Khaled El-Ahmad, chief soccer officer for Minnesota United, has now been in charge in Blaine for a little more than a year. The Loons travel to Austin on Saturday, with El-Ahmad’s first real winter transfer window behind him, and the CSO’s vision for how he wants the Loons to compete is emerging.

In El-Ahmad’s words, it’s about being a club that will “make smart decisions with the resources that we have.”

Read more: Minnesota United CSO Khaled El-Ahmad builds for now and future in MLS