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Full name | Minnesota Thunder | ||
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Nickname(s) | Thunder | ||
Founded | 1990 | ||
Dissolved | 2009 | ||
Stadium | National Sports Center Blaine, Minnesota | ||
Capacity | 12,000 | ||
League | USL First Division | ||
2009 | Regular season: 8th Playoffs: DNQ | ||
Minnesota Thunder was an American professional soccer team based in Minnesota, United States. Founded in 1990, the team played in the USL First Division (USL-1), the second tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, until 2009. The team played its home games at the National Sports Center in nearby Blaine, Minnesota for its final two seasons. The team's colors were navy blue, light blue, silver, and white.
The team had a development team, Rochester Thunder, which independently played in USL Premier Development League for another season after the Thunder folded, and a sister organization, the Minnesota Lightning, which played in the women's USL W-League.
Prior to the Minnesota Thunder forming in 1990 Minnesota had two former professional soccer teams. After two seasons as the Denver Dynamos the franchise was purchased by Minnesota investors and became the Minnesota Kicks. The Minnesota Kicks played the state's first professional soccer game in May 1976 to a crowd of over 20,000 at Metropolitan Stadium. The team survived for six seasons competing in the North American Soccer League before folding after the 1981 season. [1] After two years without a team the Fort Lauderdale Strikers were moved to Minnesota becoming the Minnesota Strikers in 1984. The team played one season in the NASL before transferring to the Major Indoor Soccer League. The team disbanded in 1988 after the 1987–1988 season. [2]
The team was founded as an all star team in 1990. The team was composed of top amateur and former professional players who were mostly in their late 20s or early 30s. [3] [4] The team was coached by then Saint Paul Academy soccer coach Buzz Lagos. The team scheduled five exhibition games against teams in the A-League. At the time the goal was to eventually get a semipro soccer team for the Twin Cities. [5]
The Thunder operated on a budget of $35,000 in their first year paying no salaries. The budget mainly supported stadium rental at the National Sports Center, office rental and promotions. In the first season the team played against the amateur Madison 56ers, professional San Francisco Bay Blackhawks and Winnipeg Fury and the indoor professional Chicago Power and Milwaukee Wave. Attendance averaged around 1,000 fans a game. [6]
In the first season the team lost around $12,000. The next year, 1991, with the help of corporate sponsors Rainbow Foods, Kemps, and Liberty State Bank, the team played an expanded schedule with a record of eight victories and three ties losing $10,000 in the process. The following year the team added four more corporate sponsors and expected to lose about $5,000 with a budget of $45,000 By their third season the team became a model for teams in Chicago, Milwaukee, Madison, and Canada due to their competitive schedule, reasonable budget and fan base. [7] As an amateur team, the Thunder was responsible for an opponent's hotel, food and lodging for each road trip. The team was undefeated through their first twenty games. [8]
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On November 13, 1993 the Thunder announced its intention to join the U.S. Interregional Soccer League. The team joined the Midwest Region and retained their amateur status for the 1994 season. [9] [10] The team finished the year 25–2 losing in a sudden-death shootout to the Greensboro Dynamo in the championship game. [11] The team became professional for the 1995 season. [12] [13]
On July 15, 2004 coach Buzz Lagos earned his 300th victory. It was his 123rd since the Thunder joined the A-League in 1997. [14] Lagos improved his record to 300–127–31 all-time as coach of the Thunder. [15] Five days later Lagos led the Thunder to their first victory over a MLS team in a nonexhibtion game. The Thunder defeated the Los Angeles Galaxy in fourth round U.S. Open Cup game played to 5,505 fans at the Metrodome. [16] [17] The 2004 season holds the highest average attendance with 4,400 over 14 home games. [18]
Amos Magee played for the Thunder for 12 seasons, retired in 2005, is its all-time leading scorer (64 goals and 39 assists), and was inducted into the USL Hall of Fame in 2008. [19] [20] [21] [22] He was named first-team all-league in 1998, and A-League Championship MVP in 1999. [23] He was inducted into the Minnesota Thunder Hall of Fame. [23]
The 2005 season brought many changes to the Thunder. The Thunder's A-League and the lower Pro Soccer League were reorganized. The Thunder were placed in the twelve team First Division which previously had sixteen teams. [24] [25] Additionally, the team was sold to an ownership led by majority owner Saeed Kadkhodaian. These changes led to Buzz Lagos announcing on August 1, 2005 that he would retire as coach after sixteen season. Lagos cited wanting to spend more time with his family as the main reason to retiring. [26] [27] [28] On October 12, 2005, Amos Magee became the second head coach in the history of the Thunder. [29] The Thunder also purchased a W-League team in 2005. [30] The team was eventually named the Minnesota Lightning in 2006 before their opening season. [31] 2005 was the only season the Thunder turned a profit, making $6,000 which was immediately paid in taxes to the state of Minnesota. [18]
The Thunder defeated four MLS teams over the course of the 2004 and 2005 U.S. Open Cup competitions.
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Beginning in August 2007 the team spent $400,000 on a beer garden called the Thunder Lounge and started the Minnesota Thunder Academy. The team also founded the Rochester Thunder in the Premier Development League. [32]
Magee resigned as Thunder manager on July 22, 2008, halfway through the 2008 season. [33]
In November 2009 the Thunder announced their intent to leave the USL First Division to become the co-founders of a new North American Soccer League.
Minnesota's participation in this new league was, however, not to be. In early November 2009 they released all players from their contracts, [34] partly in response to heavy debts and unpaid bills, including wages. The organization was operating with a skeleton staff of 3 people as they tried to reorganize in their final days.
In January 2010, the National Sports Center announced the formation of a new club, the NSC Minnesota Stars that functioned as a replacement for the Thunder. [35]
A new logo using the colors of navy blue, light blue, and silver was unveiled for the 2008 season. The identity was designed by the Minneapolis design firm Capsule.
The previous Thunder badge incorporated the logo of a capital 'T' and an active soccer ball on a shield reading "Minnesota Thunder". When on the team uniform, it also is adorned atop by a gold star commemorating the 1999 championship season.
The initial Thunder crest was a soccer ball with a thunderbolt crossing it followed by the text "Minnesota Thunder".
When the team became a professional organization, a new logo was created, consisting of an image of the state of Minnesota background with a soccer ball and thunderbolt imposed upon it.
In 2002, the Thunder undertook a marketing re-branding endeavor, where a new logo was created consisting of a soccer ball with movement lines and a T below the words of team's name.
In 2006, a new navy and gold "shield" logo was created by the Minneapolis design firm CAPSULE.
The official mascot of the Minnesota Thunder was Thor. [36]
The Thunder's first home field was the National Sports Center in Blaine, Minnesota where they played until 2003. In 2003 the Thunder wanted to reduce the number of home games played at the National Sports Center to seven. The Minnesota Amateur Sports Commission which owns the National Sports Center was not comfortable with the idea so the Thunder decided to look elsewhere. Their three-year lease expired in 2003 leaving them open to search for other facilities for 2004. At the time revenue from the Thunder accounted for less than one percent of the National Sports Center's total revenue. Barclay Kruse, the associate director of the Minnesota Amateur Sports Commission described the situation as, "The best way to describe it is that we're disappointed." [37]
In 2004 the Thunder played home matches at James Griffin Stadium, also known as "The Jimmy", in St Paul. The move to this stadium in central Saint Paul was made in an attempt to reduce overhead costs and market to a more urban and ethnic crowd. According to then president and general manager Jim Froslid some of the deciding were being on a bus line (mass transit does not go to Blaine) and being accessible to the ethnic community. [38] Fan surveys indicated that they would attend more games if the Thunder played in a more central location. [39]
On May 12, 2008, they returned to the National Sports Center with a lease until 2011. At the time the Thunder was the only team in the USL to not play in a soccer specific stadium and the only team that played on with painted American football lines. [40]
The Metrodome was occasionally used as a home field. Macalester Stadium at Macalester College in St. Paul was also used for games in the past. While playing at the National Sports Center the Thunder traditionally played several games a year in other locations notably Macalester College or Eastview High School in Apple Valley. [37]
The team's largest supporters' group, the Dark Clouds, were founded in 2004 and worked with the Thunder organization to make improvements to their home stadium. [41] After the Thunder folded, the group supported the NSC Minnesota Stars and Minnesota United FC—including its later MLS incarnation. [42] [43]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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The following people have been inducted into the Minnesota Thunder Hall of Fame:
Year | Division | League | Reg. season | Playoffs | Open Cup | Avg. attendance |
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1994 | 2 | USISL | 1st, Midwest | Final | did not enter | — |
1995 | 2 | USISL Pro League | 1st, Midwest East | Final | did not qualify | — |
1996 | 2 | USISL Select League | 2nd, Central | Semifinals | did not qualify | — |
1997 | 2 | USISL A-League | 5th, Central | did not qualify | did not qualify | 3,852 |
1998 | 2 | USISL A-League | 2nd, Central | Final | did not qualify | 3,543 |
1999 | 2 | USL A-League | 1st, Central | Champion | 2nd Round | 3,126 |
2000 | 2 | USL A-League | 1st, Central | Final | 3rd Round | 3,588 |
2001 | 2 | USL A-League | 6th, Western | did not qualify | did not qualify | 3,512 |
2002 | 2 | USL A-League | 2nd, Central | Conference Semifinals | 3rd Round | 3,862 |
2003 | 2 | USL A-League | 2nd, Central | Final | 3rd Round | 4,101 |
2004 | 2 | USL A-League | 3rd, Western | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | 2,961 |
2005 | 2 | USL First Division | 10th | did not qualify | Semifinals | 3,135 |
2006 | 2 | USL First Division | 12th | did not qualify | 2nd Round | 2,925 |
2007 | 2 | USL First Division | 11th | did not qualify | 2nd Round | 3,151 |
2008 | 2 | USL First Division | 7th | Quarterfinals | 2nd Round | 3,573 |
2009 | 2 | USL First Division | 8th | did not qualify | 3rd Round | 3,209 |
James Griffin Stadium is a 4,367-capacity stadium in Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA.
Manuel "Manny" Lagos is an American former professional soccer player who played as a midfielder. He is the current sporting director and former head coach of Minnesota United FC.
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Buzz Lagos is the former head coach of the Minnesota Thunder. Until he retired in 2005, he was the only coach in team history. He coached the Thunder for 16 years with an impressive overall record of 324-148-46, and led the team to four A-league Championship matches, winning the championship match in 1999. He also taught math at St. Paul Academy and coached the SPA soccer team during their powerhouse years in the 1980s.
Minnesota Lightning was an American women’s soccer team, founded in 2006. The team was a member of the United Soccer Leagues W-League, the second tier of women’s soccer in the United States and Canada. The team played in the Midwest Division of the Central Conference. The team folded after the 2009 season.
Sports in Minnesota include professional teams in all major sports, Olympic Games contenders and medalists, especially in the Winter Olympics, collegiate teams in major and small-school conferences and associations and active amateur teams and individual sports. The State of Minnesota has a team in all five major professional leagues. Along with professional sports, there are numerous collegiate teams including the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers and St. Thomas Tommies in NCAA Division I, as well as many others across the Minnesota public and private colleges and universities.
The National Sports Center (NSC) is a multi-sport complex located in Blaine, Minnesota. Its 600-acre (240 ha) site includes a soccer stadium, over 50 full-sized soccer fields, a golf course, a meeting and convention facility, and an eight-sheet ice rink, the Super Rink. The National Sports Center has hosted numerous National and World Championship events in soccer, hockey, figure skating, short track speedskating, broomball, rugby, ultimate frisbee and lacrosse. The National Sports Center opened in 1990 after 1987 legislature created the Minnesota Amateur Sports Commission (MASC) and appropriated $14.7 million for the construction of the NSC. The facility has over 3.8 million visitors annually, making it the most-visited sports facility in the state of Minnesota.
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Amos Hart Magee is the Director of Player Personnel for Minnesota United FC. As a player, he is the Wesleyan University Cardinals all-time leading scorer, won a bronze medal with Team USA at the 1993 Maccabiah Games in Israel, is the Minnesota Thunder all-time leading scorer, and played for the Tampa Bay Mutiny and the Chicago Fire. As a coach, he was Head Coach of the Minnesota Thunder and assistant coach for D.C. United. In the front office, formerly he was Director of Soccer Development for the Portland Timbers. He has been inducted into the Wesleyan University Hall of Fame, the Minnesota Thunder Hall of Fame, and the United Soccer League Hall of Fame.
Don Gramenz is an American former professional soccer player who played as a defender for Minnesota Thunder for eleven seasons, being named to the club's Hall of Fame. Gramenz played collegiately at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, where he was a team captain. In 2008, he served as the interim manager of the Minnesota Thunder, succeeding Amos Magee. Gramenz move into teaching after his soccer career and worked as an elementary school teacher for 11 years before eventually moving into a role as an elementary school principal in Bloomington, Minnesota.
Kyle Marten Altman is an American former soccer player, who last played for Minnesota United FC in the North American Soccer League. He was the 2003 New Mexico High School Coaches Association's Class 4A boys' soccer player of the year. He played college soccer at Trinity University, where he was a first team All American in 2006 and 2007. He played soccer professionally for the Minnesota Thunder and Minnesota United FC. He won a silver medal with Team USA at the 2005 Maccabiah Games in Israel.
This list comprises all players who have participated in at least one league match for Minnesota Thunder from the time the USL began keeping archived records in 2003, until the team's last competitive season in 2008. Players who were on the roster but never played a first team game are not listed; players who appeared for the team in other competitions but never actually made an USL appearance are noted at the bottom of the page where appropriate.
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The 1999 USL A-League was an American Division II league run by the United Soccer League during the summer of 1999.
Minnesota United FC was a lower-tier American professional soccer team based in the Minneapolis-Saint Paul area in Minnesota. Founded in 2010 as NSC Minnesota and later known as Minnesota Stars FC, the team played in the North American Soccer League (NASL), a professional league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation. The team won the 2011 NASL championship. On March 25, 2015, Major League Soccer announced it had awarded an expansion franchise to the Twin Cities and McGuire's ownership group to begin play in 2017. The team played its home games at the National Sports Center in Blaine, Minnesota, 18 miles north of Minneapolis. The team's colors were sky blue, gray, and black with a blue accent.
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