Today’s The Day! It’s Home Opener for the Minnesota Thunder
In anticipation of the Thunder home opener, Inside Minnesota Soccer sat down with former DC United and LA Galaxy midfielder Quavas Kirk. I also talked to newcomer and Liberian native Geoffrey Myers as well as former DC United central midfielder, Rod Dyachenko.
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Tonight’s game is at 7:05 p.m. at the newly renovated National Sports Center. If you’ve not yet been out to the new NSC Stadium, you’ve got to and you’re going to love it. Stadium seating is now on all 4 sides of the field and comes within 15 feet of the touch lines. As seen here at IMS, the stadium now features a beer garden with Bud products but also with craft beers and ciders. Also, there are new ticket prices and with the youth shield pass, your child can see every Thunder game this year for only $20.00. Also, there are new general admission seats for only a five spot. You really can’t beat that for your sports entertainment dollar anywhere else in Minnesota.
More details about tonight’s match up and ticket information after the jump.
04/28/09 – Thunder Hosts Vancouver Saturday at National Sports Center
Free Schedule T-shirts to the First 300 Fans Courtesy of Soccer USA
BLAINE, Minn. (Tuesday, April 28, 2009) – The Minnesota Thunder, after four games on the road to start the season, finally get a chance to play at home on Saturday, May 2 when they host the defending champions, the Vancouver Whitecaps, at 7:05 p.m. at the National Sports Center. The first 300 fans at the game Saturday will receive a free schedule t-shirt, courtesy of Soccer USA. Or, fans can pre-purchase 2 tickets and 2 t-shirts for $22 at www.mnthunder.com, to ensure they receive the t-shirt.
For individual tickets to the home opener, please visit www.ticketmaster.com or for group tickets call the Thunder office at 651.294.4664.
The Thunder is offering two special ticket packages for this match. Fans can purchase 2 tickets with either 2 schedule t-shirts, or 2 beer coupons for only $22. These home opener packages can be purchased at www.mnthunder.com. The new Thunder Lounge will be open for business at Saturday’s match. The Thunder Lounge, which is situated on the north end of the field, is three tiers tall and will offer one of the best sports viewing experiences in the Twin Cities. Measuring in at 64 feet deep by 96 feet long, the Thunder Lounge will be sponsored by Bud Light and will allow fans to take in the game just feet from the end line.
About the Thunder (0-2-2, 2 pts.)
The Thunder starts their first home stretch of the season on Saturday. The team has had a disappointing start but the team is playing well. Both of the losses came from the undefeated Carolina RailHawks. In the two games that ended in a draw, the Thunder had early leads but could not keep them. Minnesota has the ability to contend with the leaders and they are looking forward to playing with the comfort of their home field. Head coach Donny Gramenz shared his thoughts on the upcoming home opener:
“We are excited to be performing on our home field for the first time in our 2009 campaign. It’s going to be a fantastic atmosphere and the players are ready to perform and entertain at a high level for our loyal supporters and fans. There’s nothing better than playing at home at the National Sports Center!”
This game will be played in Blaine at the National Sports Center. The last time the Thunder played on the field was in September of 2008 in a playoff game against this same Vancouver squad. That second game of the two-game series ended in a 4-3 win for the Thunder and they will be looking for a repeat performance again on Saturday.
The Thunder are healthy and should have all players available for Saturday’s match.
New Thunder player, and Haitian international Leonel Saint-Preux, leads the Thunder with two goals on the season. Thunder season tickets are now on sale and can be purchased for as little as $65. Fans can choose from flex ticket options that allow the use of any number of tickets for any game, or fans can choose their specific seat for each and every game. In addition, the Thunder’s new Shield Pass allows fans ages 3-18 to attend every single Thunder and Lightning game for just $20 for the season. With over a $200 value, the Shield Pass is the best sports ticket value in the Twin Cities. To purchase season tickets, please visit www.mnthunder.com or call 651.294.4664.
About the Whitecaps (1-1-2, 5 pts.):
Vancouver is currently fourth in the league with a record of 1-1-2. The team is holding onto five points and they are 0-1-1 on the road. The defending champions are coming off of a 1-0 win against the Portland Timbers. Martin Nash put up the goal for their first win of the season. With over 5,000 people watching that game, the Whitecaps walked away with three points.
Saturday’s game will be defender Jeff Parke’s first chance to play for Vancouver. The former New York Red Bulls player was suspended from league action up until this point. USL decided to continue with the suspension after Vancouver picked him up.
The Whitecaps’ goal keeper is Jay Nolly and he returns for his second season with Vancouver. He already has had an impressive career in soccer and he is only in his 5th year. Nolly had 11 shutouts last year and was the Whitecaps’ defender of the year.
Vancouver’s head coach is Teitur Thordarson. This European soccer star played in Iceland, Sweden, France, Switzerland and he was the captain of Icelandic national team. After his two-decade career on the field, he took a job on the sidelines as a coach. In 1987, he started his coaching career in Sweden and then went to Norway, Estonia, and Iceland before he crossed the pond to take the coaching job for the Vancouver Whitecaps.
With the success of the team recently, the Whitecaps are trying to make the jump to Major League Soccer. MLS said they were expanding and Vancouver put in a bid for one of the expansion team slots. In March, MLS agreed and the Whitecaps will be joining the MLS in 2011.
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