Rochester Thunder PDL Open Season This Weekend
Rochester Minnesota – 5-6-10
Rochester Thunder Begins 2010 Season this Weekend
The Rochester Thunder, a member of the United Soccer Leagues’ Premier Development League, will begin its second season this weekend with a pair of road games against the Real Colorado Foxes in Denver.
The team looks very promising this year. Along with a few familiar faces from last season (forward Mark Heath-Preston, midfielders Ryan Sappington and Miguel Bonilla, defenders Justin Hoskins and Bakari Williams, and goalkeeper Paul Grandstrand), the Thunder has added a number of new, exciting players. Three of this season’s new team members have played for their national teams at youth level – including goalkeeper Sebastian Narvaez, who has represented Colombia at the U-20 level. Narvaez was also the PDL Goalkeeper of the Year in 2008. Midfielder Samuel Asante has joined the team after playing for the Des Moines Menace last season, and forward Christian Fernandez has joined from Thunder Bay. Fernandez scored several goals against the Thunder when the teams played a double-header in Thunder Bay last season. Another exciting addition is Naoki Mihara, who played in Japan’s professional “J-League” last season.
Two players from last season who won’t be with the team this term include forward Teal Bunbury and midfielder Kentaro Takada. Bunbury, who won the Herman Trophy this season (given to the best NCAA Division I college soccer player), was drafted with the #4 pick in the Major League Soccer draft this past spring. Bunbury was selected by the Kansas City Wizards and has appeared as a substitute in each of Kansas City’s first four games. Takada is playing in the USSF D-2 Pro League for Minnesota’s new professional soccer team the NSC Minnesota Stars.
This weekend looks to be a learning experience for the Thunder. The team has had just two practices and head coach Neil Cassidy will actually meet a few of his players for the first time at the Denver airport! “I think, top to bottom, we should have a better team than we had last season,” coach Cassidy said. “If we play up to our potential, we should have a very good season.” Cassidy is hopeful that the Thunder can take a few points from this weekend’s away matches and get the season off to a good start.
The Thunder follows this weekend’s double-header with a trip to Des Moines on May 15 to face the Menace. The Thunder’s first home game is Sunday, May 23 at 3:00 pm against the St. Louis Lions at RCTC Stadium. The home opener is also Rochester Youth Soccer Association day. Any youth who wears an RYSA shirt or jersey to the game will receive free admission. Tickets at the gate for the Thunder games are $8 for adults and $5 for youth. More information on the team and tickets is available on the Thunder’s new website at http://thethunderfc.com/. Or contact the Thunder office at 507-206-4055.
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Looks like another exciting soccer season in Rochester!! Thanks for keeping everyone updated on the Rochester Thunder PDL team. It’s always nice to see some press coverage from the Metro.
What?
“The team has had just two practices and head coach Neil Cassidy will actually meet a few of his players for the first time at the Denver airport!”
I hope the coach is a magician!
It is interesting that they are offering free admission to RYSA players. I thought they would have learned a lesson from the MN Thunder about aligning themselves with a single youth program. I’m not sure how competitive his team can be without Bunburry. Even when he didn’t score goals he would draw the defenses attention. Best of luck to them.
Zlatan, as Telly Savalas used to say, “who loves you baby”, but man you are about the most negative person I know. Do you know of a lot of other clubs in the Rochester area who will be coming to these games? Its PDL my man. Comparing to Thunder and MTA? COME ON!
How competitive can they be? I seem to have heard comments from a few other negative yakers last year that said they wouldn’t win a game. They ended their season with about a .500 record, giving some MN college kids a PDL environment to play in during the summer and the town of Rochester the opportunity to see some higher level soccer than they are used to seeing down there.
Lastly, did you go to any of the Rochester games or follow the team. I went to one game and followed the team. Bunbury was not the end all for that team. They had a number of players that were effective and attacked well collectively even without Bunbury.
Enough with the negativity already. Shhheeesh!
Oh, by the way they won over the Colorado Foxes last night 3-0 with goals by Mark Heath-Preston who scored a brace and Juan Chang got the other.
This was also a US Open Cup qualifying game. So one step closer to the Rochester Thunder to getting into the USOC for the first time.
Congrats. Practice is over-rated.
This is what minor-league soccer in Minnesota should look like. Most players have local ties, out-of-towners matched with host families. Road trips all within 7-8 hour drive, except Colorado. Stadium seats 3,000, located minutes from downtown. Reasonable ticket prices.
And in my opinion, the quality far sub to USSF D-2 Pro League. Remember, it’s not just about the players on the Stars, but its also about the quality of the players coming in from other teams.
If the difference in levels is not enough to attract a sustainable number of fans, it is not significant.
Good point.
I do go back to previous made points however that the team has never been marketed correctly, for a duration of time to be effective at a location that is central. In other words, I still don’t think pro soccer has been given a fair shake here.
To each their own etc. and MN Soccer Guy certainly gets points for consistency and perseverance in making the same point again and again, but I do not have any interest in making the time to watch PDL level football. What they are doing is admirable, good luck to them, and I sincerely hope they do well. My supporter energy will continue to be directed at NSC Minnesota. Wow, did they get jobbed in Montreal today.
Last year, “PDL level football” featured Teal Bunbury, the Hermann Trophy and MAC Player of the Year award winner. There’s no one at the exalted “USL/NASL level” that’s anywhere close.
BQ, has there ever been an American pro soccer team that has been marketed correctly? How did they do it? To whom did they market? How much did it cost? If you had an unlimited budget, how would you market this team, this league, to the Minnesota soccer fan/entertainment consumer? What will they see? What is unique or exciting about this product?
And to make things even more difficult, take a look at today’s Strib sports section. The Minnesota Lynx, who probably averaged about the same number of fans as last year’s Thunder, dominated the front page and got a center spread featuring local hero Lindsay Whalen. NSC Minnesota got four lines on the results page.
Right, like I said, you certainly get points for consistency and perseverance in making the same point again and again. And again. Teal Bunbury makes 11 appearances in Rochester before his inevitable move to MLS and to you that means PDL level football belongs in quotations. Thiago Martins made 33 appearances with Pittsburgh Riverhounds. They must be just as good as Bodø/Glimt.
If you do not find D-2 unique or exciting that is all well and good, if amateurs are where it is at for you, hey, whatever finds your lost remote man. Clearly you will never tire of stating your preference here or on USL Discussions, regardless of whether this viewpoint finds an audience or not.
Once again, you have mistaken what I think might work in this particular soccer community with my actual personal preference. And once again I ask, what in particular do you find unique and exciting about D-2, and how can that uniqueness and excitement be communicated to more people so that they can be persuaded to travel to Blaine to experience it? If we can’t have an open discussion about such a fundamental question on forums like these, where else will it possibly happen?
No, I have not mistaken your point. I understand. You don’t think D-2 works in this particular market. If I had worked for the Thunder when you did I might think the same thing.
I find the NSC Stars unique and exciting because of players like Gao and Gumede. I can watch the games online when I can’t make it there. I can buy gear for myself or my family if I so choose. And so on. How excitement about the team gets communicated to the public is the job of NSC, and I am confident they will find a sustainable level in time.
Fair enough. I appreciate your response.