Cameron Knowles embracing time as Minnesota United FC interim coach

Cameron Knowles embracing interim role with Minnesota United

Cameron Knowles led Minnesota United to a 2-1 win at Austin FC on Saturday in the team's season-opener. Monday, the Loons announced Eric Ramsay as their new head coach.

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - Minnesota United FC has been in a weird spot since it fired Adrian Heath as manager with three regular season games left in the 2023 season.

Sean McAuley was the interim coach, then left for another opportunity. That left an opening for Cameron Knowles, who took over the Loons as they started training camp in January. He knew the role he was accepting at the time, and that it wasn’t permanent.

Saturday, Knowles helped lead Minnesota United to a 2-1 win at Austin FC to open the 2024 season. Two days later, the Loons announced Manchester United assistant Eric Ramsay will be the next head coach. Knowles will remain with the team until Ramsay can get a work visa to travel to the United States. It’s a role he’s grateful for.

"It’s just a fantastic opportunity. Like I’ve said before, you don’t know when an opportunity is going to come. You hope that you’re ready for it when it does, and you give it your best shot when you get that chance," Knowles said Tuesday. "It’s no different for a player that gets picked for a team to play, we were put in a situation where we were trusted to prepare the team the first game of the season. I’m grateful we had that opportunity."

Knowles said he’s been in communication with Ramsay to help in his transition, when that time comes.

The players have clearly bought into Knowles, despite some of the uncertainty surrounding the coaching search that is now over.

"I think you’ve just got to trust in the system and trust each other. I’ve said this before, the coach matters of course. But it’s also the players that have control of the situation. At the end of the day, we’re the ones out there to score goals and make the tackles, and hold each other accountable," midfielder Caden Clark said. "Whoever is the coach at the moment, the time is about taking control."

Minnesota United had training open to fans on Tuesday at Allianz Field. The Loons host Columbus Crew on Saturday in the home opener. Starting 1-0 and getting three points on the road has given the team and season early buzz.

"It’s great, it generates buzz but it also instills belief in the players that they can play in the way that we’re asking and it can lead to results," Knowles said.