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Thunder Defeated By Reigning Open Cup Champs

July 17, 2002 - USL First Division (USL-1)
Minnesota Thunder News Release


BLAINE, Minn. (July 17, 2002)- The Thunder, playing its third game in just five days, eventually ran out of steam and fell to the defending U.S. Open Cup champion Los Angeles Galaxy 4-0 in front of a crowd of 5,154 at the National Sports Center in Blaine.

Galaxy forward Chris Albright had two goals and Carlos Ruiz and Alejandro Moreno each contributed another as the Galaxy advanced to the quarterfinals to play the winner of the Seattle Sounders/ San Jose Earthquakes game.

Along with its packed schedule, the Thunder was hampered by injuries to three key starters. Defender Mark Schulte and midfielders Mike Gentile and Donny Gramenz did not suit up because of injuries sustained in the July 13 match against Milwaukee.

Minnesota still played competitively in the first half, but eventually wore down against the speedy Los Angeles squad. The Thunder has never advanced past the third round in the U.S. Open Cup and fell to 1-7 record against MLS teams.

Los Angeles opened the scoring in the 18th minute with a goal by Moreno. Forward Carlos Ruiz narrowly beat the offside trap on a through ball and found himself one-on-one with goalie Jon Lowery. Ruiz patiently waited for Lowery to commit and then slid the ball over to Moreno who put it home. It was Ruiz's first assist of the season to go along with his team-high 14 goals.

The Galaxy added to its lead eight minutes later to make it 2-0. Moreno took the ball down the left flank and sent a low cross into the box. Forward Chris Albright managed to deflect the ball into to the lower left corner past a diving Lowery.

The Thunder did create a couple of good scoring opportunities in the first half. Johnny Torres found himself open in the box in the 37th minute, but his volley just went wide into the side netting.

Six minutes later, Johnny Menyongar beat a couple of Galaxy defenders and slid it to Jakob Fenger. Fenger touched it by the last defender, but Galaxy goalie Matt Reis came out of his net and deflected the ball away just in time.

The Galaxy pulled away in the second half as the Thunder began to show signs of fatigue. Off a corner kick in the 59th minute, Alexi Lalas headed the ball toward the net and Ruiz redirected it with his head to make it a 3-0 game.

The Galaxy netted its final goal in the 70th minute. Gavin Glinton broke down the left side of the box and barely passed it by a diving Lowery. Albright easily finished into the open net.

Up next, the Thunder will continue A-League action when the El Paso Patriots come to town on Saturday, July 20. Kickoff is at 7 p.m. and the first 2,000 fans in attendance will receive maracas courtesy of the Minnesota Youth Soccer Association (MYSA).

Currently, the Patriots are an even 6-6-6 in the A- League with 33 points. The two teams last played to a 0-0 draw in the Thunder's A-League regular season opener back on April 27 in El Paso.

The Thunder (7-5-5, 37 points) will look to snap out of its recent home slump. In its past five league games at home, the Thunder is just 0-1-4-the last result coming in a 1-1 tie to first-place Central Division Milwaukee.

Women's National Team member Brandi Chastain was on hand to host the "World's Largest Juggling Contest" at halftime of tonight's game. Each of the 800 teams participating in the USA Cup was allowed to sign up their ace juggler to represent the team. The last male and female to remain juggling won a dinner for his and her team at Buca di Beppo, the official pre- game restaurant of the Thunder.

The final male juggler represented Lino Lakes and lasted all the way through the second half, juggling for over one hour!

Women's National Team members Jena Kluegel and Shannon MacMillan have been confirmed as coaches for the Thunder All-Girls' camp July 19-21. Kluegel and MacMillan will join Women's head coach April Heinrichs as part of the All-Girls' camp staff.

The All-Girls' camp focuses on what it is like to be a female athlete, and provides interaction with successful role models who can share their experiences to girls aspiring to be female athletes. The three- day camp will include two hours per day of soccer exposure, with one session at Bethel College, and two at the National Sports Center in Blaine.

The cost of the camp is $135, which includes excellent instruction by a top all-female staff, a special camp T-shirt and one general admission ticket to the U.S. Women's National Team game against Norway July 21 where campers will have the opportunity to watch their camp coaches in elite, professional action.

The camp limit is 300 participants and is open only to girls ages 8-15. Last year's camp was a tremendous success with over 300 girls enjoying a great experience. Limited space is still available in the camp. For more information about the All-Girls' camp call the Thunder office at 763-785-3668 or visit the website at www.mnthunder.com.

A limited number of tickets for the U.S. Women's National Team match against Norway July 21 are available. Kickoff begins at noon, with soccer stars Mia Hamm, Jena Kluegel, Brandi Chastain and Brianna Scurry slated to play. Tickets can be purchased at the Thunder office at 763-785-3668, through all Ticketmaster locations, or by calling Ticketmaster at 651-989-5151.

The Minnesota Thunder, founded in 1990, is a professional soccer franchise that plays in the Western Conference of the 18-team A-League. The Thunder's home schedule runs May through September at the National Sports Center in Blaine. Information on single-game and season tickets, as well as youth camps, can be found on the team's website www.mnthunder.com or by calling 763-785-3668.



USL First Division Stories from July 17, 2002


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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