| 1999 College Draft |
The Minnesota Thunder professional soccer team on Sunday selected local players Jon Lowery of Apple Valley, Eric Otto of St. Paul Academy and Kevin Jensen of White Bear Lake in the A-League draft at the Fort Lauderdale Airport Hilton.
Both Lowery and Otto spent last season with the Twin Cities Tornado, the Thunder’s amateur developmental team. Lowery, a senior goalkeeper at Ohio State, was named first-team All-Big Ten for the second straight season after leading the conference with a 0.85 goals-against average. Otto, a senior midfielder at Duke, made 19 appearances for the Blue Devils, who were ranked No. 1 in the nation for part of the season. |
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| A-League Honors Top Thunder Player |
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Courtesy of
Minnesota Thunder
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Thunder Midfielder Kevin Anderson was named the #2 Midfielder for 1998, just behind #1 Yari Allnutt of Rochester.
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Courtesy of
Minnesota Thunder
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Thunder Forward Amos Magee had in fact been named the #1 Forward in the USISL for 1998. Unfortunately, when Amos put his game and his team ahead of the league award by having surgery in mid-December to correct a groin injury suffered late in the 1998 season, it meant he would be unable to play in the Umbro Select All-Star game. The USISL powers that be, then chose to drop him completely from the list. Not an honorable mention, nothing ! It is unfortunate that the USISL chose to not name or even mention him, since he would not be available for the game after having made a critical choice as to what is more important to him, his game and his team. Hat's off to Amos for making the right choice!
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| Amos Magee undergoes Surgery |
Courtesy of
Minnesota Thunder
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Minnesota Thunder Forward Amos Magee underwent successful surgery on Monday, December 21 to repair a groin injury he suffered late in the 1998 season. He is home recuperating, and is expected to make a full recovery, and be ready for the 1999 season. The surgery will however mean that Amos will not be able to play in the Umbro Select All-Star game. While a great honor to be selected, it was clearly Amos' choice to be in the best physical shape for the upcoming 1999 season. We wish him well in his recovery, thank him for his dedication to the game and the Thunder, and look forward to his return to the field in 1999.
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Courtesy of
Minnesota Thunder
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John Menk goes to Indiana !
It was learned today that the latest offer which came from the Minnesota Thunder going back to the bargaining table with long time Thunder Defender, John Menk, has been turned down. John has made the decision that he is ready for a change of scenery, and that the hefty salary offer from the expansion Indiana Blast, was to good to turn down.
After reevaluating the situation, and hearing from several Thunder fans about their concerns, Bill Manning, Thunder GM, contacted John last week and offered to meet him halfway between the final Thunder offer and John's request. Forced by ownership to trim the budget for the 1999 season to ensure the teams financial health and survival, Bill had to make some tough choices, and this was one of the places those choices had to be made, player salaries.
One huge advantage Indiana has over the Thunder is the newness of their organization. They have many D3 players who were used to significantly smaller salaries, so only modest increases were needed to keep them on. For better talent to survive in the A-League, and with the deeper pockets of the owners, the Indiana front office was in a position to make substantial offers to players they felt could make an immediate impact for them in 1999. John fell into that category.
The disadvantage for the Thunder is that we have many veteran players who have proven their worth to the team, and deservedly got increases for the 1999 season. Unfortunately, the Thunder front office does not have endless financial resources, and in fact the owners have mandated that 1999 is the season that the Thunder must show one final dramatic push towards a season not ending in the red. Bill has definitely got his work cut out for him.
His effort to retain John is a reflection of his desire to keep John with the Thunder, as well as a reaction to fan input about keeping Minnesota natives an integral part of our team. It is unfortunate that we will lose John for the 1999 season, but it was not without much effort and compromise by the Thunder front office. We are sorry to see John go, but certainly wish him the best at Indiana in 1999.
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| 1999 Player Combine |
| The Minnesota Thunder will hold their 2nd Annual Player Combine from February 27 through March 6, 1999. The combine was very successful in 1998, resulting in the signing of several current Thunder players. |
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| 1999 College Draft |
The 2nd prospect of intense interest is senior defender Eric Otto, of Duke University. Eric, from Mahtomedi, had an outstanding career at St. Paul Academy, playing both soccer and golf...soccer team captain as a senior...Minnesota High School Player of the Year...All-Metro Player of the Year...earned all-conference, All-Midwest, and all-state honors...high school squad went undefeated in his senior year, won the state championship and was ranked no. 14 in the country...and captained the ODP state team. His statistics thru his junior year include playing in 30 games with 6 starts, and scored one goal. Eric also played with the Twin Cities Tornado, our PDSL Div. 4 Development team in 1998.
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| League Name Change for 1999 |
It's OFFICIAL. The former USISL is now known as the United Soccer Leagues (USL).
Complete details can be found at SoccerAmerica. |
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| Kevin Anderson Drafted by Colorado Rapids of MLS ! |
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Courtesy of
Minnesota Thunder
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Thunder Midfielder Kevin Anderson was selected 7th overall in the 1st round of Sunday’s Major League Soccer (MLS) supplemental draft, by the Colorado Rapids, which preceded the A-League draft. Colorado finished 16-16 last season after winning the Western Conference championship in 1997.
If Anderson signs with Colorado, he’ll become the fifth Thunder player to make an MLS roster, joining Tony Sanneh and Tom Presthus (D.C. United), Manuel Lagos (Chicago) and Leo Cullen (Miami). Sanneh has since signed with German first division club Hertha Berlin.
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| New Signing ! |
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Courtesy of
Nashville Metros
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In addition, it has been announced that the Thunder have signed a one-year contract with a club option for the 2000 season with Bulgarian Midfielder / Defender Kolin Bankov from the Nashville Metros.
Bankov, 33, scored six goals and added four assists in 26 appearances for the Metros, who won the Central Division title ahead of second-place Minnesota. "He's experienced and he's got great technical ability," said Bill Manning, Thunder president. "From a defensive standpoint, he really can give us the ball control and passing ability that we lacked last season."
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| Staying in Form |
Thunder Midfielder Constantin Stanici is getting ready for the 1999 season by playing Indoor with the Kansas City Attack. The Attack are currently 5-10 in the Midwest conference.
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| Speaking of Staying in Form... |
| The Minnesota Thunder have been holding fairly regular voluntary scrimmages at both Holy Angels and Augsberg College. Among some of the guests who are working out are Leo Cullen, a 1998 draft pick chosen by the Miami Fusion, and Tony Sanneh, US National Team player and DC United stalwart Midfielder. |
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| Another Formation Change for 1999 ? |
Look for the possibility of the Thunder playing a 3-5-2 formation for the 1999 season, if off-season movement and acquisition go a certain direction. The Thunder came into the 1998 season playing a more standard 4-4-2 style, after playing a very defensive 5-3-2 for several seasons. Player movement and acquisition could make for an even MORE exciting style of play for the upcoming 1999 season.
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| NEW Front Office Staff ! |
The Minnesota Thunder is pleased to announce the hiring of Nick Coughlin, younger brother of John Coughlin (Thunder Defender), as the new Sales Coordinator for the 1999 season. Nick will be starting his new duties for the Thunder soon after the first of the year. Welcome aboard Nick. Hope you're as tall as your brother :-).
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| 1999 College Draft |
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Courtesy of Ohio State
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We have also learned a little about the upcoming college draft on February 6, 1999, and where the Minnesota Thunder's interest lies.
The 1st prospect of intense interest is senior goalkeeper and team captain Jon Lowery, of Ohio State University. Jon began to shine in soccer at Apple Valley HS. A three-year starter and member of the 1992 state championship squad, Lowery was named the 1994 Minnesota Gatorade Player of the Year. An NSCAA all-midwest and all-state selection in 1994, he was also an ODP team member in 1993 and 1994. He was named conference and team MVP his senior year.
At Wisconsin-Green Bay, Lowery was the starting goalkeeper, earning league MVP honors as a freshman. He was an all-tournament selection twice and was the Midwestern Collegiate Conference Player of the Week for Sept. 1.
Jon Lowery became Ohio State Universities first ever first team all-Big Ten selection last year. He was named the Big Ten Player of the Week for Sept. 22 and finished 2nd in the conference for goals against average (0.89) and shutouts (7) and fourth for saves with 65. He finished 12th in the nation for goals against average, giving up only 12 goals on the season and his 7.5 shutouts are second in OSU single season history. He shared time with Todd McCandish as a sophomore, eventually working his way into the starting role, finishing the year with a 1.25 goals against average. He gave up multiple goals in a game only three times and recorded two shutouts and 33 saves. He was named to the OSU/NIKE Kickoff Classic all-tournament team.
An academic all-Big Ten selection and OSU Scholar-Athlete in 1997, he was born Sept. 20, 1976, and is the son of Joe and Claire Lowery and has one brother. His father captained the State University of New York baseball team to the 1966 Junior College World Series. He enjoys mountain biking. His major is business administration. Jon also played with the Twin Cities Tornado, our PDSL Div. 4 Development team in 1998.
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