Thunder Face First Road Challenge Saturday In Portland

Published on May 5, 2006 under USL First Division (USL-1)
Minnesota Thunder News Release


ST. PAUL, Minn. (Friday, May 5, 2006) - The Minnesota Thunder (1-0-0) will look to stay undefeated and pick up a road win when they travel to face the Portland Timbers on Saturday at 9 p.m. at PGE Park. It is the first away game in a four-game stretch for the Thunder who return home on May 27. Fans can visit www.portlandtimbers.com to listen to the game live.

Dombrowski and Schmidt Return to Thunder

The Thunder announced that midfielders/defenders Chad Dombrowski and Matt Schmidt have returned for the 2006 season. Both players spent last year with the Thunder and return on loan from the Milwaukee Wave of the Major Indoor Soccer League.

About the Thunder

The Thunder hope they answered their offensive questions on April 23, when four different players scored in a 4-0 season-opening victory over the Seattle Sounders. Terry Alvino, Leo Gibson, Aaron Paye and Melvin Tarley all put the ball in the net, while Nathan Knox picked up two assists. Minnesota's defense demonstrated why it is considered the team's strength, as the backfield of Brett Branan, Dustin Branan, Kevin Friedland and Zafer Kilickan with goalkeeper Joe Warren allowed few Seattle scoring opportunities.

About the Timbers

Portland lost 1-0 to the Vancouver Whitecaps in both teams' season-openers on April 22. This season, the Timbers return Hugo Alcaraz-Cuellar, who led the USL First Division in assists last year. Forward Byron Alvarez is a perennial scoring threat, and holds the Portland career record with 37 goals. Last season, Portland finished 10-9-9 in league play.

Thunder Head Coach Amos Magee

"After our performance against Seattle, I think everyone is very excited about this season. Playing Portland is always a good rivalry game, and we hope to get things started on the road by picking up a win."

Last Season's Series

The Thunder and Portland tied each other four times last season. Both games in St. Paul were scores of 1-1, while the teams played to scores of 2-2 and 3-3 at PGE Park in Portland. The last time either team recorded a victory against each other was on August 5, 2004, when the Timbers won 3-0 in Portland.

Up Next

The Thunder plays their next three games on the road, facing the Seattle Sounders on May 13 and the Vancouver Whitecaps on May 14. The next Thunder home game is on Saturday, May 27 against the Timbers at 7:35 p.m. at the National Sports Center in Blaine. The game is the second of a doubleheader, with the W-League Minnesota Lightning playing the first game in franchise history at 5:05 p.m. against the London Gryphons. Admission to both games is granted with the purchase of a Thunder ticket. For ticket information, visit www.mnthunder.com or call 651.917.TEAM.

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