Free Headers: MNUFC celebrates Team of the Decade as they take on (mumbles vaguely)

Bench: Bakaye Dibassy, Hassani Dotson, Bongokuhle Hlongwane, Darwin Quintero, Christian Ramirez

I can't really quibble. Here was my team:

I had Ramirez and Quintero in my starting lineup, and I picked Miguel Ibarra on the bench instead of Pereyra (and I also picked a second goalkeeper, because I'm not a crazy person like the fans - what are you all going to do if St. Clair gets hurt?). Looking at it now, though, Alonso and Trapp are going to have to do one a heck of a lot of work in that starting eleven.

Tuesday at training, the club presented the five current players with the Team of the Decade jacket seen at the top of this post. None tried it on - "I'm sweaty," said Markanich - and Trapp, at least, noted its similarity to a varsity letterman's jacket.

This is how we learned that Trapp was in National Honor Society. "I wasn't a DECA guy - I was a show choir guy, though," he said. If you'd ever heard him belting out John Denver, walking across the parking lot to the training field, you'd believe it.

That said, Trapp said he only lettered in soccer in high school, so for all you multiple-sport Uncle Ricos out there, you've got one over on him.

Markanich has only been in Minnesota for two years, making his inclusion on the team one heck of a lift. 17 goals as a defender, in two years, will tend to leave an impression in people's minds.

"I haven't been here long... but I've pretty much made this place a home already, so it's awesome to have that accomplishment," he said.

Boxall, on the other end of the spectrum, was a little more reflective. He said he was really looking forward to seeing Jérôme Thiesson and Abu Danladi, the guys who - like Boxall - were around back in 2017 and 2018. "There was a lot of... I'd say growth, in the club at that point," he said, being diplomatic.

It was also Boxall's birthday Tuesday, meaning the now-38-year-old got recognized both before and after training - clearly, in his mind, just about the worst thing that could happen to him. Asked if this was his favorite day of training ever, he deadpanned, "I think it's cracked the top... how many have I had?"

Métanire and Opara are also returning, along with Jan Gregus, Collin Martin, and former coach Adrian Heath. Announcers Callum Williams and Kyndra de St. Aubin, both now of Apple TV, are the broadcast team for the night, as they were from 2017 to 2023.

Leave it to Trapp to put an honor like this into the broader context. "I think we have a responsibility as athletes, as people, to give everything you have while you're in that place [meaning something to fans]," he said. "I've found that to be a tenet that I live by in my life. Sometimes you're here for a year, sometimes you're here for ten. You never know. I think the way you impact people, the way you impact the team, is ultimately how you get remembered and how you can walk away from anything feeling good about it."

Manager Cameron Knowles said he'd been going back and forth with longtime club executive Manny Lagos about his own team. "We've talked a lot about it, Manny and I," he said. "We can't disclose any sort of ins or outs. I think there's some tough ones, there's some tough decisions in there. There's been some good players that have come through in the last ten years, for sure."

I asked if this meant he had criticisms of the fan vote that he wasn't going to tell us. "No comment! No comment!" he said, laughing.

It'll be a night for nostalgia, for sure. But if the Loons can't finally get three points at Allianz Field - and it's been three and a half months since they've done so in MLS - then it might be another forgettable evening against Atlanta.

Injury and participation updates

Both Nicolás Romero and Nectarios Triantis were back with the first team for the open portion of training, which is good news for Minnesota's depth. Knowles described both as "close" to returning. "We still need to build up their tolerance to fitness - I mean, they've both been out awhile," he said. "Nico participated with the second team in an 11v11. Nectar hasn't had any of that exposure yet, but both of those guys are really, really close."

Knowles also said that loan signing Aziel Jackson would be available and in the squad on Wednesday. Jackson, for those who like to be ahead of the game when it comes to jersey numbers, was wearing number 16 in training on Tuesday.

On the flip side, Dominik Fitz was training with the second team on Tuesday, not with the first team. It's pretty common for first-team players to train with the second team, and Fitz wasn't the only one to do so on Tuesday; Kieran Chandler and DJ Taylor did too, and like Fitz, they need some playing time, even if it's with the Doubloons*. But it's certainly tough for a max-salary-plus signing to be in that boat, in midseason.

*Still working on making this nickname for MNUFC2 happen.