Thunder heads Northwest in search of points

Published on May 12, 2006 under USL First Division (USL-1)
Minnesota Thunder News Release


ST. PAUL, Minn. (Friday, May 5, 2006) -The Minnesota Thunder (1-1) will look to the next pair of games to pick up some points on the road after a narrow 2-1 loss to the Portland Timbers last weekend. The Thunder will face the Seattle Sounders on Saturday, May 13 at 9 p.m. and the Vancouver Whitecaps on Sunday, May 14 at 9 p.m. It is the second and third away games in a four-game stretch for the Thunder, who return home on May 27. Fans can visit www.seattlesounders.net and http://www.whitecapsfc.com to listen to both games live.

About the Thunder

The Thunder are hoping for a repeat performance against the Sounders, after destroying Seattle 4-0 in the season opener on April 23. Minnesota struggled to find offense in its next game, mustering just three total shots on goal against the Portland Timbers. Forward Nathan Knox currently leads the Thunder with one goal and two assists for four points. Midfielder Freddy Juarez will be playing his first game of the season after being out for three weeks because of a calf injury. Defender Zafer Kilickan will also return to the field after being held out of last weekend's match because of a hip flexor injury.

About the Sounders

Seattle, the 2005 USL defending champions, has played just one league game this season, a 4-0 loss to the Thunder. Saturday's game may be a different story, as Seattle will have its full roster. Sounders veterans Maykel Galindo, Andrew Gregor, Danny Jackson, C.J. Klaas and Zach Scott did not play against the Thunder on April 23. Seattle will still be without Galindo, however, as the forward suffered a broken nose in an exhibition game last weekend.

About the Whitecaps

Vancouver (2-0-1) is currently undefeated, beating the Portland Timbers 1-0 and the Toronto Lynx 2-0. Last Friday, the Whitecaps tied the Timbers 1-1 in Portland. Forward Joey Gjertsen leads the offensive charge with two goals so far this year. In 2005, the Whitecaps finished third in the USL First Division with a 12-7-9 record.

Thunder Head Coach Amos Magee

"Obviously it's going to be a very tough road trip. Seattle will be looking to have a better result after losing 4-0 to us at home. We'll have to be ready as they have some key players coming back from injury and suspension."

"Vancouver is a great team and is one of our more difficult opponents every season. We'll be playing them on the second night of our road trip, but we're looking to go in there and get a good result."

Last Season's Series

The Thunder were winless against Seattle last season in four chances. Seattle won 3-1 in Minnesota on July 2 and 1-0 on July 23 in Seattle. The teams tied 2-2 on July 10 in Minnesota and 0-0 on August 6 in Seattle. The Thunder went 1-2-1 against the Whitecaps last year, winning 1-0 on May 29 in Minnesota. Vancouver won 2-1 on July 2 and 3-0 on August 20, both in Vancouver. The two teams tied 0-0 on August 20 in Minnesota.

Up Next

The Thunder will play their fourth consecutive road game next Sunday, when they face the Montreal Impact at 3 p.m. The next Thunder home game is on Saturday, May 27 against the Portland 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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USL First Division Stories from May 12, 2006


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