Minnesota United
| Minnesota United | |||
| Basic data | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Surname | Minnesota United Football Club | ||
| Seat | Golden Valley , Minnesota , USA | ||
| founding | 2010 (as Minnesota Stars) 2015 (MLS formation) |
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| Colours | gray, light blue | ||
| owner | William W. McGuire | ||
| Website | mnufc.com | ||
| First soccer team | |||
| Head coach | Adrian Heath | ||
| Venue |
Allianz Field (in Saint Paul , Minnesota) |
||
| Places | 19,400 | ||
| league | Major League Soccer | ||
| 2019 | Western Conference: 4th place Overall table: 7th place Play-offs: Knockout round |
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The Minnesota United Football Club , in German-speaking countries known as Minnesota United , is a franchise of professional football - League Major League Soccer (MLS) from the Minneapolis-Saint Paul . The team will play in Major League Soccer for the first time in the 2017 season and play its home games at Allianz Field in Saint Paul . The franchise is based in Golden Valley , Minnesota .
Established in January 2010, the franchise had been a member of the North American Soccer League since 2011 . Previously, the franchise played in the short-lived USSF D2 Pro League , a second-rate US professional league also founded in 2010. The Major League Soccer franchise will be launched in the 2017 season .
history
D2 Pro League
After the traditional soccer franchise Minnesota Thunder was dissolved after the end of the 2009 season , it was decided in early 2010 to send a new team from the Minneapolis region into the race. In early February 2010, Minnesota Stars FC was finally found a suitable name for the soccer team. The name Stars goes back to the nickname of the US state Minnesota North Star State or L'Étoile du Nord (to German about The Star of the North ).
After the club had ten weeks to provide a coach after the official team name was announced, after just a few days a head coach for the stars was found in the form of long-time professional footballer and three-time national player Manny Lagos , who also had the necessary experience as the sports director of Minnesota Thunder brought in Minnesota football. Even before the official start of the season, the fans were able to choose their team's dress via internet voting and had a choice of five different jerseys. On February 12, 2010, the Liberian Johnny Menyongar became the first player to join the Minnesota squad. The offensive player was given a one-year contract with his new club and the number 10 on his back.
Since the franchise had another eight weeks to set up a team after the announcement of the coach, a number of other players followed in the extended squad of stars in the coming days and weeks. At the beginning of March 2010, long-time English youth football coach Carl Craig , who has been working in the USA since 1994, and defensive player Kevin Friedland , who is a player-coach at the club, joined Lagos on the star coaching bench . After the franchise started the training camp before the 2010 season with a total of 35 players, only a few players made it into the final roster of stars .
On April 10, 2010, the stars completed their first professional league game in the newly established temporary USSF Division 2 Professional League , USSF D2 Pro League for short. The away game against the Vancouver Whitecaps was lost 2-0. Just a week after the 2-0 away defeat by the neighbors from Canada , the stars won their first competitive game on April 16, 2010. In the 1-0 away win over the Carolina RailHawks , the American-Swedish Daniel Wasson scored the first competitive goal in the history of the franchise. In the first season, the team was able to qualify for the play-offs with a 4th place in the regular season. There she was eliminated in the quarterfinals.
NASL
For the 2011 season, the franchise moved to the North American Soccer League. With a sixth place in the regular season, the team reached the play-offs. There the stars made it to the final. After a win and a draw against the Fort Lauderdale Strikers, the Minnesota team became the first NASL winner.
In the 2012 season , the stars reached 6th place. In the playoffs she reached the final, but had to admit defeat to the Tampa Bay Rowdies and thus missed the title defense.
On March 5, 2013, the franchise announced that it would be called Minnesota United FC for the 2013 season . United reached sixth place in the 2013 spring season. In the fall season they finished fourth and could not qualify for the play-offs. The 2014 season got off to a more successful start. First place was achieved in spring. Thus participation in the play-offs is already certain. In the play-offs after the fall season, the team reached the semi-finals, where they lost on penalties against the Fort Lauderdale Strikers . Also in the season they reached the semi-finals of the play-offs and had to admit defeat again, this time against Ottawa Fury.
For the 2016 season, Manny Lagos switched to the position of sports director. Coach was the previous assistant Carl Craig.
MLS
On March 25, 2015, MLS Commissioner Don Garber announced that Minnesota United would join the MLS as the 23rd franchise. The rights to the franchise were given to a group of investors led by William W. McGuire. He is also the owner of the NASL team Minnesota United FC, which he bought from NASL in 2012. This group was able to prevail against the owners of the NFL team Minnesota Vikings , who were also aiming for a franchise from Minneapolis for the MLS. Garber also announced that United will start operating in either 2017 or 2018. This depends on a possible entry of another new franchise from Los Angeles . On August 19, 2016, it was announced that Minnesota United would be participating in the MLS from the 2017 season.
Minnesota United made its Major League Soccer debut on March 3, 2017. The game against the Portland Timbers ended in a 5-1 defeat. The only goal, and thus the first in the franchise's MLS history, was scored by Christian Ramirez.
Colors and coats of arms
The color scheme of the coat of arms is gray and light blue. The gray color represents the iron deposits in northern Minnesota. The blue color is a symbol of the Mississippi River . In addition, the coat of arms stands for the two cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul . At the top left is the star symbol, which symbolizes the north star. The coat of arms depicts a common loon , which is the national bird of Minnesota.
Stadion
- TCF Bank Stadium ; Minneapolis, Minnesota (2017-2018)
- Alliance Field ; Saint Paul , Minnesota (since 2019)
Minnesota United played its home games at the National Sports Center , whose main stadium has a capacity of 12,000, in Blaine , 18 miles north of Minneapolis , until 2016 . In the sports center, which opened in 1990, the US women's national soccer team and some US youth national teams played some of their home games. There was a record attendance in 2001, when 15,615 people watched the 1-0 victory of the US women's national team over the women's national team of Canada . From 1990 to 2003 and from March 2008 to the end of 2009 (until the franchise was dissolved) the stadium was home to USL-1 club Minnesota Thunder . Games were also played in the 2013 season at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis.
Initially, from 2017, the team will temporarily use the TCF Bank Stadium of the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis as their home ground.
The Allianz Field with 19,916 spaces for 150 million US dollars is planned and should be completed in 2019. The groundbreaking ceremony was held on December 12, 2016 . Construction is scheduled to begin in spring 2017.
owner
The rights to the MLS franchise are held by an owner group. The chairman is William W. McGuire. Other members include Jim Pohlad, owner of the Minnesota Twins , Glen Taylor, owner of the Minnesota Timberwolves , Glen Nelson, former investor in Minnesota Wild and his daughter, Wendy Carlson Nelson, owner of the Carlson Companies .
Fans and rivals
Fan groups
The rather small fan scene consists mainly of fans of the dissolved Minnesota Thunder franchise . United's only fan club are the Dark Clouds .
Rivalries
The biggest rivalry was with AC St. Louis, founded in 2009 from St. Louis , Missouri . Both teams played the Railway Cup , a normal league game in which both teams meet in the first season . This encounter is named after the Minneapolis and St. Louis Railway (M & StL), which ran between St. Louis, MO and Minneapolis , MN from 1870 to 1960 . During the season a rivalry arose with the Canadian football club Edmonton FC .
Players and staff
Squad
As of August 13, 2018
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Previous players
Coaching staff
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Adrian Heath - coach -
Ian Fuller - Assistant Coach -
Mark Watson - assistant coach -
Marius Røvde - goalkeeping coach
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Amos Magee - Director of Player Personnel
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Manny Lagos - Sports Director
statistics
Seasonal balance sheets
| season | step | league | Regular season | Play-offs |
Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup |
CONCACAF Champions League |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 2 | USSF Division 2 Professional League | 4th place (USL) | Quarter finals | 2nd round | not qualified |
| 2011 | 2 | North American Soccer League | 6th place | winner | not qualified | not qualified |
| 2012 | 2 | North American Soccer League | 6th place | final | 4th round | not qualified |
| 2013 | 2 | North American Soccer League | Spring: 6th place Fall: 4th place |
not qualified | 2nd round | not qualified |
| 2014 | 2 | North American Soccer League | Spring: 1st place Fall: 2nd place |
Semifinals | 4th round | not qualified |
| 2015 | 2 | North American Soccer League | Spring: 4th place Fall: 2nd place |
Semifinals | 3rd round | not qualified |
| 2016 | 2 | North American Soccer League | Spring: 4th place Fall: 8th place |
not qualified | 5th round | not qualified |
| 2017 | 1 | Major League Soccer | 6th place | not qualified | 4th round | not qualified |
- ↑ The competition starts in autumn of the previous year.
Web links
- Official website of Minnesota United (English)
- Minnesota United on the website of the MLS (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Division 2 Professional League To Operate in 2010 ( Memento of the original from January 10, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (English), accessed May 24, 2010
- ↑ NSC Minnesota is the Name of New Pro Soccer Team - Logo Unveiled ( Memento of the original from June 25, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (English), accessed May 24, 2010
- ↑ Manny Lagos Named Head Coach of NSC Minnesota Stars Soccer Team ( Memento of the original from June 25, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (English), accessed May 24, 2010
- ^ NSC Minnesota Stars Soccer Team to Name First Player Today , accessed May 24, 2010
- ↑ Johnny Menyongar is NSC Minnesota Stars First Signing (English), accessed 24 May 2010
- ^ NSC Minnesota Stars Announce Assistant Coach, Player-Asst. Coach , accessed May 24, 2010
- ^ NSC MN Stars Lose Inaugural Game to Vancouver Whitecaps , accessed May 24, 2010
- ^ NSC Minnesota Stars Topple Carolina RailHawks on the Road , accessed May 24, 2010
- ^ New name, logo for pro soccer: "Minnesota United FC"
- ↑ Kevin Baxter: MLS awards 23rd franchise to Minneapolis . In: The Los Angeles Times , March 25, 2015. Retrieved April 15, 2015.
- ↑ Sam Stejkal: MLS Commissioner Don Garber: Minneapolis represents everything that is spurring growth of MLS , MLSsoccer.com. March 25, 2015. Retrieved April 15, 2015.
- ↑ Portland Timbers 5, Minnesota United 1 - 2017 MLS Match Recap . Retrieved March 7, 2017.
- ^ Club History. In: Minnesota United. Retrieved December 20, 2016 .
- ↑ mnunitedfc.com: Minnesota United Begin MLS Play In 2017 article from August 19, 2016 (English)
- ↑ stadionwelt.de: American Allianz Arena comes article from August 18, 2016
- ↑ startribune.com: Minnesota United officials say 'big dig' at stadium site will begin in spring Article dated December 12, 2016
- ↑ SUPPORTER GROUPS ( Memento of the original from August 19, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (English), accessed May 24, 2010
- ↑ Minnesota United FC roster . mnunitedfc.com. Retrieved August 13, 2018.
Eastern Conference: Atlanta United | Chicago Fire | FC Cincinnati | Columbus Crew | DC United | Inter Miami | Montreal Impact | New England Revolution | New York City FC | New York Red Bulls | Orlando City | Philadelphia Union | Toronto FC
Western Conference: Colorado Rapids | FC Dallas | Houston Dynamo | LA Galaxy | Los Angeles FC | Minnesota United | Nashville SC | Portland Timbers | Real Salt Lake | San Jose Earthquakes | Seattle Sounders | Sporting Kansas City | Vancouver Whitecaps
Future Franchises: Austin FC (2021) | Charlotte (2022) | Sacramento Republic (2023) | St. Louis City (2023)
Former franchises: CD Chivas USA (2005–2014) | Miami Fusion (1998-2001) | Tampa Bay Mutiny (1996-2001)