Robin Lod

Lod joined the Loons in the middle of the 2019 season. In his five seasons with Minnesota United, he and Emanuel Reynoso are club leaders in MLS regular-season goals scored with 22. Lod sits third behind Darwin Quintero and Emanuel Reynoso (27) and Kevin Molino (26) in goals scored across all competitions with 24. In 2023, Lod made 10 appearances, all starts, and provided two assists in the regular season. His 2023 campaign was cut short after suffering a torn meniscus in his right knee against the Houston Dynamo on May 17, 2023, placing him on the season-ending injury list.

In 2022, Lod showed off his versatility, playing not just on the right wing and as a false nine but also slotting into the midfield alongside Wil Trapp and Kervin Arriaga throughout the second half of the season. He secured one of the starting center-midfielder spots in the club’s 2022 MLS Cup Playoff game at FC Dallas.

2020 was a breakout season for Lod, starting 18 games and scoring seven goals, second in the team for the season. Lod notched his first brace as a Loon in a 4-0 win over Real Salt Lake on September 6 and recorded a “Gentlemen’s Hat Trick” in the regular season final game, providing three assists in a 3-0 win over FC Dallas. The Finnish winger converted to a false-nine in the 2020 MLS Cup Playoffs and scored his first playoff goal in the first round against the Colorado Rapids.

Lod was a mid-season transfer from Sporting de Gijón, where he first played in 2018, making his debut with the Liga 2 side on August 26 and scoring his first goal against Tarragona. During his time with Sporting de Gijón, Lod played 1,212 minutes across 77 games and scored four goals. Lod began his senior club career playing for Klubi-04 before making his league debut for HJK at age 18 in 2011. He helped HJK win the Veikkausliiga during his second season with the club, then proceeded to help the club win three successive Veikkausliiga titles, the Finnish Cup and the Finnish League Cup. Across four seasons with HJK, Lod played in 120 games, scoring 21 goals and contributing 17 assists before earning Player of the Year honors for the 2014 season. Ahead of the 2015-2016 season, Lod joined Panathinaikos of the Greek Superleague, where he played for three years, scoring eight goals and 4,773 minutes across 68 games before signing with Sporting de Gijón in 2018.

Lod and his wife, Janni, spend their offseasons in their home in Finland. The two have a daughter named Louisa, who enjoys scoring goals in front of the Wonderwall at Allianz Field, and recently welcomed their son Leon Lewis to the family in October 2023. Before the start of the 2022 season, Lod completed his military requirements as a Finnish citizen. 

INTERNATIONAL: Lod currently represents Finland on the Finland National Team. Lod made his international debut in 2013 at age 20 and has more than 60 caps, six goals, and 10 assists for the national team, including an appearance in the 2018 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers. He helped Finland qualify for the UEFA European Championship for the first time during the 2020 qualifying campaign and played in every UEFA Euro 2020 match for Finland.