Minnesota United signed MLS veteran Julian Gressel off waivers. Gressel is under contract through December 2026, with a club option for 2027.
A veteran of MLS, Gressel joins Minnesota United from Inter Miami CF, where he played for the South Florida side during the 2024 and 2025 seasons, making 32 MLS regular-season appearances and providing nine assists. Gressel was a mainstay for Miami and played a vital role in the squad that captured the 2024 MLS Supporters’ Shield, setting a single-season league record with 74 points.
During the 2025 season with Minnesota United, Gressel made 30 appearances (17 starts), logging over 1,478 minutes across all competitions. The German-born midfielder made his 15th MLS Playoff appearance, adding two postseason appearances with MNUFC in Round One Games 1 and 2 against Seattle Sounders FC.
The German-born, United States international began his MLS career after being selected eighth overall in the 2017 MLS SuperDraft by Atlanta United FC. With Atlanta, Gressel made nearly 100 appearances, earned 2017 MLS Rookie of the Year honors, and helped the club capture the 2018 MLS Cup and the 2019 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup titles. He was later traded to D.C. United, where he featured prominently from 2020–22, before joining Vancouver Whitecaps FC from 2022–23 and winning back-to-back Canadian Championships. During the summer of 2023, Gressel joined the Columbus Crew, playing a key role in helping the club lift the 2023 MLS Cup trophy.
Overall, across all MLS competitions (regular season and MLS Cup Playoffs) since 2017, Gressel has made 281 appearances (244 starts), recording 83 assists and scoring 31 goals to date.
INTERNATIONAL: Gressel has represented the United States Men’s National Team. He received his first call-up in January 2023 and was named to the final squad for the 2023 Concacaf Gold Cup, earning his first cap in a group-stage victory over St. Kitts and Nevis. To date, Gressel has made six appearances for the U.S. Men’s National Team.
