Loans, loans, loans: the dreaded topic of personal finance classes everywhere. Luckily for you (and me), I’m not here to give you an econ lesson, but a soccer one. In the midst of transfer window chaos, it can get a little cloudy trying to keep track of who’s signed, sold, traded, loaned — what’s the difference? Why do we even loan players, anyway? Why don’t we just buy them, full stop? Who does it benefit?
It’s time for another Know Your League to clear up the confusion and shine a little spotlight on the process. (You may have noticed the byline on this KYLE does not say Kyle. He was just kind enough to let me encroach, since RACHEL isn’t a very good acronym.) Minnesota United currently has eight players loaned out to other squads, and one Loon on loan from elsewhere. We’re going to break down what all this loan business is about, then take a look at three of our boys who are already putting in outstanding performances.
The Administrative Angle
The most obvious and probably most common reason to loan a player out is roster flexibility. There are enough rules regarding roster composition that it could probably be a whole separate article, but the gist is that there are only so many slots on any given team, and there are only a certain number of those slots that can hold international players. Loans are a good technical workaround from an administrative standpoint.
In this last transfer window, Minnesota United acquired forward Kenyel Michel, only to immediately loan him back to LD Alajuelense for the remainder of their season. That’s a strategic move that shuffles international slots while still allowing Michel to be available to Minnesota as soon as his season is over, rather than waiting to go through all that paperwork during the next transfer window. Another example is Dutch keeper Wessel Speel, who’s currently loaned out to Shelbourne F.C. of the Ireland Premier Division; he doesn’t take up an international spot while he’s out manning the net in Dublin.
Additionally, there’s usually an agreement between a player’s home club and loan club in which the loan club agrees to take on the player’s wages for the duration of the loan. The opportunity to free up some of the budget without losing the rights to a player is another pretty big benefit of the system.
The Development Angle
The other big reason to loan out a player is simply development. I guess you can’t totally discount economics here, because you can think of a pretty tangible return on investment: The interest when it comes to a player loan is, ideally, improvement. You let another club borrow your player, and they come back even better. On a competitive roster like Minnesota United’s, lending players with potential to clubs and/or other leagues where they’ll get more minutes and the opportunity to further develop their skills is often a pragmatic move. It’s never guaranteed, but when it works, it works.
Most recently, the success stories of Morris Duggan and Tani Oluwaseyi shine a light on the benefits of a successful loan. Duggan was loaned to Rhode Island FC in the back half of the 2024 season, where he made 13 appearances with the club. When the 2025 season kicked off, he served as a regular starter on the Loons’ backline.
Further up the pitch, we find what is undoubtedly the best example of a Loons loanee making the most of this unique roster mechanism. Following his selection in the 2022 SuperDraft, Tani Oluwaseyi played with MNUFC2 before being sidelined for a good bit of the season due to injury. He was subsequently loaned out to San Antonio FC in 2023, where he lit up the USL with goal after goal.
When he came back in 2024, he was unstoppable: He scored in his MLS debut and went on to provide eight goals and appear in the playoffs with the Loons. His 2025 performance as the club’s top-scorer and an incredibly dynamic player grabbed the attention of even bigger clubs, and Oluwaseyi was recently signed by Villarreal in La Liga for a club-record fee, a landmark move that establishes MNUFC as a big growth opportunity for other clubs — for example, Alexis Fariña of Cerro Porteño, the latest Loon loan acquisition.
Loans can also be recalled, though sometimes for a fee, depending on the contract. MNUFC2 recently recalled midfielder Roman Torres from Birmingham Legion, making him available for the final stretch of the season. It’s like having reserves on standby, just in case — and familiar ones, where the club already knows the talent coming back in and how to integrate it with the rest of the team. So who are our reserves right now? Let’s take a look.
Samuel Shashoua
Birmingham Legion FC | USL Championship
It’s not Samuel Shashoua’s first rodeo when it comes to spending time on loan. The forward knows firsthand just how effective the process can be: After developing and signing with Tottenham Hotspurs of the English Premier League, he was loaned to Atlético Baleares in Spain. He tallied six goals in 38 matches before signing with La Liga 2’s Albacete Balompié, then making his way to Minnesota. After demonstrating some strong leadership on the MNUFC2 pitch, he’s been loaned out to Birmingham Legion for the remainder of the season.
Shashoua started in a matchup against Colorado Springs on the same day as his loan announcement. He’s since started five other matches, already contributing two assists and thoroughly impressing Head Coach Mark Briggs. He earned a spot on the USL Championship’s Team of the Week for his performance last week in a wild 4-4 match against Orange County SC. He led the team in touches (85), nailing 27 of 30 passes in the final third, winning tackles, and drawing fouls like crazy. Shashoua is shining with the Legion, honing his skills and racking up minutes in a way that perfectly demonstrates the value of a loan.
Wessel Speel
Shelbourne FC | Ireland Premier Division
Earning a starting spot is particularly difficult for keepers, easily the most specialized personnel in the sport. On a roster with three of them, choosing to loan one out to gain that valuable experience abroad is kind of a no-brainer. After earning himself a first-team contract earlier this season, keeper Wessel Speel was loaned out to Shelbourne FC of Ireland’s Premier Division. He’s since made seven appearances across Premier Division, UEFA Conference League, and Europa League play. How’s that for experience?
In his first Premier appearance, he shut out Sligo Rovers 0-2. Most recently, he logged a clean sheet against Linfield FC in a UEFA Conference League qualifying match at the end of August. Things are looking good for the Dutchman in Ireland right now.
Devin Padelford
St. Louis CITY SC | Major League Soccer
Defender Devin Padelford is a beloved Minnesota homegrown, hailing from Maplewood and making his way into the club through the Academy system. He saw some solid playing time with MNUFC2, often wearing the captain’s armband, before the club chose to loan him out to St. Louis CITY SC toward the end of July. Minnesota’s defensive acumen is no joke, and the depth in that area of the roster makes it difficult for backliners who don’t regularly start to break into the limelight. Moving to another MLS club with a dire need for some defensive know-how for the remainder of the season made a lot of sense.
And it’s already paying off. Since his loan announcement on July 22, Padelford has started every game with St. Louis CITY SC, the first of which was against his own Loons. He’s already logged 398 minutes with the City Red and added an assist to the record. He and center back Timo Baumgartl have been the mainstays in CITY’s four-man backline over these last five matches, the others constantly changing in an effort to find a formation that sticks. Primarily playing as a left-back, Padelford has added a crucial steadiness to CITY’s defensive unit.
This trio isn’t even where the action stops for the Loons on loan. Midfielder Alejandro Bran, playing for Alajuelense, has since made appearances with the Costa Rican National Team. Matúš Kmeť at Górnik Zabrze has also made appearances with the Slovakian national squad. Jordan Adebayo-Smith is currently loaned out to Detroit City FC, and Minnesota recently loaned Kipp Keller to New Mexico United. (And, of course, there’s Kenyel Michel, back with Alajuelense until his season ends.) The Loons are no strangers to the business of loans, and while the process can sometimes be a bit confusing, the chance of a big payoff is always present.
