Minnesota Thunder

Minnesota Thunder was an American professional soccer team based in Minnesota, United States. It was founded in 1990 and played in the USL First Division, which was 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 during its last two seasons. Its colors were navy blue, light blue, silver, and white.

Minnesota Thunder also had a development team called the Rochester Thunder, which played in the USL Premier Development League for one more season after the main team stopped. There was also a sister organization, the Minnesota Lightning, which played in the women's USL W-League.

History

Before the Minnesota Thunder started in 1990, Minnesota had two other professional soccer teams. The first was the Minnesota Kicks, which played from 1976 to 1981. After that, the Minnesota Strikers played for one season before stopping in 1988.

The Minnesota Thunder began in 1990 as a team made up of top amateur and former professional players. They played exhibition games and worked with a small budget. Over the years, the team grew and became professional. Coach Buzz Lagos led the team to many victories, including a win against a major league team in 2004. The team faced changes and challenges, and in 2009, they decided to leave their league. Soon after, a new team called the NSC Minnesota Stars was formed to continue soccer in the area.

Colors and badge

For the 2008 season, the Minnesota Thunder team introduced a new logo featuring navy blue, light blue, and silver colors, designed by a Minneapolis company called Capsule. Earlier logos included a capital “T” with a soccer ball on a shield, remembering their championship win in 1999. The team’s first logo showed a soccer ball with a thunderbolt and the words “Minnesota Thunder.” Later designs featured the state of Minnesota with a soccer ball and thunderbolt, and in 2002, a soccer ball with movement lines and a T below the team name. In 2006, another new logo was made by the same design company.

Thor entertains the crowd during halftime.

The team’s official mascot was Thor.

Stadiums

The Thunder host the Kansas City Wizards at the National Sports Center.

The Minnesota Thunder played their home games at different stadiums over the years. Their first home field was the National Sports Center in Blaine, Minnesota, where they played from 1990 to 2003, and again from 2008 to 2009. In 2004, they moved to James Griffin Stadium in St. Paul, Minnesota, hoping to save money and attract more fans. They also played a few games at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis, Macalester Stadium at Macalester College in St. Paul, and other schools like Stillwater High School in Oak Park Heights, Minnesota.

Supporters

The biggest group of fans for the Minnesota Thunder was called the Dark Clouds. They started in 2004 and helped make changes to the team's home stadium. After the Thunder team stopped playing, these fans began supporting two new teams: the NSC Minnesota Stars and Minnesota United FC, which later joined a bigger soccer league called MLS.

Players

Final roster

Note: Flags show which country's team a player could join, based on FIFA eligibility rules. Some players might have ties to more than one country.

Hall of Fame

These people were honored in the Minnesota Thunder Hall of Fame:

Tony Pesznecker Inducted 1996
Tony Sanneh Inducted 1996
Manuel Lagos Inducted 1996
John Swallen Inducted 2002
Gerard Lagos Inducted 2002
Tom Engstrom Inducted 2003
Don Gramenz Inducted 2004
Buzz Lagos Inducted 2005
Amos Magee Inducted 2005
Bill George Inducted 2006

Year-by-year

The Minnesota Thunder was a professional soccer team from Minnesota, United States. They started in 1990 and played until 2009. For the last two years, they played their home games at the National Sports Center in Blaine, Minnesota.

Year	Division	League	Reg. season	Playoffs	Open Cup	Avg. attendance
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

Honors

The Minnesota Thunder achieved several notable successes during their time as a team. They won the USL A-League in 1999 and were runners-up in 1998, 2000, and 2003. They also claimed division titles in the Midwest, Midwest East, and Central Divisions in various years.

The team reached the semifinals of the U.S. Open Cup in 2005 and the quarterfinals in 2004. Additionally, they were runners-up in the USISL Sizzling Nine Championship in 1994 and 1995.

Head coaches

The Minnesota Thunder had three head coaches during its time. Buzz Lagos coached the team from 1990 to 2005. Amos Magee took over from 2006 to 2008. Finally, Don Gramenz was the head coach from 2008 until the team ended in 2009.