MNUFC2 has had an exciting and at times a tumultuous offseason, in many ways mirroring the first team. Jeremy Hall left the squad to take over the USYNT U18 side. Former Loons player and then Twos assistant Fanendo Adi was then appointed as head coach, keeping the internal pipeline on the second team as wel. A number of players have signed first team contract and even more have departed either on loan or on a free transfer. But with the Next Pro season kicking off this week the Twoons made another couple of moves, signing goalkeeper Kristers Bite and midfielder Luciano Pechota to contracts in a single day.
Kristers Bite comes to Minnesota from Latvian top flight side FK Auda, where he started three matches last season for the club. The 19 year old goalkeeper has amassed 24 starts in the Latvian second division, earning 16 clean sheets in those starts. At 6'3" (1.9m) tall he has the physical stature similar to that of Dayne St. Clair, something that has helped make him such a threat between the posts. Bite has made 8 starts for the Latvian U19 squad, earning two clean sheets in the process. Bite's deal runs for two seasons, concluding at the end of 2027.
Luciano Pechota meanwhile comes to the Twoons from Ohio State University where he started nearly 60 games for the Buckeyes. The Ohio native midfielder collected 8 goals and 15 assists during his time in Columbus, OH alongside being named Second Team All-Big Ten twice and to the Big Ten All-Freshman Team in 2022. During his time at OSU the Bucks won the Big Ten tournament in 2024 ultimately getting to the College Cup where they fell to Marshall in the Semi-Final. Pechota had a trio of assists in the match that sent OSU to the College Cup. His contract is set for one year with a club option for the 2027 season.
