Free Headers: Slow searches, injury updates, and... height?

It's been 43 days since Khaled El-Ahmad left Minnesota for Austin FC. Nearly a month and a half since the Loons were left scrambling to finish out the summer transfer window, since interim sporting director Hank Stebbins suddenly had to move into the big chair and try to put the finishing touches on a plan he was never responsible for.

43 days that the Loons can't know what their future plan is, because they don't have anyone in a permanent decision-making spot to set that direction.

Minnesota won that Saturday, and then hasn't won since, getting one point out of a possible 18 and conceding 20 goals along the way. They are seven points out of a playoff spot, with five teams sitting between them and ninth place. If they lose their next game, they'd be better served thinking of the remainder of the 2026 season as the beginning of the 2027 preseason.

To do that, though, they need someone to make the decisions. As I've written, they could make that happen in an easy five minutes, by giving the job to Hank Stebbins. It remains possible that this is their plan, that Stebbins already feels like he has the club's backing to set that future direction - but if that's true, why wait 43 days, and counting? Why not already make it official?

It's a tough spot for new CEO Christina Hennington, who probably did not expect to have to hire someone to lead the soccer side of the organization in her first few months. Hennington readily admitted she didn't have much of a soccer background, when she took the job, so it's probably natural that she's taking longer to set the club's course.

That said, though, whatever they can do to accelerate the process seems like something they should do. They're already on the verge of getting a slow start on next season, and they can't afford that.

"Hey, Blair - how tall are you?"

One of the notable things about new MNUFC signing Cherrion Valerius, when the Loons announced his signing, was that several websites listed him as being among the taller soccer players you'll find. Wikipedia had his height at 6'3" and a half; when he appeared on Minnesota's official website, his height was - and still is - listed at 6'4".

It made me think that Valerius's future was probably less at right back or in midfield, and more in central defense. You don't find a lot of 6'3" guys who aren't either center backs or strikers. But as it turns out, that won't be a problem after all.

Now that he's here in Minnesota, we have the chance to see him next to other players, whose height is a little more established. And it turns out that Valerius is probably 6'0", if that. He's shorter than, or the same height as, Kelvin Yeboah (listed at six feet, and from interviewing him on level ground, I can more or less confirm that one.) He's a bit shorter than Maurice Malone (listed at 6'1").

If Valerius was worried about being stuck at right center back for the rest of his Loons career, just because he happened to be tall enough to fit the profile, he probably doesn't need to worry. Maybe he's a right back after all.

*Okay, I'll explain the header to this section. Many years ago, I was at Vikings training camp in Mankato with friends, and we saw former Vikings kicker Blair Walsh signing autographs for some kids. One got his signature, walked away, and then - for reasons I still can't fathom - turned around and shouted, as if he was Columbo, "Hey, Blair - how tall are you?" It remains one of the more mystifying fan interactions I've ever witnessed.

International and injury updates

We won't know where they're at for sure until next week, when the Loons start prepping for a match, but both Joaquín Pereyra and Peter Stroud appear to be on their way back to fitness. For the first time since his quad injury, I saw Pereyra doing work outside on Tuesday, following team training. Stroud seemed even closer, working on actual soccer drills with a trainer during the team session - which is usually the last step before a guy gets back into full training.

In international news, Michael Boxall got a surprise late call-up for New Zealand, as Timbers defender Finn Surman got hurt and Boxall was his replacement.

It led to one of the strangest Minnesota connections you'll ever see, with Boxall starting for New Zealand against Carlos Harvey, who started for Panama - in a game played at 1:10am Minnesota time, in Yokohama, Japan.

New Zealand won on penalties, and Harvey and Boxall appear to have both converted in the shootout - including the winning penalty for Boxall. "Michael Boxall won a game in Japan with a penalty kick, and Carlos Harvey was on the other team" is some prime Loons fever-dream nonsense.

And speaking of fever-dream nonsense, Alec Smir started in goal for Jordan in their 1-1 draw with Syria. I am simply delighted for Smir; I did not have "Alec Smir starts in goal for a World Cup team" on my bingo card for 2026.

Elsewhere, Nectarios Triantis hasn't made it into the squad for any of Greece's Nations League games thus far. The Greeks are leading their League A group, having beaten Germany (away!) and Serbia and drawn with the Netherlands, so perhaps "can't get in the squad for a pretty darn good UEFA team" is not exactly a real strike against Triantis.

Podcast

Episode 4 of the podcast is out now. This week's quiz covers the last time the USMNT played at Allianz Field - plus, a listener question about the 2027 coaching situation.