Fire SC ’00 – Profile

2010 May 1

by Brian Quarstad

Ryan Manning

The Fire SC ’00 play in the Men’s Amateur Soccer League (MASL). Ryan Manning, founder of the Fire SC ’00, said Minnesotans shouldn’t get that confused with the Minnesota Recreational Soccer League (MRSL). “They are completely different leagues, completely different things,” states Manning. “It doesn’t matter how good your team is when they come into the MASL you have to start at the bottom (D-4) and work your way up to D-1.”

Manning goes on to explain that the MASL is a true promotion — relegation league. He states that his team started out at the bottom in 2000, the year he launched the club, and four years later found themselves playing in D-1. “That’s one of the things that makes D-1 in the MASL a very high level league,” says Manning. He continues by explaining how nearly all the local players who played for the Thunder or now play for the NSC Stars have at one time played in the MASL. “Once you get up to the top level it’s primarily current or former D-1 college players or high level D-2 or D-3 college players as well as ex-pros along with players who may soon become pros,” continued Manning. “Every game in this league (MASL) is very difficult. I’ve often said it’s the best league that no one knows about.”

Manning points out the quality of players in the league and states his team has four former “Mr. Soccers”, an award given out by the Minnesota State High School League for the best player in the state. “Colin Monasterio and Ryan Vint who are playing at UW Madison, Anthony Keller from Wayzata who won it in 2004 and Brandon Miller who was the Class A choice from Totino-Grace are all on our team,” says Manning.

Originally Manning’s team was part of the Inferno soccer club, which was started by Craig MacBean in 1995, later to be known as Inferno 95. That team moved up in MASL quickly. Fire Inferno added more teams (clubs are allowed up to 4 teams in MASL) and they were all successful, being promoted to the top level. In 2000, when Manning was going to add his team, the MASL told the Inferno they would have to split up because they had too many teams in Division I. Manning explains the name “Fire” came from the fact that they were originally going to be part of the “Inferno” club and of course the ’00 is the year they were formed.

“In my generation there were two teams in MASL that really set the standards,” said Manning. “The Internationals, run by Franklin Tawah or Inferno 95 founded by Craig MacBean. The Internationals, like their name, had high-level players from all parts of the world. With Inferno 95, MacBean did a great job of developing young players. I looked at those two teams and said this is how I want to create my team.”

Manning started by recruiting the top high school players which he said was tough in the beginning because the young guys weren’t used to the physicality or the level of play. Eventually those players matured and the team got better. For Manning, diversity was also an important component. So he went about recruiting local players who had come to Minnesota from different parts of the world. Through the years he has had Hmong players as well as team members from Nigeria, Cameroon, Liberia and Serbia.

Adding both high level youth players as well as diverse players has turned out to be very successful formula for Manning and his Fire SC ’00. They have won the State Championship the last 2 years and last year won the Minnesota Cup, a tournament held each year by MASL which is how his team qualified for the US Open Cup play-in game on Sunday, May 2, in Chicago, Illinois against the AAC Eagles (Illinois). There are 8 teams in Region II that have qualified to play and the Fire SC ’00 game will be a quarterfinal. Any team that reaches the final, no matter what the outcome, will qualify for US Open Cup play.

Manning said because he has so many kids on his team that play college soccer he thinks the game on Sunday will be difficult. He states that his college players are coming straight from their schools for the game so there will only be one training session with the whole team on Saturday in Chicago. Manning says “it will be tough” but admits that his opposition for this game, the AAC Eagles (Illinois) is most likely in the same situation.

Manning has been working with the new USSF D-2 Pro League Minnesota Stars head coach Manny Lagos. Several players who are not signed yet with the Stars but practicing with the club or have amateur contracts with the team will be staying fit by playing some games for the Fire SC this season. Lagos thinks the connection with a high level MASL team is important for his players and it allows him to keep tabs on the up and coming local talent of Minnesota.