Minnesota Thunder News and Notes -Week 2-

Thunder Travel to Austin Texas To Open Aztex Inaugural USL-1 Season.

The Game: Thunder versus Aztex, Saturday, April 18, 7:30 pm CST.

Don Gramenz reports this week that the Thunder are again healthy. I asked the Thunder coach if he thought the team had any difficulties transitioning from turf to real grass last week  when the Carolina RailHawks beat the Thunder 2-1. The Thunder had not played on grass since the first week’s scrimmage with the Kansas City Wizards. Gramenz replied, “I don’t think making the transition to grass from turf was difficult.  We don’t have any excuses, Carolina just out performed us.” He went onto say, “Obviously, last week’s result against Carolina was a disappointment.  I knew the first 15-20 minutes were going to be tough like every away game, but Kallman’s red card changed the dynamic of the game, particularly against a team that likes to by-pass its midfield.  I thought we handled the pressure well with organization, but we didn’t pressure the ball well enough.  Also, we gave up the ball too easily so we couldn’t get into any sort of rhythm, which made us defend for longer stretches of time.  In the end, that can’t happen.”

I asked Gramenz about Nic Platter’s outstanding performance last week that kept the game from being a blowout. “I thought Nic was great in goal and made several fantastic saves,” said Gramenz.  ”He’s going to be a huge part of our success this year.”

Thunder head coach Don Gramenz

I also asked him about this week’s match against the first-year Aztex and Gramenz explained, “This is a historic game for Austin.  Their first ever Home Opener as a professional club.  I think its great that we are a part of it.  With that being said the first 15-20 minutes are going to be crucial.  They will play a traditional 4-4-2.  They are a young team that has several veteran players with European experience.  From what everyone is telling me, they have a  forward that was part of Manchester United (Eddie Johnson who signed with Man U in 2001 and saw time in one game against Leeds in 2003). They will play through the midfield and their outside backs will get in the attack, thus trying to utilize the flanks and get crosses off.”

Gramenz gave his formula for  the Thunder success in order to get a result on Saturday evening, “We need to be confident with the ball by having clean touches, crisp passing, movement off the ball, and every player should want the ball.”

The Thunder’s travel roster this week will consist of 18 players who will head to Austin Texas to play the Aztex in their inaugural USL-1 game. Goalkeepers Nic Platter and Mat Van Oekel will again make the trip. So will defenders Rich Costanzo, Kevin Friedland, Andres Arango, Andrew Peterson, and newly signed defender Chris Clements. Midfielders Dale Weiler, Lawrence Olum, Jeremiah Bass, Rod Dyachenko, Youssouf Kante, Quavas Kirk, Ricardo Sanchez and new signing Leonel Saint-Preux will all make the trip along with forwards Melvin Tarley, Geoffrey Myers and Brian Cvilikas. Marcus Watson and Dan O’Brien where left at home this week along with Brian Kallman who will be serving his red card suspension from last week’s expulsion in the first half of the RailHawk contest.

Minnesota Thunder General Manager Djorn Buchholz explained on the Thunder supporters discussion board this week that getting international travel clearance for some of the Thunder players can be tricky. He stated that both Myers and Saint-Preux would be available to travel this week. Last week, Saint-Preux was signed which the Thunder had not yet announced, but they were waiting on his clearance. Myers had been signed for several weeks, but the Liberian-born player, who has lived in Minnesota for a number of years, still needed his home country’s soccer federation to clear him.

Buchholz explained the situation with the two players, “International clearance is a tricky thing. Typically it’s not a problem with European countries, but much more difficult with African, South America, and Caribbean countries.” Buchholz further explained, “If a player last played in another country, or didn’t arrive in this country before they were 12, you have to request clearance from their last federation. USSF sends in a request, than a federation can choose to grant it, or not. If they don’t, after 30 days a provisional clearance is granted, then after a year it’s permanent. You can’t request the clearance until you have a player under contract. So there lies the problem.”

He went on to say, “We have been pretty lucky with these, mostly because I will reach out to the federations, or find people to help us through it, but it doesn’t typically happen overnight. For example, with Geoffrey Myers, I took the phone number for the Liberian Federation off the FIFA website. The number ended up being a guy’s cell phone. He had no real interest in helping us and kept asking for developmental fees, which where not due since Myers never played in Liberia professionally. Fortunately, I got ahold of the recently resigned secretary general, and he was kind enough to push it through.” Buchholz, who is starting his fifth year as general manger, concluded by saying, “I now know more about immigration than I ever hoped to.”

•The game will again be televised free on USL Live starting at 7:30 pm CST.

•Austin will play this year’s games at Reagan High School’s football stadium slightly north of town, called Nelson Field.  It does have artificial turf and football lines, and a track around the field. The stadium was built in 1965 and seats 8,800. It’s speculated in Austin that the team may move its home field location next year, but again to another high school field with football lines and fill-turf.

•Gramenz said that Jonathan Greenfield will not join the team until next week. He expects the central defender to help solidify the back line.

•This year’s Thunder roster (so far) features players from 10 countries and 8 states within the US.

•The beer garden that was promised last year for the National Sports Center’s stadium -which is the home field for the Minnesota Thunder- is currently being constructed with good progress being reported. It will be a large platform on the northwest end of the stadium with multi-level terraces. The deck is being constructed by the Happy Gnome, who partners with the Thunder for beer concessions and after-game parties as well as free bus rides to the stadium and back. A photo can be found at the Thunder supporters discussion board.

•For anyone who would like to join Thunder supporters there will be a watch party at the Sweetwater Grille and Bar located in the Kelly Inn I-94 @ Marion Street, St. Paul.