Minnesota United superstar Emanuel Reynoso goes AWOL in Argentina - skips Green Card appointment and abandons club for second-straight season

The MLS club had set aside time during the March FIFA international break for their two-time All-Star to obtain his Green Card. He began the immigration process after departing Minnesota on March 18, but wavered from the path while in Argentina. He skipped a club-issued Green Card appointment in late March that would have allowed him to return for their match against the Philadelphia Union, per the Pioneer Press.

Reynoso's partner and child both live in Argentina, and by obtaining his Green Card, he would no longer take up an international roster spot for the Loons while also providing an opportunity for his family to relocate to the U.S.

In response to the Argentine's unexpected absence, the club issued a statement on their star player:

“Emanuel Reynoso did not attend his recent green card appointment, and he remains in Argentina,” MNUFC Chief Soccer Officer Khaled El-Ahmad said in a statement Tuesday. “We do not have an updated timeline for his return and have no additional comment at this time. Our entire focus is on the players and staff who are here.”

This is the second-straight season where Reynoso has gone AWOL at the beginning of the campaign. The Argentine missed the first 40% of the MLS campaign in 2023 after being suspended by MLS for failing to report to preseason training camp.

In January of this year, the Argentine also missed the first week of MLS preseason, but traveled back to Minnesota the following week before joining the team in Arizona for preseason. In February, he revealed that his early-season absence was due to family-related issues. Translated via a club spokesperson, he said: “I had asked permission from the club and I talked to them because I’m expecting a child with my girlfriend. She’s pregnant and I found out shortly before I needed to report. So I asked the club for one more week to be able to arrange medical plans for her and make sure she was taken care of during her pregnancy because I was going to be here and she would be by herself for a while.”

In the same report from the Pioneer Press, an anonymous MNUFC player described the situation with Reynoso being tougher in 2023 than it is now, and that the players are not going to treat it like the "energy vulture" that it was last campaign.

Reynoso is a Designated Player for Minnesota United who earned $2.1 million in 2023 with the Loons, per the MLS Players Association.

The Loons take on the Houston Dynamo Saturday evening in Western Conference action. Reynoso, meanwhile, has no return date to the club.