Minnesota United was busy on draft day, acquiring the 20th and 78th picks in a trade with the New England Revolution. Additionally, they reportedly picked up Jordan Adebayo-Smith, a standout striker from New England Revolution II. Minnesota traded a total of $100K GAM in the trade. The Loons already held the ninth overall selection as well, with which they chose Indiana defender Hugo Bacharach. With the aforementioned 20th pick, Minnesota went for an attacker in Marcus Caldeira out of West Virginia.
Caldeira is from Mississauga, Ontario, right outside of Toronto. He picked up some professional experience prior to entering college. He played in the Canadian Premier league with Forge FC. He then went on loan to semi-pro side Sigma FC, where he showcased his goal scoring ability. It was a valuable for Caldeira to pick up some serious experience, but he knows that MLS is a difficult and physical league.
"It’s all about being a sponge in those environments and taking in as much as you can to better your own game," Caldeira said. "Personally, just the commitment and how fast the game is at the next level. Yea I got a taste at Forge but I believe that comfort will be the most important thing because it’s tough walking into a new environment at 19. I know the game is a lot faster, bigger, and more physical so just adjusting to the new environment is going to be the biggest thing for me in the transition."
After scoring 11 goals for Sigma FC, he committed to West Virginia. In his freshman year, he became an immediate starter and contributor, leading the Mountaineers with five goals. In 2023, his sophomore year, Caldeira took a massive step forward. He led WVU to the College Cup, where they ultimately fell to Clemson. He bumped his goal scoring tally up to 12 on the year, including a massive hat trick against top-ranked Marshall. Caldeira scored an impressive array of goals, using both feet. He feels that will be a helpful tool in the pro game.
"I think the fact that I am able to use both feet and provide a variety of runs is going to bring a lot of combination and variety to the offense," Caldeira said.
Marcus Caldeira will look to join a Minnesota United attacking group that consists of Teemu Pukki and Sang Bin Jeong, but they could definitely use some more depth up top. Caldeira has a serious opportunity to be that guy, a player that can start his career coming off the bench and making an impact in games. Allianz Field is gaining a player that knows how to score goals, in a variety of different ways. As is the case for most SuperDraft picks, he will have to prove himself before he gets a real chance to play in Major League Soccer.
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