Players

#13 Kentaro Takada

Team:	Minnesota United FC
Position:	M
Height:	5-9
Weight:	160
DOB:	1983-04-13
Hometown:	Hokuto, Japan
Previous Club:

Kentaro Takada joined the Stars after a successful tryout during the team’s March 2010 combine and has since become a fan favorite and a regular starter in the center of the park for Manny Lagos' squads. On April 9, 2011, Takada scored the first goal in the history of the new North American Soccer League. He took a cross from Jeff Cosgriff off his chest before beating Atlanta goalkeeper Jimmy Maurer early in the second half of the Stars' season-opening 2-1 win against the Silverbacks.

Takada was an impressive player for Hokkaido University before he began his professional career with Thespa Kusatsu of the J-2 league, Japan’s second-highest professional division. He was captain of the club’s U-23 team in 2006 and was promoted to the first team in 2007. He played for the Rochester Thunder in 2009 and was even named to the squad for a few Minnesota Thunder games during the US Open Cup.

Takada joined the Stars after a successful tryout during the team’s March 2010 combine and has since become a fan favorite and a regular starter as a central midfielder for Manny Lagos’ squads. He is one of several core players who have been with Minnesota since 2010. On April 9, 2011, Takada scored the first goal in the history of the new North American Soccer League. He took a cross from Jeff Cosgriff off his chest before beating Atlanta goalkeeper Jimmy Maurer early in the second half of the Stars’ season-opening 2-1 win against the Silverbacks. Takada was an impressive player for Hokkaido University before he began his professional career with Thespa Kusatsu of the J-2 league, Japan’s second-highest professional division. He was captain of the club’s U-23 team in 2006 and was promoted to the first team in 2007. He played for the Rochester Thunder in 2009 and was even named to the squad for a few Minnesota Thunder games during the US Open Cup. He would score his first goal for Minnesota on September 24, 2010 in the last regular season game of the 2010 season. In the 2011 season, Takada played 1249 minutes with one goal from six shots. Takada has fueled the Star’s 2012 season success thus far by starting nearly every regular season match and recording a goal and two assists. Takada also started every match of the Star’s progression through the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup before their elimination in the fourth round to San Jose Earthquakes.