Thunder guarantee victory over Toronto Thursday

Published on August 7, 2006 under USL First Division (USL-1)
Minnesota Thunder News Release


St. Paul, Minn. (Monday, August 7, 2006)-To reward the loyal fans of the Minnesota Thunder, the team is 'guaranteeing' a victory on Thursday, August 10 when the Thunder take on the Toronto Lynx at 7:05 p.m. at James Griffin Stadium.

It's a bold statement from the team considering that the Thunder are currently in 12th place in the USL First Division and only have four wins on the season. A win Thursday would pull them out of last place and one point in front of Toronto.

If the Thunder do not win, everybody in attendance will get a FREE ticket to be used at one of the remaining two Thunder home games, on August 13 or August 20.

"Even though we're at the bottom of the standings, we are still in the playoff hunt and still have plenty of incentive to win, but this is a good way to show our great fans we appreciate them sticking with us this season," Thunder general manager Djorn Buchholz said. "Thursday night we are guaranteeing that our fans will go home with a good feeling inside, and we hope the Thunder players do too!"

For ticket information, visit www.mnthnder.com or call 651.917.TEAM.

Ethnic Heritage Night and Menyongar return to Griffin Stadium on August 13

The Thunder will also play at home on Sunday, August 13 and will face the Rochester Raging Rhinos at 5:05 p.m. at James Griffin Stadium. This match will also be Ethnic Heritage Night sponsored by Comcast, Edina Realty, and Bremer Bank.

The game will mark the return of former Thunder player Johnny Menyongar, who is now playing with Rochester. Menyongar played with the Thunder from 2000 to 2005, and is second to head coach Amos Magee on the list of Thunder all-time goal leaders and all-time point leaders. Menyongar has 52 career goals and 135 career points with the Thunder. With Rochester this season, Menyongar has only three goals and two assists in 16 games played.

For ticket information, visit www.mnthunder.com or call 651.917.TEAM.

About the Thunder

Minnesota (4-10-5, 17 points) is currently in 12th place in the USL First Division, but coming off its first road victory of the season. Last Friday, the Thunder defeated the Portland Timbers 1-0 at PGE Park in Portland. It was the Thunder's first victory over the Timbers since May 27, 2003. Midfielder Matt Schmidt scored the game-winning goal with his back heel in the 51st minute with an assist from Chad Dombrowski who made the USL Team of the Week for his effort in this match. Forward Melvin Tarley is the team leader in scoring, with five goals and three assists for 13 points. Schmidt and Nathan Knox are tied for second on the team with three goals apiece. Thursday's game against Toronto will mark the first in three consecutive home games for the Thunder who also play at home on August 13 and 20th.

About the Lynx

Toronto (5-11-4, 19 points) is currently in 11th place of the USL First Division and two points ahead of the Thunder. After being held scoreless in the first four games of the season, the Lynx have played better recently. In the last six games, Toronto has posted a 3-1-2 record with home wins over Atlanta and Seattle. The Lynx's lone road victory of the season came last Friday, when they defeated Atlanta 4-2 at Silverbacks Stadium. Toronto is led offensively by midfielder Jamie Dodds and forward Kevin Jeffrey, who have 12 and 10 scoring points, respectively. Regular goalkeeper Theodosis Zagar has a goals against average of 1.495 in 14 games played.

About the Raging Rhinos

Rochester (9-2-7, 34 points) is currently tied with the Charleston Battery for third place in the USL First Division. The Raging Rhinos and Battery are both just one point behind the second place Vancouver Whitecaps, which have 35 points. Rochester is tied with the league-leading Montreal Impact in the loss column as each team has been defeated just twice this season. The Rhinos also possess one of the stingiest defenses in the league, having shut out opponents ten times this season in allowing just 14 opponent goals. Forward Matthew Delicate is the clear offensive leader, with seven goals and two assists for 16 points. Scott Vallow has played in every minute of every game in goal for the Raging Rhinos, and has a goals against average of 0.777 with a league-leading ten shutouts.

Season Series

Thursday will mark the first meeting of the 2006 season between the Thunder and Lynx. Last season's series was split, with Toronto winning 2-1 in Minnesota, and the Thunder winning 2-1 in Toronto. The Thunder will face Toronto again on Sunday, September 10 at 5:00 p.m. at Centennial Stadium in Toronto in the last game of the regular season.

The Thunder will also be facing Rochester for the first time this season on Sunday. Last season, Rochester defeated the Thunder twice. The two teams will face off again on Saturday, September 9 at 6:35 p.m. at PAETEC Park in Rochester.

Up Next

The Thunder will be playing their final home game of the 2006 season on Sunday, August 20 against the Puerto Rico Islanders. Kickoff is set for 5:05 p.m. at James Griffin Stadium. The Thunder will conclude the season with six consecutive road games. For ticket information, call 651.917.TEAM or visit www.mnthunder.com


Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



USL First Division Stories from August 7, 2006


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.

OurSports Central