Minnesota United head coach Cameron Knowles believes his side are still a "work in progress" ahead of their 2026 MLS season opener against Austin FC.

Knowles, who has previously been interim head coach at the club, was named in the permanent role this time around after former boss Eric Ramsay left to take charge of West Brom in the Championship.

A poor end to the 2025 regular season saw Minnesota finish fourth in the Western Conference, while they were knocked out of the playoffs by San Diego FC in the conference semi-finals.

After winning one of their three pre-season games (D1 L1) against fellow MLS sides, Knowles admitted they still have a long way to go before his plans are fully implemented.

After a 2-1 loss to Charlotte FC in pre-season, he said: "I mean, it's a work in progress.

"You see guys trying to get more comfortable with each other on the ball, and trying to find those connections and little rotations amongst guys.

"There's going to be a few bumps and bruises along the way with that, but for the large part, it's been really good. You look at it in the balance of things.

"There's things we need to work on. We are still missing a few guys, taking care of green cards, and so we'll get a couple more guys back in."

Austin finished sixth in the West last year, managing to avoid the drama on Decision Day in the conference.

However, they were knocked out in the first round of the play-offs by Los Angeles FC, losing the series 2-0.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Austin FC – Owen Wolff

Wolff recorded seven goals and eight assists for Austin last season, becoming the first player in club history to score at least seven goals and record at least seven assists in a single season.

Minnesota United – Tani Oluwaseyi

Oluwaseyi led Minnesota United with 10 goals in the 2025 regular season, while Anthony Markanich and Kelvin Yeboah each scored nine.

It is the only time in team history that three different players scored at least nine goals in a single MLS regular season.

MATCH PREDICTION – DRAW

The 11 all-time regular-season meetings between Austin and Minnesota have been split evenly, with each team winning five times and drawing once. Both teams have won multiple matches, home and away, against the other.

Austin earned 16 wins across all competitions in 2025, with 12 decided by a single goal. Each of their last four wins last year came by one goal, with all four of the match-winning goals being scored after the 80th minute.

Minnesota's 27 set-piece goals in 2025 were the most in the regular season by an MLS team since FC Dallas had 29 in the 2014 regular season. The Loons' six goals from throw-ins in 2025 were the most in an MLS regular season since the Philadelphia Union also had six in 2013.

The last league meeting between the two sides ended 1-1 last May, with Zan Kolmanic cancelling out Michael Boxall's opener.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Austin FC – 33.8%

Draw – 25.8%

Minnesota United – 40.4%