NOTE: This notebook appeared at SoccerCentric.

The blowing snow and subzero windchills outside your door might make it seem like January, but a glance at the calendar shows that Minnesota United has just two weeks left of preseason training, and then it’s game week. A couple of quick notes:

Waiting For Altman: When I asked Manny Lagos about Kyle Altman at the beginning of the offseason, his response started with four fairly meaningful words: “He is our captain.” Altman, however, is close to realizing his MLS dreams. He’s been on trial with Portland for over two weeks now, and if the Timbers weren’t semi-serious about signing him, they’d likely have moved him along.

Altman played in a reserve-team game Sunday, a game in which he helped Portland’s reserves keep a clean sheet in a 1-0 win over Seattle’s reserves, and he was back in training with the club on Monday. Also on Monday, according to SB Nation Portland blog Stumptown Footy, the Timbers announced that center back Hanyer Mosquera had been granted an indefinite leave of absence. The team later clarified that Mosquera remained on the roster, but Altman would be a natural fit to replace him. Portland is at the maximum number of contracts, but even if Mosquera stays on that list, there has been speculation that they could release center back Futty Danso to make room for Altman.

Center back remains a question for Minnesota – something it seldom was with Altman in the lineup. And even if Altman doesn’t end up signing permanently for the Timbers, he could still choose to go to medical school – or sign with any other team, as he’s a free agent and isn’t on the United books. We wait anxiously to find out what will happen with Minnesota’s – for the moment, former – captain.

Closing The Doors On The Indoor Season: Center back Cristiano Dias and midfielder Lucas Rodriguez finished up their indoor soccer season on Saturday, as their Missouri Comets lost to the Baltimore Blast in the league championship series. Rodriguez is getting in a short vacation, and I’m told Dias isn’t back in training yet with United either. With all the new faces in the team, time is running short to get everyone on the same page – and with the spring season only twelve games long, United can’t afford to spend the first months of the season getting to know each other.

A Cold Omaha: United’s scheduled for its second training trip of the season this weekend, as they head for Omaha. The team is scheduled to leave Thursday, train in Omaha that day, play at Creighton University on Friday night, then scrimmage a local college – potentially Nebraska-Omaha – on Saturday morning before coming back.

The one problem: it doesn’t look like it’ll be a heck of a lot warmer in Omaha than it will be in Minneapolis, with high temperatures predicted to hover around 32 degrees. I’m not sure if Creighton has an indoor field available, but even if they do, part of the point of going south for training is to play on a full field – given the weather here, something United is almost certain to be unable to do at home before Opening Day. But with guys still working up to their full fitness, is it a good idea to send everyone outside in sub-freezing temperatures?

Facial Furniture: And finally, to see pictorial evidence of Connor Tobin‘s tremendous mustache, click here.

*NOTE: This also appeared first at SoccerCentric. *

Minnesota United goalkeeper Matt Van Oekel doesn’t seem too bothered about having to once again compete for his starting spot. After all, it’s hardly the first time he’s had to do so – and it’s hardly the first time the breaks haven’t gone his way.

He signed out of Rutgers for the Minnesota Thunder as a backup in 2008, and backed up Nic Platter in 2009 – but then the team folded. He re-signed with the new NSC Minnesota Stars in 2010 – but by that time, the team already had legendary Minnesota keeper Joe Warren in the fold.

Van Oekel finally got his chance in 2012, and he was one of the NASL’s best, playing all but a handful of minutes for the Stars. The team’s response? Signing Daryl Sattler, who’d established himself as another one of the NASL’s best in San Antonio.

Despite all this, Van Oekel – who signed a new two-year deal in the offseason – seems ready to compete again. “Obviously I was hoping to outright have the number one job again this year, after I thought I had a quite successful season,” he said. “But you look at the Yankees; they bring in as many good players as they possibly can, and I think that’s what Minnesota’s trying to do as well now. That way your roster’s deep, and there’s always a level of competition at training, which I think will push us throughout the season.”

He also downplays any talk of locker-room rifts, despite the new faces – some of whom, like striker Pablo Campos, have been somewhat infamous in Minnesota, prior to this season. Said Van Oekel, “There’s always concern when you bring in new guys that we’ve had big rivalries with, but they’ve come in and it’s like they’ve been here for years already. It’s probably one of the most close-knit group of guys that I’ve seen in the locker room so far.”

So far in the preseason, at least, United’s sign-every-goalkeeper method has been paying off. “We’ve renamed the traiing room as Keeper’s Corner,” said Van Oekel. Sattler missed a week with a hamstring problem, but came back just in time to spell Van Oekel, who’s out with ankle tendinitis until next week. And backup Mitch Hildebrant has even more problems – he has a broken foot, and will be out until at least the end of April. Forget talk of a Yankees-style superteam – right now Minnesota just is reaping the benefits of having a deeper squad than usual.

Van Oekel, who spent a month with DC United in the preseason as a trial player, just wants a chance to show off again, and get another chance to catch on with an MLS team. He says he’s hoping that the team makes another deep US Open Cup run, one that gives him a chance to play against some more MLS opposition. “That way, hopefully some MLS teams remember my name a little more,” he said.

If they do, I’d hate to be an established MLS goalkeeper. After all, Van Oekel’s got the advantage; he’s never had a chance to be complacent about being the number one guy.