Minnesota United soccer boss Khaled El-Ahmad boldly shakes up roster during MLS transfer window

“Part of the attraction for me was [his] versatility,” Ramsay said. “I think you could look at him and say that he’s a 10 [a central attacking midfielder], but also if you look at a lot of his best actions, they come from slightly deeper.

“He’s not maybe a 10 in the in the traditional Argentinian mold, but someone who could play across a lot of slots on that left hand side.”

The Argentinian also fits in well with the rest of Minnesota’s summer signings, plus the trade that added St. Louis City wingback Anthony Markanich. All six players – Pereyra, Markanich, Jefferson Diaz, Matúš Kmeť, Kelvin Yeboah, and Samuel Shashoua (who has already debuted) – are in their early-to-mid twenties, and have the prime of their careers ahead of them.

They’re also alike in another way: None save Markanich has MLS experience, and all of the international signings now have to make a step up.”

Yeboah and Pereyra both have experience at high levels – Pereyra has more than 120 appearances in Argentina’s top division, and Yeboah has played in three of Europe’s Big Five leagues. But now they’re coming in with the added pressure of being Designated Players, and Loons fans can reel off their own lists of Minnesota DPs that haven’t been able to make a mark in MLS.

Diaz, Kmeť, and Shashoua, meanwhile, have yet to star in a top league, never mind in North America. Much, then, is being trusted to El-Ahmad, and his ability to identify talent from afar.