James Rodriguez Faces Limited Minutes Under Cameron Knowles at Minnesota
James Rodriguez has only 183 minutes and two starts for Minnesota United since arriving in February. Cameron Knowles says that shortage of playing time is tied to results, with the team winning without Rodríguez in the starting lineup.
Knowles keeps the same XI
Knowles said it will be difficult to give Rodríguez more minutes. He pointed to a group that is producing week after week and said it is hard to change a winning team.
“Hemos tenido un par de circunstancias imprevistas que lo han hecho no elegible (a James) y luego está, obviamente, el rendimiento del equipo. Es difícil cambiar un equipo ganador y hemos sido muy consistentes con la selección de la alineación y nos hemos apoyado en un grupo más pequeño de muchachos para muchos minutos, pero semana tras semana, siguen cumpliendo,” Knowles said in an interview with SiriusXM FC.
Rodríguez and Minnesota United
Rodríguez’s two starts have come in different competitions, one in league play and one in the national cup. The only loss in Minnesota United’s last six MLS matches came in the game he started, and the club has won five of those six.
“Para mí, mirando a ese grupo de jugadores, es muy difícil cambiar de once. Mencionaste a Triantis, Chancalay, Pereyra, Owen Gene que está entrando, pero también hay otros chicos (…). Hemos tenido a algunos muchachos que han dado un paso adelante y realmente han ganado sus posiciones y han seguido jugando y siguen haciendo el trabajo,” he said.
Colombia looms for Rodríguez
Minnesota United sits fifth in the Western Conference with 20 points from 33 possible, a position built during a stretch in which Knowles has leaned on a smaller rotation. That leaves Rodríguez on the outside of the preferred lineup while his minutes remain limited.
The timeline also points beyond Minnesota. The Colombian national team pre-call-up for the 2026 World Cup is scheduled to be announced Monday 11 May, and the camp is set to begin Friday 15 May, leaving Rodríguez Rubio little time to finish the season with Minnesota.
