City Stars Host Minnesota Thunder Saturday
August 21, 2009 - USL First Division (USL-1)
Cleveland City Stars News Release
CLEVELAND, Ohio - The Cleveland City Stars host the Minnesota Thunder Saturday at 7 p.m. during team autograph night.
The City Stars defeated the Thunder in May for the first victory of the season and coach Rod Underwood's first win with the City Stars. Cleveland is 2-0 all-time against the Thunder, including last season's victory in the second round of the U.S. Open Cup Tournament. The match will be Minnesota's first ever trip to Cleveland.
Cleveland enters the match in 11th place in the USL First Division. The City Stars are led by Pato Aguilera. The veteran midfielder leads the City Stars in games played (24), points (11), goals (3), and assists (5). Aguilera's 24 games played lead the league and his five assists are tied for second in the league.
Midfielder/Forward Jason Hotchkin scored for the City Stars on Tuesday on a beautiful strike. It was the first goal of the season for Hotchkin and the first goal at home for Cleveland since June 27th, a four-match stretch.
Minnesota enters the match in 9th place with a record of 4-10-8. The Thunder sit seven points behind the Vancouver Whitecaps for the final playoff spot. Minnesota is 3-2-3 in its last eight matches after starting the season 1-8-5. Midfielder Ricardo Sanchez leads the Thunder with five goals and a league-leading six assists. Forward Duncan Tarley is tied with Sanchez for the club lead with five goals and has scored three goals in the past three matches. Duncan and Sanchez are both on the current USL First Division Team of the Week for week 19 with Duncan being honored as the Player of the Week.
The match will be broadcast by SportsTime Ohio Sunday at 10 p.m. Tickets are available through clevelandcitystars.com or by calling 330-425-2003. All fans who purchase tickets in advance will be entered into the Pre-Purchase Ticket Contest, with the chance to win autographed merchandise and VIP ticket upgrades.
USL First Division Stories from August 21, 2009
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- Whitecaps Look To Give Miami The Blues - Vancouver Whitecaps
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- RailHawks, Rhinos to rumble in Rochester - North Carolina FC
- Battery battles back to earn tie with Whitecaps - Charleston Battery
- City Stars Host Minnesota Thunder Saturday - Cleveland City Stars
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