"The best thing that can be said about James Rodríguez signing with Minnesota United is that it's a low-risk deal for both sides. That speaks volumes about both the positives and the negatives of what is clearly a marriage of convenience. Rodríguez, 34, has signed a six-month contract with the Loons, with a club option to finish the 2026 season in the Twin Cities. Both sides appear to be getting what they need."
"Rodríguez gets a professional environment in which to play and train ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, where he's expected to maintain his lynchpin role for Colombia. Minnesota, for the first time in its history, gets a massive creative force and an iconic player on its team that is guaranteed to bring considerably more attention to the club both in the U.S. and abroad. That reality augmented the typical optimism that pervades introductory news conferences."
"I started telling James, 'It's beautiful weather, there's beaches here ... We can take nice walks in Wayzata in your shorts,' El-Ahmad said. 'No, but back again to, I keep talking about the group and football and I'm excited that a person who has this big persona was like, 'Actually that's what I want to be part of.'"
James Rodríguez signed a six-month contract with Minnesota United with a club option for the 2026 season. He will use the professional environment to play and train ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup while maintaining an expected lynchpin role for Colombia. Minnesota gains a high-profile creative player who will raise the club's profile domestically and internationally. The short-term deal allows either side to exit quickly if the fit fails, reflecting Rodríguez's pattern of brief stints since his 2017–19 spell with Bayern Munich. The signing prompted upbeat public remarks from the sporting director.
Read at ESPN.com
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