The Gift of Professional Soccer
If you’ve been reading Inside Minnesota Soccer for any amount of time, you know I feel strongly about the influence of professional soccer on a community. I believe it should be supported so youth can look up to these players and strive for the goal to be a professional themselves someday. It’s just one of the ways to grow soccer and inspire excellence in the sport amongst youth players.
The Minnesota Kicks of the North American Soccer League had a huge influence on me. They are the reason I took to the game, coached for nearly 20 years and now write this blog. When I ran across this letter from former professional player and Minnesotan, Manny Lagos, it struck a chord with me and I wanted to share it with my readers. I’ve said it previously and will now say it again, with the economy as it it currently, a ticket to the Thunder is the best value in Minnesota sports. Now with this new youth package and $5.00 seats, there is no longer any doubt that this is the best value in town for your sports dollar. Please take a moment and read the following letter from Manny Lagos, team president of the Minnesota Thunder, and pass the word on to your soccer and non-soccer friends and neighbors.
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Dear Minnesota Soccer Fan,
As we head into the 2009 summer soccer season, I’m pleased to give you an update on a new initiative to get young kids exposed to high level soccer.
Growing up in the 1970′s, I feel fortunate to have had the NASL’s Minnesota Kicks professional soccer team in our community. I went to games on a regular basis and even got a chance to be a ball boy, meeting all my favorite players in the process. I know how much of an impact the Kicks had on me as a player, and I believe they helped shape a generation of kids in Minnesota who went on to love the sport for years to come. Having played at the highest levels (US National Team, Olympics, and professionally for 14 years), I can honestly say that exposing kids to high-level soccer is an incredibly important part of their development as a soccer player. Kids (and adults, too) can learn so much from simply watching. No matter what level at which a child plays, watching soccer gives him or her a picture of how to play the game, a chance to see some incredible athletes, and perhaps even more importantly, gives them heroes to emulate.
As a coach and fan of soccer in the US, I’ve always felt that this piece was missing, however. In Europe, South America, Africa, and Asia, children are exposed to the game virtually from birth. In those places, soccer is a constant in a child’s life — when they aren’t playing the game, they’re watching it. American kids, however, still do not watch enough soccer in comparison to their international counterparts. While televised games are a great learning tool in their own right, a live game is an even better learning opportunity. With a live game, you aren’t limited to what the camera shows. You can see a play develop, the build-up to a goal, or the shape of a team defensively. An aspiring midfielder can see how to create space in the midfield, a young forward can watch how and when the forwards make their runs, and a neophyte defender can observe how closely a defender marks his man depending on where he is on the field.
One of the unique things about being a Minnesota resident is that we have an opportunity to see high-level professional soccer six months out of the year. Only 26 other communities (15 with MLS teams, 11 with USL-1 teams) in the country can say that. Our league continues to grow stronger on and off the field. While MLS certainly gets more media coverage than USL-1, the gap between the two leagues in terms of quality has virtually disappeared, evidenced by the fact that two teams in our league, the Montreal Impact and the Puerto Rico Islanders, have defeated the Mexican champions and the Honduran champions, respectively. In comparison, MLS sides have struggled in the competition.
MN Thunder vs Burnley FC of England at the newly renovated National Sports Center, July 15, 2008.
Since 1990, when my father founded the Thunder, we have strived to be for the new generation what the Kicks were to me. With the addition of the Minnesota Lightning women’s team in 2006 and launch this year of the Rochester Thunder (our new Premier Development team), I feel that we can provide that same experience to Minnesota boys and girls of all levels.
Therefore, it is with great pride that I introduce the season-long “Shield Pass“ for youth 18 and under. A mere $20 will get your child into as many games as they want in 2009 for EITHER the Thunder or Lightning. Not only is it a great deal, but we also have ticket prices for the parents starting at $5. With theses prices and an amazing new soccer specific OUTDOOR stadium atmosphere, I don’t think you can find a better deal and value in all of Minnesota professional sports!
Thank you for supporting the world’s game right here in Minnesota,
Manny Lagos
President and Director of Soccer Operations
Minnesota Thunder
Comments are closed.
How can you not love Manny? What a beautifully written letter. As someone who grew up in Minnesota watching him play, he was one of my idols and is one of the reasons why I love this sport and am fortunate enough to work for the sport every day. I have passed this note along to all of my soccer friends in Minnesota and hopefully they will get some great crowds this year. I’ll be watching, cheering and wearing my jersey/scarf proudly for all games even though I am living in Washington D.C. Come on Thunder!
Thanks for the note Zach. Your comment gets exactly to the point of why we need to continue to support local profeshional soccer.
I guess with a couple of former DC United players now on the Thunder roster you have even more reason to support and follow the Thunder. Good luck to your organization, DC United, as they work through some of their off field issues with the stadium and on the field as they look to get back to the DC United form of old.
That is a great letter, spoken from the heart I feel.
It’s truly unbelievable the negative response that many club officials I’ve spoken with have towards MN pro soccer now that the organization houses a youth academy. Though I call many of these people friends, their lack of understanding coupled with MYSA’s blatant denial of the Thunder existence of late has put our state at a crossroads that could lead to the end of pro soccer in this state.
What baffles me when talking to many paid coaching directors is that they bash the Thunder for not being a “true” pro team (for whatever reason) and for initiating a youth system that lures players away from local community clubs. Yet most of these coaching directors make a living in this state BECAUSE pro soccer has been around for 18 years or so and has had a positive impact on our young players and the overall interest of the game in MN. People at Shattuck bash the Thunder, yet Shattuck has a program led by people brought to MN through the Thunder.
It comes from the so-called “top”. MYSA’s leadership is suspect, vindictive, and stubborn. The majority of the MN soccer community looks at MYSA as the end all be all of soccer knowledge in this state and the MYSA leadership abuses this power of suggestion. The same goes for local community club volunteer presidents/board members and paid coaching directors. They are the gatekeepers of information to the masses and have the ability to turn their membership against the pro team through the propagation of misinformation and bias.
I ask IMS to dig for the truth. Call out these people at MYSA and within our local soccer club system. The questions to ask are simple.
1 – Do you believe professional soccer is beneficial to the promotion and growth of the youth game in our state?
2 – Do you believe that parents and players should have the right to pursue any development option they choose?
If the answer to both questions is yes, then there is absolutely no non-self-serving reason to not support the Thunder. Period. If the answer to either question is no, then one must question why these people in positions of power and soccer decision making for their members?
Pose the same questions to every single metro area club. Seek answers from coaching directors like Wayne Harrison (EP) and Ted Kroeten (Blackhawks) as to why they refuse to support pro soccer in this state. Talk to club presidents and board members at Mpls United and PSA and ask why they’ve continued to propagate misinformation and all out lies to their membership about the Thunder and about MTA. Talk to the Chan Chaska club president and ask why he didn’t renew his season tickets this year, having been a stout support of MN pro soccer until this point.
You might not get responses but no answers speak volumes in their own right.
Compile and publicize a list of all MYSA officials and affiliate clubs and their respective stances on the pro soccer/MTA issues. Everything is easy for them behind closed doors. It’s time to bring things to light and call people out for their true intentions; many of which I guarantee are selfish and self-serving in the end.
The MN soccer climate stints. Time to clear the air and IMS can do it.
The truth is out there.
Fox Moulder has NAILED it on the head. I completely agree with everything you wrote — absolutely crystalized my thoughts in the written word.
Fox, amazing. I second the comments. Let’s put IMS on the info hunt. Maybe BQ could be the mediator and post thoughts from all sides of the issue. There is stuff that neither side wants to hear, but I guarantee this would be a story that garners national attention.
Couldn’t agree more with everything that Fox Moulder said. It comes down to the simple fact that if youth soccer in Minnesota doesn’t support professional soccer in the Thunder, then no one will. I don’t thinks its just up to someone like BQ to dive into why many local clubs don’t support pro soccer in MN, but its up to every single soccer club member and player. They are the ones who elect their officials and pay the dues that cover the salaries of those technical directors. They need to ask the hard questions like why isn’t their club supporting the Thunder in a larger way.
As someone who grew up playing in the EP Soccer Club, I don’t ever recall the club promoting or having any relationship with the Thunder and its sad to see that nothing has changed in the last 10 years. Hopefully the Thunder are trying their hardest to reach out to the youth soccer community and do all that they can to support them because it really is a two way road. The soccer community not only in Minnesota but in this country is too small for us not to all support one another.
Out here with D.C. United, its my job to do nothing but make sure that we are supporting the youth soccer community as best we can and are listening closely to all of their feedback, regardless of if its positive or negative. I have been fortunate to come into a situation that already had a good foundation laid and the team has always received good support from the local youth soccer community. But it comes down to the fact that some people either get it or they don’t get it. By that I mean they have to realize that everything is inter-twined and like Fox Moulder so perfectly said, if it wasn’t for the Thunder and what they have done for the state over the last almost 20 years, youth soccer in Minnesota probably would be in a much worse off situation than it is in.
Here’s to hoping every day we get closer to everyone working together to support this great cause. Keep up the great work with this site, I can’t begin to say how important something like this simple blog is to the fight.
Gentleman, first thanks for your confidence in my ability to do expose pieces. Wow! However this is probably something my professional writer and friend Paul Demko would be immensely better equipped and far more gifted at than me if he was actually interested in any of this.
So if you take a few seconds please read this “about Inside Minnesota Soccer.” I think that explains why I started this blog and what I see my mission as. Yes, the dialog can start here. However, I would love to delve into this like a full time reporter but the truth is, I already spend a great amount of time on the blog. I’m in the middle of a report on US Club Soccer with interviews from Bill Sage, president of the organization. I also have questions out to John Hackworth (waiting for a response) with interviews conducted with Manny Lagos and Tim Carter for a follow up on the Dev. Academy story. As well, I have two interviews I conducted, one of them in January and can’t get the time to finish any of them. Reporting soccer in Minnesota really could be a full time job. For now, I think we will have to take Zaks advice and say it’s EVERYONES job to question their clubs officers?
Not supporting the Thunder is nothing new. It’s been happening for a long time and I’ve never really understood the disconnect between soccer clubs and the Thunder or the Lightning in Minnesota. Its something that has been going on for far too long and as Zak stated and I have stated here many times, this state is not big enough for all the infighting, cliques and power struggles that seem to take place. This is EXACTLY why I started IMS. When I initially sent out an email blast to announce my new site and what I was trying to accomplish, I had one of the people that Fox Moulder mentioned in his letter asked to be taken off his list saying he wasn’t interested. Why would you not be interested in a web blog that promotes soccer in the state? I have some definite opinions about some folks in the soccer business in this state who really believe they have their club and players best interest in mind, but are looking at a very small scope and not looking at a larger picture. Even though I have those opinions and they are probably true, I also think it’s important to not necessarily point fingers but to find solutions as long as those parties involved want to do so. That’s the first step, and that is precisely were those coaches and parents of players that read this blog can make a difference.
With all that said, no one is blameless here and as previously stated there’s a history to everything. The question going forward will be, can we finally stop the arguments and finger pointing and try to sit down to discuss the differences so as to figure new and creative ways to create a healthy thriving soccer environment in the state of MN that would be good for the everyone. I really think what we need is a State Soccer Ambassador. Someone with a good understanding of Minnesota’s fragmented soccer community who also has respect amongst all and perhaps played in a MN soccer club not associated with the Thunder but played professionally for the Thunder. Hey, I think I just found a new job for Tony Sanneh when he finally retires.
Zak, it sounds as if we could use you here as well.
I agree with bq, it’s not for him to do, as I hope he can remain a non-biased journalist. It’s up to the rest of us to bring the truth to light.
PEACE AND FUTBOL
So speaking of supporting our beloved Thunder, where can I purchase a replica jersey of this year’s kit? I have some old stuff but like the new digs with the new logo. They don’t seem to sell it on the club website nor on the Soccer USA website. Any help anyone? Thanks!
Zach
@ Neal – I respectfully disagree. I think it IS something for BQ to tackle. Who else can expose what is going on to the public? It’s all well and good to call on the local soccer club’s membership to do something, but the issue is that most of the memberships are being blinded by the few decision makers who act as gatekeepers and who decide what information is passed on to their membership regarding MN pro soccer, and how the information is spun. Can’t he still remain non-biased?
BQ supports pro soccer. That much is crystal clear from the countless hours of work he puts into this site. MN is at risk of losing pro soccer because of the actions of MYSA and some of their affiliate members. That would be a true shame if it comes to pass.
All the work you’re (BQ) doing for this site is commendable. However, I doubt this site is in existence without the pro team here in MN.
I know people who have approached writers with the two major papers in town. It would be nice to see this story broken by IMS though. As I said before this is a subject of national attention. Of a youth association that is clearly against supporting professional soccer in their home state, and of local paid soccer professionals who clearly shun the pro sports team in town due to selfish interests.