Wednesday, April 23, 2008

It has been a rough three years for the Minnesota Thunder, who prior to the current stretch had suffered only one other losing season and had only two other missed postseason appearances. But much like the current American presidential race, change is a major topic for the club from the Twin Cities. New ownership has led to a new logo and, more importantly, an increased investment in the roster.

In a season that saw an unusual rise in draws, the Thunder were second in the league in that category at 5-12-11 and did finish with fewer losses than four other sides, including the Carolina RailHawks who finished only six points ahead of Minnesota for the final playoff berth. The Thunder were tied for fifth in the league in scoring and were better than four other teams in the goals allowed tally on the year – goalkeeper Nicolas Platter finished sixth in GAA in the league.

The Thunder were literally on the edge of finding the winning formula last season, posting fewer losses on the road than seven of their peers. Against the eventual league champion Seattle Sounders, whom they face three times in the last half of the schedule, the Thunder posted a 2-2 draw on the road and a 2-1 win at home before suffering a 1-0 defeat in their season finale in St. Paul.

The 2008 Season

With change being the primary topic, the Thunder roster will have nearly a completely new look, almost to the point of being an expansion team as only six of the 19 players who played in at least 10 games last year are returning for this season. Two of the top three scorers are returning, however. Leo Gibson and Aaron Paye, as well as goalkeeper Nicolas Platter, midfielder Kevin Friedland and defender Kevin Taylor headline the few returning stars from the previous campaign.

The extensive list of incoming players is wide-ranging. The club traded Ansu Toure for Atlanta’s Dayton O’Brien, who helped lead the Silverbacks to the final last year. Other USL-1 players coming to Minnesota include former Canadian international Alen Marcina (Vancouver/Puerto Rico), Luchi Gonzalez (Miami), Ricardo Sanchez (California) and Montreal’s Frederico Moojen and Andres Arango.

Joining the club from outside USL are New Zealand international midfielder Andrew Barron, former San Jose Earthquake defender Tighe Dombrowski, and DC United’s Stephen deRoux.

The First Five

The new-look Minnesota Thunder will certainly be challenged right out of the gate this season with 2007 playoff teams awaiting them in the first five games of the campaign. They open on the road against Portland (2nd last year) April 24 and then visit Vancouver (7th) two nights later. They return home to host Rochester (5th) on May 4 and Montreal (3rd) on May 10 before returning to the road to face league finalist Atlanta (4th) on May 16.