Thunder Host Kansas City Wizards of MLS June 30th in Third Round of US Open Cup

BLAINE, Minn. (Wednesday, June 17, 2009)
After advancing in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup with a 4-0 thrashing of the Chicago Fire PDL, the Minnesota Thunder will host the Kansas City Wizards of Major League Soccer in the third round on Tuesday, June 30 at 7:35 p.m. at the National Sports Center in Blaine. Tickets for this match start at $10 and can be purchased by calling the Thunder office at 651.294.4664. Regular season tickets, Shield Passes, and VIP passes are not valid for this match. Discounted tickets are available for groups of 20 or more.

“We are extremely excited to be playing the Kansas City Wizards in the third round of the US Open Cup,” said Thunder head coach Donny Gramenz. “They are doing well in the MLS regular season and we are now starting to hit our stride so it’s going to be a battle at the NSC. This is not only exciting for the Thunder organization, but also for Minnesota’s youth soccer players, fans, and supporters for the fact they will have the opportunity to witness some of the highest level of soccer possible this country has to offer. It’s going to be a great night for soccer in Minnesota.”

Since the 2004 season the Minnesota Thunder has a winning record when matched up against MLS teams in Open Cup competition. In the 2004 and 2005 seasons, the Thunder went 4-2-0 against MLS teams, with its most memorable run coming in 2005 when the Thunder knocked off three MLS teams, including the Kansas City Wizards on the road, to advance to the US Open Cup semifinals before falling to the Los Angeles Galaxy. In this historic run, the Thunder thrashed MLS teams, beating Real Salt Lake 6-4, the Colorado Rapids 4-1, and the Wizards 3-1.

In 2004, the Thunder knocked off the Galaxy 1-0 before falling to the San Jose Earthquakes in penalty kicks in the Quarterfinals in what has been considered by many the most tantalizing Thunder experience to date, but that could all change on June 30th.

The Wizards, who won the MLS Cup in 2000 and the Open Cup in 2004, currently sit in third place in the eastern conference of Major League Soccer and is home to some historic players including Josh Wolff, Jimmy Conrad, Claudio Lopez, and Kevin Hartman.

Wolff, who has 52 caps with the US National Team, has 10 years of MLS experience and has scored 68 goals during that time.

Conrad has 24 caps with the US National Team and played in two matches for the US in the 2006 World Cup. The Wizards team MVP also has 10 years of MLS experience.

Lopez hails from Argentina where he has played in 58 games for his national team, seven of them taking place in World Cup action. Lopez has already hit home 10 goals for the Wizards in the 2009 campaign.

Hartman has 12 years of MLS experience and has played in 317 games over that time. This prolific goalkeeper is the MLS all-time leader in postseason minutes played (4,042), saves (155), shutouts (14) and wins (22).

Third Round Open Cup Ticket Prices:
$10-Bleacher
$15-Silver and Supporters
$17-Gold
$20-Platinum
$35-Field Seats (limited quantity)