Thunder & Lightning Double Header Today

The Thunder and Lightning play in a double header this afternoon and evening at the National Sports Center,  Saturday, June 27.

Play begins when the Lightning host the Cleveland Internationals at 5:05 p.m. with the Thunder following at 7:35 p.m. against the Rochester Rhinos.

One ticket gets you into both games!

About the Lightning (2-2-1, 7 pts.):
The Minnesota Lightning is looking to get back on track after losing its first two games of the season on the road to very tough opponents. It was a tough trip as they went into the stadiums of the first and second place team from the W-League Central Conference Midwest Division. First, they fell to the division leaders, Chicago Red Eleven, 2-0 and the next day the Lightning traveled to FC Indiana where they lost 4-0.

Caroline Smith is still leading the Lighting with 13 points which ties her for third in the league. In the 2009 campaign, she has scored six goals and assisted in another.

About the Internationals (2-3-0, 6 pts.):
The Internationals most recent game was a blowout loss to FC Indiana 7-0. Cleveland allowed a constant stream of goals into their net against the Lionesses including two penalty kicks. The Internationals failed to stop Indiana forward Nikki Lyons as she had a hat trick in this game.

Historically, the Internationals have been avid contenders but have only qualified for the playoffs once, in 2005. Cleveland usually ends the season in the upper half of the W-League Midwest Division. Although the Internationals are in fifth place currently, they have not finished a season below fourth place.

Cleveland’s head coach is Zdravko Popovic. He has been involved with every aspect of the game from playing to officiating to coaching. Not only is he the head coach, he also is an owner of the Internationals.

The Internationals have only three players with points. Luliana Libertin, Alyxandra Portier and Sylvia Olsby all have two points each. Olsby and Portier have each scored a goal and Libertin assisted in those goals.

About the Thunder (1-6-4, 7 pts.):
The Thunder broke their three-game winning streak with a 5-1 loss to the Portland Timbers last Friday evening. Portland went up two goals early in the game but the Thunder looked like they were going to mount a comeback after they scored a goal late in the first half. Unfortunately, the Timbers came out in the second half with guns blazing by scoring three more goals and finishing the game 5-1.

Kevin Friedland’s hamstring is still causing him problems and Rich Costanzo’s dislocated elbow has also not healed. The Thunder will also be without Melvin Tarley, Andres Arango, and Julius James who all received red cards in last Friday’s match against Portland.

“The game against Rochester is crucial for team and organization,” said Thunder head coach Donny Gramenz. “It is crucial not only for three points, but to get back on track mentally for the US Open Cup on Tuesday, June 30th against the Wizards. We are playing decent soccer that will give us the results we need as long as our mentality and concentration level is at a professional level like it was against Carolina and the second round game of the US Open Cup. We are looking forward to a great week of training and the Rhinos coming into town.”

Ricardo Sanchez is leading the Thunder in points and is in a four-way tie for second place in the league. Of the four players that are tied for second, Sanchez has played in the least amount of games, which is nine. In those nine games, he logged three goals and assisted in another three.

About the Rhinos (5-5-2, 17 pts.):
Rochester is coming off of a 2-0 win against the Austin Aztex last Sunday. The Rhinos scored early in the first half and again late in the game, and they finished the game with a clean sheet. This was the first win for the Rhinos in five games.

The Rhinos are currently sitting tied for fifth in the USL First Division with a record of 5-5-2. They have played the majority of the games on the road but they are still in the top half of the league. On the road, their record is an impressive 5-4-1 and not having the home field advantage is not a factor for the Rhinos. After the match against Minnesota, Rochester returns to New York to have a solid two-month-long home stand, playing 11 home games in a row.

Johnny Menyongar is the points front runner for the Rochester Rhinos. The former Thunder player has nine points in the ten games that he has played, with six goals and an assist.