Minnesota Aurora FC
 | |||
| Founded | 2021 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Stadium | TCO Stadium Eagan, Minnesota | ||
| Capacity | 6,000 | ||
| Head coach | Colette Montgomery | ||
| League | USL W League | ||
| 2023 | 1st, Heartland Division Playoffs: Conference Final | ||
| Website | https://www.mnaurora.com/ | ||
|
| |||
Minnesota Aurora FC is an American women's soccer club based in Eagan, Minnesota that plays in the Heartland Division of the USL W League. The club began play in the league's inaugural 2022 season as a founding club. The club is community-owned by 3,080 individuals.[1] The club plays its home games at TCO Stadium in Eagan, Minnesota, the same stadium the Minnesota Vikings use for practice.
History
[edit]Minnesota Aurora FC officially sold out their ownership sales on December 15, 2021. The team introduced their coaching staff a few days later, naming Nicole Lukic as the head coach and ensuring the team would be women-led.[2] The team held tryouts during the spring of 2022 and in May the team announced a partnership with local broadcaster WCCO to stream all home games for free.[3] The team held their first game at TCO Stadium on May 26, 2022, against Green Bay Glory. The match resulted in a draw but the Minnesota team drew 5,219 fans.[4] Their first win would be against Kaw Valley on June 2.
On October 24, 2022, the club sent a letter to its community owners stating an intent to become a fully professional team. The Aurora would continue to play in the USL W League through the 2023 season, possibly moving to National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) or the USL Super League in 2024.[5] The club announced their intent to submit an official expansion bid for the NWSL in November.[6] The team notified its community owners on August 15, 2024, that it would be dropping out of the NWSL bid process due to "circumstances out of [their] control".[7]
Branding
[edit]The crest of Minnesota Aurora FC features a stylized Aurora swooping above a forest with a star hanging to the right. The inspiration for the design came from Minnesota's northern geographic identity and nickname of the North Star State.[8] The crest was designed by local designer Nicole Meyer, along with help from colleagues Allie Reinke and Carla Zetina-Yglesias.[9] The crest was originally one of three designs, all of which were voted on by the community members.[10] Other names considered for the new team included Arctic Minnesota and Minnesota Foxfire FC, all designed by Meyer, Reinke, and Zetina-Yglesias.[11]
The kit worn by MN Aurora FC was designed by Cassidy Sepnieski and was revealed on April 9, 2022.[12] Manufactured by Hummel International, the home kit features a dark background with a borealis swirling in the center.[13] The away kit is bright teal, with interlinking stars forming constellations. The goalkeeper kit is "flash red" and also sports the same constellation pattern as the away kit.
Club culture
[edit]The club has one supporters' group, named Revontulet (Finnish for Northern Lights), which sits in a designated section at the stadium.[14]
Players and staff
[edit]Current Roster
[edit]| No. | Pos. | Home | Player |
|---|---|---|---|
| 00 | GK |  GER
|
Sophie Augustin |
| 0 | GK |  JPN
|
Mio Nakajima |
| 1 | GK |  USA
|
Taylor Kane |
| 2 | DF | USA
|
Alicia Donley |
| 3 | MF | USA
|
Sophie French |
| 4 | MF | USA
|
Morgan Stone |
| 5 | MF | USA
|
Sofia Bush |
| 6 | MF | USA
|
Rami Rapp |
| 7 | DF | USA
|
Elizabeth Rapp |
| 8 | FW | USA
|
Kaylie Chambers |
| 9 | MF | USA
|
Lydia Ruppert |
| 10 | MF |  ITA
|
Yao Giada Zhou |
| 11 | FW | USA
|
Tess Werts |
| 12 | DF | USA
|
Taylor Shell |
| 13 | FW | USA
|
Maya Hansen |
| 14 | MF |  FRA
|
Servane Blouin |
| 15 | MF | USA
|
Addison Weichers |
| 17 | MF | USA
|
Kacie Laurie |
| 18 | MF | USA
|
Jill Bennett |
| 19 | MF | USA
|
Mariah Nguyen |
| 20 | FW | USA
|
Catherine Rapp |
| 21 | MF | USA
|
Jelena Zbiljic |
| 22 | FW |  NZL
|
Stella Lawson |
| 23 | DF | USA
|
Assa Kante |
| 24 | FW | USA
|
Saige Wimes |
| 27 | DF | USA
|
Julie Sattler |
| 30 | MF | USA
|
Katie Duong |
| 33 | DF | USA
|
Nicole Norfolk |
| 51 | DF | USA
|
Kelis Barton |
Management
[edit]Coaching staff[15]
- Colette Montgomery – head coach
- Thomas Kleczewski – assistant coach
- Lucca Shimanuki – goalkeeper coach
- Nicki Le – volunteer assistant coach
Record
[edit]Year-by-year
[edit]- As of July 21, 2024
| Season | USL W League | Playoffs | Top Scorer | Head Coach | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | W | L | D | GF | GA | Pts | Pos | Player | Goals | |||
| 2022 | 12 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 35 | 8 | 34 | 1st, Heartland | League Final | Morgan Turner
|
6 | Nicole Lukic
|
| 2023 | 12 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 60 | 4 | 36 | 1st, Heartland | Conference Final | Maya Hansen
|
12 | |
| 2024 | 12 | 10 | 0 | 2 | 61 | 6 | 32 | 1st, Heartland | First Round | Katie Duong
|
9 | Colette Montgomery
|
Head coaches
[edit]- Includes Regular Season and Playoffs. Excludes friendlies.
| Coach | Nationality | Start | End | Games | Win | Loss | Draw | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nicole Lukic |  United States
|
October 16, 2021 | present | 42 | 36 | 3 | 3 | 85.71 |
Honors
[edit]Player honors
[edit]| Year | Player | Country | Position | Honor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Kenzie Langdok | United States
|
Defender | All-League First Team |
| Kelsey Kaufusi | United States
|
Defender | All-League Second Team | |
| Sarah Fuller | United States
|
Goalkeeper | All-League Second Team | |
| Addy Symonds | United States
|
Midfielder | Goal of the Year |
References
[edit]- ^ Kassouf, Jeff (May 24, 2022). "With 3,000 owners and $1 million, Minnesota Aurora aims to rewrite the ownership playbook". Equalizer Soccer. Archived from the original on June 22, 2022. Retrieved June 25, 2022.
- ^ "Coaching Staff Announced". Minnesota Aurora. December 17, 2021. Archived from the original on June 22, 2022. Retrieved June 25, 2022.
- ^ "Minnesota Aurora FC partners with WCCO TV to stream all home games". Minnesota Aurora. May 18, 2022. Archived from the original on June 22, 2022. Retrieved June 25, 2022.
- ^ "Minnesota Aurora draws first ever game in front 5,219". Minnesota Aurora. June 1, 2022. Archived from the original on June 26, 2022. Retrieved June 25, 2022.
- ^ Zgoda, Jerry. "Minnesota Aurora talking to investors about jumping to a professional league". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on October 24, 2022. Retrieved October 24, 2022.
- ^ Greder, Andy (November 3, 2022). "Minnesota Aurora to submit bid to join National Women's Soccer League". Pioneer Press. Archived from the original on November 3, 2022. Retrieved November 3, 2022.
- ^ Marthaler, Jon (August 15, 2024). "Minnesota Aurora FC pulls out of running for 2026 NWSL expansion franchise". www.startribune.com. Star Tribune. Retrieved August 15, 2024.
- ^ "Minnesota Women's Soccer Is Officially Named Aurora FC". www.cbsnews.com. January 27, 2022. Archived from the original on June 22, 2022. Retrieved June 25, 2022.
- ^ "Creating Aurora: Meet the woman who helped design Minnesota's new USL W team brand". kare11.com. February 2, 2022. Retrieved June 25, 2022.
- ^ "Minnesota Aurora FC announced as team name for Minnesota women's soccer team". www.audacy.com. January 27, 2022. Archived from the original on June 22, 2022. Retrieved June 25, 2022.
- ^ Bertels, Kevin (January 27, 2022). "Now more than a glimmer, women's soccer team will be Minnesota Aurora FC". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on March 23, 2024. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
- ^ "The Northern Lights & Constellation Kits". Minnesota Aurora. Archived from the original on June 22, 2022. Retrieved June 25, 2022.
- ^ "USL W League's Minnesota Aurora FC Shoots for the Stars with Inaugural Kits". SportsLogos.Net News. April 12, 2022. Archived from the original on June 27, 2022. Retrieved June 25, 2022.
- ^ Volk, John (May 27, 2022). "Minnesota Aurora holds lead until final minute of debut, draws 1-1 with Green Bay". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on March 23, 2024. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
- ^ "Technical Staff". Minnesota Aurora. Archived from the original on June 26, 2022. Retrieved June 25, 2022.
