Michael Boxall

New Zealand international Boxall joined MNUFC on July 12, 2017, after representing his country at the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup in Russia. As a 10-year MLS veteran, he adds experience and leadership to the back line and has been a key piece of the Minnesota defense since the club’s inaugural season.

Boxall has made 276 appearances across all competitions, the most of any Loons since joining MLS, and has scored eight MLS goals with MNUFC, his most notable goal came against Sporting Kansas City in the 2024 MLS regular season on April 27, when he scored the second-fastest goal in club history, one minute and five seconds into the match. On September 19, 2020, “Boxy” surpassed Miguel Ibarra on the club’s all-time appearance list. During the 2024 campaign, the MNUFC veteran played his 200th MLS regular-season game against Austin FC during the season opener on February 24. Boxy is the only Minnesota United player to start and play every minute of any playoff match for Minnesota, totaling 12 matches and 1,080 minutes across the playoffs.

Across MLS, he has made 274 appearances (262 regular-season, 12 playoff). In 2024, Boxall played in 32 of the club’s 34 regular-season matches, where he played in his 400th match across professional club and senior team international appearances against Houston Dynamo FC.

Boxall concluded the 2025 season with 40 game appearances (34 starts) and over 3,327 minutes played, across all competitions. Boxall was the author of the lone goal against Austin FC on May 24 to give the Loons a crucial home point. Boxall recorded six assists and had five goal contributions from long throw-ins, which accounted for approximately 24% of the team’s 21 set-piece goals across all competitions. Boxall was voted by fans into the 2025 MLS All-Star Game in Austin against the Liga MX All-Stars. The 37-year-old holds the most minutes played in the club’s MLS history with 24,434 minutes and the most appearances with 276 (270 starts). Between Boxall and goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair, the pair anchored the back defense and conceded just 39 goals, trailing only Vancouver (38) and Philadelphia (35). Boxall was nominated for Defender of the Year and was in consideration for a spot on the MLS Best XI due to his achievements, accumulation of minutes, and leadership of a strong defensive unit, regardless of the rotating back line.

Before joining Minnesota United, he first played with the Vancouver Whitecaps after being selected first overall in the 2011 MLS Supplemental Draft ahead of the club’s inaugural MLS season. Boxall’s experience outside of MLS includes seasons with Wellington Phoenix in the Australian A-League, Central United FC (where he won the 2007 Northern Premier League title), Auckland FC (where he won the New Zealand Football Championship), and SuperSport United of the South African Premier Division, where he led the club to back-to-back Nedbank Cup titles.

Boxall and his wife, Libby, split their offseason between Minnesota and their home in New Zealand. They have two children: a daughter named Maxwell Milou and a son named Beau Beckham. Like her father, Maxwell is a veteran among the Loon children and was one of the originators of the postgame tradition at Allianz Field, where players’ children join them on the field to thank fans and score goals in front of the Wonderwall. Since joining Minnesota United, Boxall has worked with and volunteered at the local non-profit organization ACES (Athletes Committed to Educating Students), selecting them as his Man of the Match organization for the past seven seasons and serving as an e-mentor to several students throughout the years. Additionally, Boxall is the founder of Mesa, a wellness company that sells high-quality CBD products for overall health and wellness.

INTERNATIONAL: Boxall has made 61 appearances for the New Zealand National Team since making his debut in 2011 and celebrated his 50th cap on September 7, 2024 against Mexico during an international friendly, where he captained the team in a 3–0 defeat. Boxall recorded his first international assist on October 11, 2016, against the United States, tying the match at 1–1 late in the second half. 

Boxall joined the New Zealand U-23 Men’s National Team at the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics as one of the team’s overage players, starting and playing in all three fixtures before elimination.

As New Zealand worked to qualify for the 2026 World Cup, Boxall scored his first-ever international goal in a 3–0 victory over New Caledonia to send New Zealand into the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The All Whites last qualified for a World Cup at the 2010 South Africa tournament. He also added two assists during 2025 in two separate friendlies, including one against Ukraine in a 2–1 defeat and another in a crucial 1–1 draw against Norway.