Minneapolis United SC
EIN: 41-1754325 · Tax status: 501(c)(3) nonprofit
Overview
Minneapolis United SC (also known as MU) is a citywide competitive youth soccer club based in Minneapolis, MN. Tax-exempt since 1993, the club has grown from 7 competitive teams at its founding to over 75 teams per year as of 2025. The club’s stated mission is to operate a citywide program giving all registrants the opportunity to enjoy soccer at a level consistent with their ability and commitment — an explicitly inclusive, city-serving model that distinguishes MU from many suburban-focused Twin Cities clubs.
In 2025-26, Minneapolis United became one of only four Minnesota clubs selected to participate in the new MLS Next Academy Division (boys, 13U+) — a significant competitive milestone placing the club alongside state-tier peers such as MN Thunder Academy, Tonka United, and MNUFC Academy. The club is also expanding its girls programming, exploring partnerships with Girls Academy, the USYS National League, and the E64 pathway. The ECNL-RL Twin Cities league launched for the 2025-26 season provides a pathway upgrade option for girls teams below the Girls Academy tier.
Also exploring partnerships with Girls Academy, USYS National League, and E64 for girls programming. Actively engaged with ECNL-RL Twin Cities development for 2025-26. (MEDIUM)
Financials
| Fiscal Year | Revenue | Expenses | Net Assets |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $2,325,011 | $2,483,692 | $804,721 |
| 2023 | $2,267,153 | $2,330,193 | $963,402 |
| 2022 | $1,851,555 | $1,883,327 | $1,026,442 |
| 2021 | $2,000,914 | $1,521,929 | $1,058,214 |
| 2020 | $1,303,671 | $1,490,378 | $579,229 |
Source: ProPublica / IRS Form 990 (HIGH)
Concerning trend: Revenue growing but expenses growing faster. Operating losses in FY2022 (-$32K), FY2023 (-$63K), and FY2024 (-$159K). Net assets declining from $1.06M (2021) to $805K (2024).
Revenue mix: 99.7% program services.
Executive compensation: ED Gregg Olson $85,850 (FY2024).
League Affiliations
- MLS Next Academy Division (boys 13U+, 2025-26) — one of four MN clubs; newly accepted
- ECNL-RL Twin Cities (via TCSL) — girls competitive pathway
- Minnesota NPL (via TCSL) — secondary competitive pathway
- TCSL — Twin Cities Soccer League; primary organizing body for metro competition
- MYSA — Minnesota Youth Soccer Association state member
MU does not hold a franchise in the top-tier ECNL (national girls) or Girls Academy.
Leadership
Minneapolis United’s staff structure was formally reorganized in 2025 to clarify director roles and place dedicated leadership on the girls side of the club.
- Gregg Olson — Executive Director. Has served in this role for over 13 years and concurrently serves as head men’s soccer coach at Macalester College (beginning his 14th season there in fall 2025). Compensation: $85,850 (FY2024, 990 filing). His dual role has been acknowledged publicly; the ED position is the primary revenue-generating staff role.
- Tamba Johnson — Technical Director & Director of Coaching, Boys 13U+. Has coached and directed at MU for over 20 years, making him the primary continuity anchor for the club’s competitive boys programs. His long tenure predates Gregg Olson’s executive director appointment.
- Reak Kueth — Girls side coaching and program leadership; added to lead girls programming as part of the 2025 restructuring.
The club’s volunteer-governance model and low organizational overhead (99.7% of revenue is from program services) mean staff compensation is concentrated in a small number of paid roles, with volunteer board and parent-driven operational support filling the remainder.
Facilities
Minneapolis United does not own or lease a dedicated facility. The club trains at fields accessible through the City of Minneapolis parks system, Minneapolis Public Schools partnerships, and other metro facilities. Urban field access is a persistent constraint for city-based clubs relative to suburban peers with school district field relationships or private field ownership. The club’s 990 records show no significant fixed asset base consistent with facility ownership.
The club’s primary training and competition venue for MLS Next programming appears to be off-site — MU’s 2025-26 MLS Next Academy schedule opened at the National Sports Center in Blaine, MN, a 50+ field complex that serves as the de facto Twin Cities destination venue for elite youth soccer events.
Competitive Position
Minneapolis United occupies an unusual position in the Twin Cities market: a city-based club with a citywide access mission (uncommon in youth soccer, which tends to be suburban-concentrated) that simultaneously competes at the MLS Next Academy tier. The club’s Minneapolis geography gives it access to a diverse and dense player population — the city’s immigrant and East African communities represent an underserved youth soccer talent pool that most suburban clubs do not actively develop.
The MLS Next Academy Division selection in 2025-26 positions MU among the elite tier of non-MLS clubs in Minnesota, alongside MN Thunder Academy and others. However, the club’s financial trend — three consecutive years of operating losses totaling roughly $254K from FY2022–FY2024, with net assets declining from $1.06M (2021) to $805K (2024) — is a concern for long-term sustainability at the elevated competitive level.
Industry Context
Minneapolis United represents a distinct model in the Twin Cities: a mission-driven, city-focused nonprofit club attempting to compete at the emerging elite tier (MLS Next Academy) while maintaining an inclusive, multi-level program for the entire city. This is structurally different from the suburban-consolidation trajectory that defines most of the market.
The club’s 2025-26 MLS Next Academy acceptance is a meaningful inflection point. If sustained, it creates a competitive identity that could attract higher-level players and coaching talent, potentially reversing the expense-outpacing-revenue trend. If the MLS Next investment strains margins further — the Academy tier carries coaching, travel, and league costs above what TCSL and NPL programming require — financial pressure could intensify.
Within the broader Minnesota competitive landscape, MU sits below ECNL-franchised clubs like MN Thunder Academy and the free-model MLS disruptor MNUFC Academy on the boys side, but above the recreational and development-only suburban clubs. Its girls pathway build-out via ECNL-RL and potential Girls Academy partnership could add a new dimension to the club’s competitive identity in 2026-27.
Open Questions
- Root cause of the three-year operating loss trend — is the expense growth primarily coaching/staff, facility rentals, or MLS Next pathway investment?
- Terms of the MLS Next Academy Division membership (franchise fee, multi-year commitment, minimum roster requirements)
- Does the club own or lease any facilities — or is it fully dependent on city parks and third-party venues?
- Player count across all programs (not publicly disclosed)
- Girls Academy or USYS National League partnership timeline and cost structure
- Gregg Olson’s long-term succession plan as dual ED/college coach — the dual-role arrangement may face capacity constraints if MLS Next programming demands increase