Robin Lod (; born 17 April 1993) is a Finnish professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...

who plays as a

midfielder A midfielder is an outfield position in association football. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...

for

Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Cana ...

club

Minnesota United Minnesota United FC is an American professional soccer club based in Saint Paul, Minnesota that plays in the Western Conference of Major League Soccer. The club began play in 2017 as the league's 22nd club, and replaced the North American Soc ...

and the

Finland national team Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bo ...

. Lod was born in

Helsinki Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the Capital city, capital, primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Finland, most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of U ...

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bo ...

. He began his senior club

career The career is an individual's metaphorical "journey" through learning, work and other aspects of life. There are a number of ways to define career and the term is used in a variety of ways. Definitions The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' defi ...

playing for

Klubi 04 Klubi 04 is a Finnish football club based in Helsinki. It is the reserve team of Helsingin Jalkapalloklubi for whom a number of the players are also registered. History Klubi 04 was founded in 2004 when HJK bought FC Jokerit. Initially Klubi ...

, before making his league debut for HJK at age 18 in 2011. After winning his first trophy, the

Veikkausliiga Veikkausliiga (; sv, Tipsligan) is the premier division of Finnish football, the highest tier of the Finnish football league structure, comprising the top 12 clubs of the country. Its main sponsor is the Finnish national betting agency Veikka ...

, during his second season on league level, he helped HJK win three successive Veikkausliiga titles,

Cup A cup is an open-top used to hold hot or cold liquids for pouring or drinking; while mainly used for drinking, it also can be used to store solids for pouring (e.g., sugar, flour, grains, salt). Cups may be made of glass, metal, china, c ...

and

League Cup In several sports, most prominently association football, a league cup or secondary cup generally signifies a cup competition for which entry is restricted only to teams in a particular league. The first national association football tournament t ...

. Lod made his international debut for Finland in October 2013, at the age of 20 and has since had over 60 caps, including appearing in 2018 and 2022

FIFA World Cup qualification The FIFA World Cup qualification is a competitive match that a national association football team takes in order to qualify for one of the available berths at the final tournament of the (men's) FIFA World Cup. Qualifying tournaments are hel ...

Club career

HJK

Lod scored his first goal on his senior debut for HJK on 22 October 2011 in a 4−1 home win against MYPA. During the 2012 season he played for

VPS VPS may refer to: Science and technology * Ventriculo-peritoneal shunt, a neurosurgical method used to treat hydrocephalus * Video programming system, a standard for video recorders in Germany * Virtual private server, a method of partitioning a ...

on loan from HJK. Having initially been loaned out on 9 August 2012 until 3 September 2012, the loan was extended subsequently until the end of the season. After the 2014 season Lod was selected as Player of the Year for

. Additionally, he was selected as both the best midfield player and the best player of the U21 National Team for the season. Lod featured in 120 games for HJK and netted 21 goals, while also contributing 17 assists.

Panathinaikos

On 6 May 2015, Lod agreed to terms with

Panathinaikos Panathinaikos Athlitikos Omilos ( el, Παναθηναϊκός Αθλητικός Όμιλος, literally in English: "Panathenaic Athletic Club" or Panathinaikos A.C.), also known simply as Panathinaikós , is a major Greek multi-sport club ba ...

to move to the club in the summer transfer window, signing a three-year contract for a €350,000 transfer fee. On 3 October 2015, he made his

Superleague Greece The Super League Greece 1 ( el, Ελληνική Σούπερ Λιγκ 1), or Super League 1, is the highest professional association football league in Greece. The league was formed on 16 July 2006 and replaced ''Alpha Ethniki'' at the top of ...

debut against

Xanthi Xanthi ( el, Ξάνθη, ''Xánthi'', ) is a city in the region of Western Thrace, northeastern Greece. It is the capital of the Xanthi regional unit of the region of East Macedonia and Thrace. Amphitheatrically built on the foot of Rhodope m ...

. On 28 May 2017, he scored in a 1–0 win against

Panionios Panionios G.S.S. Football Club ( Greek: ΠΑΕ Πανιώνιος Γ.Σ.Σ.), the ''Pan-Ionian Gymnastics Club of Smyrna'' (Πανιώνιος Γυμναστικός Σύλλογος Σμύρνης, ''Panionios Gymnastikos Syllogos Smyrnis'' ...

at Leoforos Stadium. Three days later, another goal by Lod helped his club to secure a 3–2 away win against rivals PAOK on the last matchday of the 2016–17 Playoffs depriving PAOK of the possibility to participate in the UEFA Champions League third qualifying round. After the first half of the 2017–18 season, Lod didn't seem to want to sign a new deal in Greece, and Panathinaikos have financial troubles and could be forced to sell in January transfer window. On 19 February 2018,

finally won away from home in the SuperLeague, defeating AEL 1–0 thanks to a goal from the Finland international midfielder. Lod's goal ended an 11-match run without a victory away from their home stadium. On 10 March 2018, Lod struck a superb late equaliser to salvage a vital point for Panathinaikos against an impressive

Asteras Tripolis Asteras Tripolis Football Club ( el, ΠΑΕ Αστέρας Τρίπολης), commonly referred to as Asteras Tripolis (meaning "Star of Tripoli"), is a Greek professional football club based in the city of Tripoli in Arcadia, Peloponnese, Gre ...

at the

Apostolos Nikolaidis stadium Apostolos Nikolaidis Stadium ( el, Γήπεδο Απόστολος Νικολαΐδης), commonly known as Leoforos Alexandras Stadium or Leoforos Stadium, is a football stadium and multi-sport center in Athens, Greece. It was inaugurated in 19 ...

. Following Lod's contract expiry with Panathinaikos on 30 June 2018, and despite attempts to reach a renewal agreement, the player left the club on a free transfer considering the debt-related limitations imposed on Panathinaikos regarding the transfer and re-signing of players over the age of 23.

Sporting de Gijón

On July 23, 2018, Lod signed with Segunda División team Sporting de Gijon. He made his debut appearance and also scored his first goal for Gijon on 26 August 2018 in a match against

Gimnàstic de Tarragona Club Gimnàstic de Tarragona, commonly known as Gimnàstic Tarragona or sometimes just Nàstic, is a Spanish sports club based in Tarragona, in the autonomous community of Catalonia. Its football team plays in Primera División RFEF – Group 2. ...

Minnesota United FC

On July 16, 2019, Lod signed with

MLS Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Cana ...

side

for a transfer fee of around $680,000. On May 22 2022, with a goal in the 20th minute against Dallas FC, Lod scored his 22nd goal for Minnesota United in MLS league play and thus becoming Minnesota United's all-time leading scorer during its history in Major League Soccer. On 29 July 2022, Lod extended his contract with ''The Loons'', signing a new three-year deal with a club option for a further year. Lod played in 10 MLS games in the

2023 season 3 (three) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 2 and preceding 4, and is the smallest odd prime number and the only prime preceding a square number. It has religious or cultural significance in many societie ...

, before he suffered a knee injury in May 2023 and was ruled out for the rest of the year.

International career

He made his debut for the Finnish national team on 30 October 2013 in a

friendly match An exhibition game (also known as a friendly, a scrimmage, a demonstration, a preseason game, a warmup match, or a preparation match, depending at least in part on the sport) is a sporting event whose prize money and impact on the player's or ...

Qualcomm Stadium San Diego Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium on the west coast of the United States, in San Diego, California. The stadium opened in 1967 as San Diego Stadium and was known as Jack Murphy Stadium from 1981 to 1997. From 1997 to 2017, the stadiu ...

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United States ...

against

Mexico Mexico ( Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guate ...

. On 7 October 2016, Lod scored his first international goal in a 2018 FIFA World Cup preliminary game by giving the lead to

before they lost 3–2 in the very last minute against

Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its ...

Career statistics

Club

International

Statistics accurate as of match played on 20 November 2023.''

International goals

:''As of match played on 13 November 2021. Finland score listed first, score column indicates score after each Lod goal.''

Honours

Klubi 04 *

Kakkonen Kakkonen or II divisioona is the third level in the league system of Finnish football and comprises 36 Finnish football teams. The II divisioona was introduced in 1973 and in the mid-1990s became known as the Kakkonen ( Finnish for 'Number Tw ...

: 2011 HJK Helsinki *

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment ...

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

Finnish Cup The Finnish Cup ( fi, Suomen cup; sv, Finlands cup) is Finland's main national cup competition in football. This yearly competition is open for all member clubs of the FA of Finland and has been played since 1955. The winner qualifies for the ...

Finnish League Cup The Finnish League Cup was a knock-out football competition contested annually during the pre-season in winter by teams from Veikkausliiga. The league cup was abolished after the 2016 tournament and replaced with the Finnish Cup group stage starti ...

2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the April ...

Individual *

Best Player:

, *

Best Midfielder:

References

External links

Minnesota United FC official profile

Panathinaikos F.C. official profile

Robin Lod
– SPL competition record * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lod, Robin 1993 births Living people Footballers from Helsinki Men's association football midfielders Finnish men's footballers Finland men's youth international footballers Finland men's under-21 international footballers Finland men's international footballers Klubi 04 players Helsingin Jalkapalloklubi players Vaasan Palloseura players Panathinaikos F.C. players Sporting de Gijón players Minnesota United FC players Veikkausliiga players Kakkonen players Super League Greece players Segunda División players Major League Soccer players UEFA Euro 2020 players Finnish expatriate men's footballers Finnish expatriate sportspeople in Greece Expatriate men's footballers in Greece Finnish expatriate sportspeople in Spain Expatriate men's footballers in Spain Finnish expatriate sportspeople in the United States Expatriate men's soccer players in the United States Swedish-speaking Finns