Thunder Charge Up to Face Battery on Friday and Railhawks on Sunday

Published on April 23, 2009 under USL First Division (USL-1)
Minnesota Thunder News Release


BLAINE, Minn. (Thursday, April 23, 2009) - The Minnesota Thunder head east in search of their first win of the season. The two final games of the road stand will be played this weekend and both of them in the Carolinas. After this stretch, the Thunder will return to Minnesota to play in their home opener on May 2nd. In the 2008 campaign, the Thunder had a winning record against the Charleston Battery of 2-0-1. After the game on Friday, Minnesota makes the trip to Cary, NC to take on the Railhawks again. This is the second time the two teams have met in Cary this year. Both of these games can be viewed online for free at www.usllive.com. Following this weekend, the Minnesota finally gets the chance to play at home in Blaine, MN. May 2nd is the home opener for the Thunder when they battle the Vancouver Whitecaps.

For tickets to the home opener, please visit www.ticketmaster.com or for group tickets call the Thunder office at 651.294.4664.

About the Thunder

The Thunder had heartbreaker of a game on April 18th. Minnesota was leading until the 69th minute but failed to recapture it. The match with the Austin Aztex ended in a 1-1 draw. Friday's game is the third of their four games on the road before they get the chance to wear the home jerseys. Minnesota's 2009 record thus far stands at 0-1-1. The team has played both of its games with intense ferocity and they are truly fighting for their first win.

Thunder head coach Donny Gramenz had this to say about Friday's game, "We are looking forward to getting into Charleston, training, and acclimating. Like every game in this league, Its going to be a battle versus the Battery. We need to do the work on both ends of the field."

Gramenz said this about the Sunday game, "Carolina is going to be a character and mentality check for our squad! We will be ready to redeem ourselves against a quality and well coached team. We need to do the little things off the ball to be successful. I am looking forward to an entertaining game."

Defender Jon Greenfield will be suiting up for Friday's game against the Battery. This is his second season with the Thunder. He appeared in 21 games last year and logged in a staggering 1705 minutes. Scoring 7 goals in the 2008 campaign, Greenfield is expected to be just as effective this season.

The team will be playing at full force. Although a couple players had to come off the field during the game against the Aztex, none of the players sustained any injuries. With the team lacking any holes, they have solid chance to walk away with a win on Friday.

Thunder season tickets are now on sale and can be purchased for as little as $65. Fans can choose from flex ticket options that allow the use of any number of tickets for any game, or fans can choose their specific seat for each and every game. In addition, the Thunder's new Shield Pass allows fans ages 3-18 to attend every single Thunder and Lightning game for just $20 for the season. With over a $200 value, the Shield Pass is the best sports ticket value in the Twin Cities. To purchase season tickets, please visit www.mnthunder.com or call 651.294.4664.

About the Battery:

Charleston Battery has yet to score a goal in the 2009 season. Both of their matches have ended in 0-0 draws. In the 2008 season the Battery found themselves on the other side of the ball with the Thunder three times. Minnesota won two of the games and the third ended in a 1-1 draw. They have the playoffs in their minds again for this year, as they were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs last year. The team did better in the 2008 Open Cup but fell just short of winning it all. They walked away with second place.

The Battery, just like the rest of the league, has been beefing up their roster in the month of April. Charleston acquired defender, Yeniel Bermudez, after the pre-season. He was the captain of the Cuban Olympic Team.

The South Carolina team also signed forward Tom Heinemann. This is his rookie season coming Rockhurst University. He was on the NSCAA All-American Second Team.

The additions did not stop there. Defender Nigel Marples moved up from the USL Division-2 league to play for the Battery. He was playing for the Harrisburg City Islanders. During his college years, he was on the 06-07 NCAA First Team All-American.

Charleston will also be looking for their first win of Friday but the do not play with their full roster. O'Brian Woodbine will the Battery's only player no to be playing this game due to an injury.

Friday's game will be played in Battery Park. It is a soccer-specific stadium in Charleston, South Carolina. The park is modeled after lower division English stadiums and it is an ideal place to play a soccer game.

ABOUT THE RAILHAWKS:

Carolina has the wind at their backs now with an undefeated record for their first two games of the season. They took down Minnesota and Rochester and are looking for a repeat performance against Minnesota on Sunday, April 26. This will end their 3 game home stand and they will be off to the west coast to take on the Portland Timbers.

The Railhawks' brand new roster is working out well for the team. The new coach, Martin Rennie, is making the right calls and the team is walking away with victories. Carolina's opener vs. Minnesota ended at 2-1 and the game against their rivals the Rochester Rhinos 1-0.

This team has been playing very will early in the season. Two of their players made it onto the Week 2 USL 1st Team of the Week. Midfielder Josh Gardner and defender Jack Stewart were the players to be named for their efforts in the game against the Rochester Rhinos.

Sunday's game will be played at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, NC. This stadium hosts the Railhawks, Cary Clarets (USL Premier Division League), occasionally North Carolina State University. The stadium also plays host to many tournaments throughout the year including NCAA College Cup, ACC Soccer Championship, and the NCHSAA high school state soccer finals.

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USL First Division Stories from April 23, 2009


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