Minnesota United FC: Uniting the state through an iconic symbol

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Maybe you just have to be from Minnesota to really get it. Plenty of soccer teams have a pregame ritual. A cherished old pop song here. A boom-boom clap there. Minnesota United, though, kick off with an eerie loon call.

The team is officially Minnesota United Football Club, but no one is confused when you call them The Loons. After all, there is a stylized version of the beloved bird on the badge, the loon call played before matches, nods throughout the stadium and a 32.5-foot-tall, 89-foot-wide sculpture.

The loon stands as more than just the state bird, but a unifying symbol for Minnesotans.

Naturally inspired

Dr. Bill McGuire remembers working on creating an identity for the club that was going to try to tie those elements together. “What’s important to Minnesota? What does it represent?” the owner of the team asked. “One of the big things, obviously, is this is a state that’s known and was founded on natural resources and the environment."

Whether it be the thousands of lakes, the bright winter sky, the northern lights with the North Star shining or the headwaters of the Mississippi River, Minnesota’s nature makes it the place it is.

“We tried to bring those elements all out in the badge, and that was the origin,” McGuire said.

While the distinctive red eye on the crest is a giveaway that the abstract bird is a common loon, it also was a wink at the notion that the team was a Phoenix rising from the ashes of past teams in the area, from the Thunder to the Stars back to the NASL’s Kicks and Strikers.

A long-time Minnesota soccer journalist who has become a historian of the sport in the state, Brian Quarstad wrote about all those teams. However, he noticed something different when he first saw the MLS expansion team’s identity.

“It’s called Minnesota United on purpose because of that idea of unity in Minnesota, and there’s no finer representation of this state with our 10,000-plus lakes and over 125,000 lake cabins than the loons,” Quarstad said.

Minnesotan staple

Tim Mitchell is definitely a fan of loons. The Loon Program Coordinator at the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Mitchell performs loon monitoring and conservation work, but he also does outreach at farms and other events around the state. There, he often hears from residents eager to make sure loons can flourish in the area and is struck by just how many people care about the state bird.

He says that Minnesotans get the best of the loons, with the migrating birds returning to Minnesota just as residents are coming back outside to enjoy wetlands and wildlife after the frigid winters.

“There’s almost a Pavlovian response. The best time and place to be in Minnesota is on the lake in the summer, and that’s where the loons are,” Mitchell said. “Everyone enjoys seeing loons because they’re usually with their friends and family.”

Mitchell said that Minnesotans also get the best of the loon when it comes to its appearances. Since loons breed in the summer, the coloration is more vivid when the birds are in Minnesota, with the vibrant red eye also appearing seasonally. The loon’s distinctive calls between partners or chicks or to ward off rivals coming from their territory also are saved for breeding season.

Not that it makes the loon any less impressive, or that it takes away from Minnesotans' deep enjoyment of a loon.

“Seeing a loon on the water is really amazing. It’s just such a striking sight,” Quarstad said. “I think the thing that resonates most with Minnesotans is the loon call. It’s chilling. It’s absolutely beautiful. I think everyone in Minnesota can relate to that sound and some kind of wonderful memory they’ve had of being on the water.”

The Calling

That broad appeal is why the loon remains much more than simply a symbol of the club. In fact, “The Calling,” the colossal loon statue with outstretched wings welcoming fans to Allianz Field, wasn’t necessarily supposed to be a loon. McGuire said he wanted “a beacon for people in the area to think about the state, think about a great piece of art.” After consulting with Scottish sculptor Andy Scott, the most clear idea was to have that beacon be something already beloved by the community: A loon.

Scott, whose works also include The Kelpies horse-heads in Falkirk, Scotland, and statues outside the stadiums of Rangers and Manchester City, was struck by the bird.

Now, anyone going by – on foot, on light rail, or in a car – will not only see the soccer stadium but also take note of the loon, a call to come together and unite in what brings the state together.

“From our standpoint, soccer is really about community and people, about diversity and how it touches all different people,” McGuire said. This year, our first team has 20 nationalities represented, and we’re also in a community that prides itself on being diverse and wants to be - and has been - an international community.”

Community ties

The loon provides something the club wants to resonate with all communities, whether it be long-time Vikings fans dipping into another sport, Hmong people or Somalis new to the neighborhood, or a family from Mankato, Duluth or Bemidji enjoying a match together on Apple TV.

The club has many efforts dedicated to keeping nature in Minnesota something that can be enjoyed by all, with a special carve-out for the loons. Drivers can purchase a special license plate with the club’s logo on it, with proceeds going to the DNR’s Loon Restoration Project.

“It’s important to highlight that we are supported in large part by Minnesota United,” Mitchell said. “It’s great to have that awareness and that partnership.

“Minnesotans have always loved their loons.”

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