With Minnesota United set to open a new season Saturday at LAFC — followed by the March 1 home opener at Allianz Field vs. Montreal — here are five questions worth tracking this year:

1. Can Minnesota take the next step in a crowded Western Conference?

Most prognosticators are picking Minnesota to be a step below the best teams in the west, a rung below Seattle, LAFC, and the LA Galaxy. Between the regular season, playoffs, and Leagues Cup, Minnesota played eight games against those three teams last season — winning one, drawing one, and losing six.

Apart from their shorthanded summer swoon, the Loons were among the top teams in the league in the standings last season. The question is not only whether they can stay above the fray in a conference where all 15 teams believe they have a shot at the playoffs, but also do enough against the top sides to land themselves in the upper echelon.

2. Is the roster deep enough to survive this year's calendar-enforced short-handedness?

The international schedule is slightly kinder to the Loons this season than last year, but Minnesota won't avoid it entirely. Its home game with the LA Galaxy in March is scheduled in the middle of an international break, and any players who play in the CONCACAF Gold Cup in June and July will likely miss three or four games.

Minnesota used 36 players last season, quite the feat given that the maximum roster size is 30; it was tied for the fourth-most players ever used in a single MLS season. Many of those players debuted while the Loons had up to a dozen players out for international duty or injuries. While it might be understandable that they lost those games, it nearly caused a pretty good Loons team to miss the playoffs.

3. Will any of the winter acquisitions make a difference?

Last summer, the Loons brought in three players — Kelvin Yeboah, Jefferson Díaz, and Joaquín Pereyra — who immediately jumped into the starting lineup. This winter, they've brought in three more new international signings in Nicolás Romero, Owen Gene, and Hoyeon Jung — and none are likely to start Saturday's game, or even play meaningful minutes.

All three players are young, and chief soccer officer Khaled El-Ahmad has done an excellent job creating roster flexibility for the future. If none of his trio of signings make a difference this spring, though, the Loons will be at a disadvantage against some of the big-name signings made by other teams around the league.

4. Can the back line hold up?

Minnesota switched to playing three central defenders midway through the year, and the group's performance was a pleasant surprise. Díaz, Michael Boxall, and Carlos Harvey played seven games together, allowing a total of just two goals in their first six games — before getting crushed 6-2 by the Galaxy in the playoffs.

If one of the trio goes down, or if the Galaxy game proves to be less of an overall aberration, Minnesota may have concerns. Morris Duggan, Kipp Keller, Devin Padelford, and Romero are all 24 or younger, and none has been a long-term starter — and Keller, as well as veteran DJ Taylor, has been injured this preseason.

5. Can the Loons keep the squad together long enough to make a run?

An underrated part of Minnesota's summer problems last season was the departure of Kervin Arriaga, who saw an opportunity to move to a club in Europe rather than see out his contract.

Part of building a young, potential-filled squad is that many of the players will be looking to make another step. Midseason departures helped torpedo both Colorado and Real Salt Lake last season, and if some of the young Loons have success, they also might want to find greener pastures — whether in Europe or elsewhere.