MINNESOTA THUNDER

The 'Minnesota Thunder' is a professional men's soccer team based out of St Paul, Minnesota. In 2006 the Thunder competed in the USL First Division and the U.S. Open Cup.
The club was founded in 1990 as an amateur American men's soccer team. It became a professional team in 1994 joining the United Soccer Leagues; it currently plays in the 12-team First Division. The Thunder won the 1999 A-League championship, but lost in the finals in 1998, 2000 and 2003.

Contents

Colours and badge

Stadium

Supporters

Current squad

Notable former players

Notable coaches

Achievements

Year-by-year

Trivia

Minnesota Lightning

External links

Colours and badge

The Thunder badge incorporates 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.

Stadium

The Thunder currently play the majority of their home matches at James Griffin Stadium, also known as "The Jimmy", in St Paul. The move to this stadium in central St. Paul was made in 2004 in an attempt to reduce overhead costs and market to a more urban and ethnic crowd.
The Thunder's first home field was the National Sports Center in Blaine, Minnesota, where they played until 2003. The National Sports Center as well as the Metrodome are also occasionally used as home fields. Macalester Stadium at Macalester College in St. Paul has also been used for games in the past.

Supporters

There is a group of active fans loosely grouped under the name the Dark Clouds. The supporters will typicially tailgate before the game and during halftime, sit behind the opposing bench during games, stand and chant throughout the entire game, and occasionally travel with the team on road games.

Current squad

''As of August 28, 2007''

Notable former players

★ Mark Abboud

★ Kevin Anderson

★ John Coughlin

★ Don Gramenz

★ Gerard Lagos

★ Manuel Lagos

★ Amos Magee

★ Tony Sanneh

★ John Swallen

Notable coaches

★ Buzz Lagos (1990-2005)

★ Amos Magee (2006-)

Achievements

★ A-League Championship:

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★ Winners (1): 1999

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★ Runners-up (3):1998, 2000, 2003

★ U.S. Open Cup:

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★ Semifinals (1): 2005

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★ Quarterfinals (1): 2004

★ Rocky Mountain Cup:

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★ Winners (1): 2005 (disputed)

Year-by-year

Year	League	Reg. Season	Playoffs	Open Cup
1994	USISL	1st, Midwest	Final	''Did not enter''
1995	USISL Pro League	1st, Midwest East	Final	''Did not qualify''
1996	USISL Select League	2nd, Central	Semifinals	''Did not qualify''
1997	USISL A-League	5th, Central	''Did not qualify''	''Did not qualify''
1998	USISL A-League	2nd, Central	Final	''Did not qualify''
1999	USL A-League	1st, Central	Champion	2nd Round
2000	USL A-League	1st, Central	Final	3rd Round
2001	USL A-League	6th, Western	''Did not qualify''	''Did not qualify''
2002	USL A-League	2nd, Central	Conference Semifinals	3rd Round
2003	USL A-League	2nd, Central	Final	3rd Round
2004	USL A-League	3rd, Western	Quarterfinals	Quarterfinals
2005	USL First Division	10th	''Did not qualify''	Semifinals
2006	USL First Division	12th	''Did not qualify''	2nd Round
2007	USL First Division	11th	''Did not qualify''	2nd Round

Trivia

★ The Thunder have defeated four MLS teams in 2004 and 2005.

★ The official mascot of the Minnesota Thunder is Thor.

Minnesota Lightning

In 2005, the club created an amateur women's team named the Minnesota Lightning to compete in the W-League starting in the 2006 season.

External links

★ Official homepage

★ Supporters' homepage

★ Dan's Soccer Zone, history of Minnesota soccer