Minnesota United finalizes hiring of head coach Eric Ramsay

Minnesota United FC finalized the hiring of head coach Eric Ramsay on Monday, one game into the MLS regular season following the unusually lengthy process of replacing Adrian Heath.

Ramsay will join the club once he receives his work visa. The England native who grew up in Wales comes from Manchester United of the English Premier League, where he served as first-team coach under current manager Erik ten Hag.

– Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (US)

“I am incredibly excited to join a club with such a strong football culture, fanatical fan base and brilliant infrastructure,” Ramsay said in a statement distributed by the Loons. “I have spoken to many members of the club’s staff throughout the process and you can’t help but feel everyone’s passion for moving the club forward.

“There’s a really exciting path forward.”

Heath, the club's first head coach when it joined MLS as an expansion team in 2017, was fired on Oct. 6 shortly before the Loons missed the playoffs after made the playoffs the previous four years.

Sean McAuley was named interim coach, but resigned in January. Cameron Knowles was named the next interim coach and guided the Loons to a 2-1 victory in Austin in the season opener on Saturday.

Minnesota United also recently hired Khaled El-Ahmad as director of soccer.