Eric Ramsay introduced as new Minnesota United FC head coach

ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - A new era for Minnesota United FC soccer started this week, with the team’s second head coach in franchise history becoming official.

Eric Ramsay was named the team’s head coach in late February, and held his first training session with his new team on Tuesday at the National Sports Center in Blaine. Wednesday, he was introduced for the first time to media and fans at a news conference at Allianz Field.

Ramsay is a head coach for the first time in his career, and he's doing so in Major League Soccer.

"I just felt from day one that the combination of the club, the league and the general contact in America was as good an opportunity as I think any first-time head coach is going to get," Ramsay said. "This club in particular, everything you would want as a first-time head coach, you want that very stable environment to work in. I look at this particular club as absolutely perfect in that sense."

Ramsay is replacing Adrian Heath, and already inherits a positive start as the Loons have two wins in their first three matches to start 2024. 

Ramsay comes to Minnesota United FC after being the top assistant for Manchester United of the English Premier League. He was on staff there from 2021-24. He also helped lead the Wales National Team in 2023, and has worked with some of the top soccer players in the world, including Cristiano Ronaldo.

"We’re all very excited to have Eric here. It was a long process, but very excited of how detailed we were and ultimately it brought us to Eric Ramsay. I was joking with Eric that he goes from a red town of Manchester to the right colors," Minnesota United FC Sporting Director Khaled El-Ahmad said. "It was very important to me that whoever was going to be the head coach of the club aligns with everyone. It’s not a Khaled decision, it’s a club decision. Him being here, it represents the whole club."

The team announced this week it is keeping interim coach Cameron Knowles as an assistant coach. Ramsay is also bringing on Dennis Lawrence as an assistant coach.

So what does a team led by Ramsay look like? He wants them to attack, be aggressive and dominate.

"I want the team to be a proactive team, an aggressive team that plays in a way that excites the fans but also excites the players. Players want to play on teams that want to be the protagonist, that want to be the dominant team, the controlling team," Ramsay said. "Ultimately we want the team to be a team that can dominate all phases of the game."

Minnesota United FC is off to a 2-0-1 start with a 2-1 win at Austin FC to open the season, a 1-1 tie with Columbus Crew for the home opener at Allianz Field and a 3-2 win at Orlando. Minnesota United hosts L.A. FC Saturday night at Allianz Field.

"I’m walking into something that feels solid and I’m not doing it on a completely blank slate. I said to them yesterday, I know them far better than they know me because I’ve had the luxury of sitting at home watching their games," Ramsay said.