Senegalese defender tallied 4605 minutes for an average of just over 85 minutes per match. He’s netted three goals for Jelgava but also found himself the target of a red card suspension during Europa League Qualifiers last year. Another positive: Diallo has no major injury history to speak of, meaning Minnesota have a healthy - if unproven - backup in Diallo.

Even on the heels of two new defensive signings last week in defender Marc Burch and defensive midfielder Sam Cronin, Minnesota United should be keenly aware of how fragile the back line still is. Sure, the new veteran players shore up an area of weakness but they have yet to see even a single minute on the pitch in a Minnesota United uniform. Until they do, it’s difficult to judge how effective they will be and how they will be deployed by Adrian Heath.

The most glaring weakness of the team has obviously been it’s defensive performances over an MLS debut that saw it concede a record number of goals. If the front office is comfortable with the progress it is seeing in a 24-year-old free agent, then by all means keep him around. At the very least, Diallo could develop into a solid depth or even boost his own value enough that he becomes a trade chip further down the road.