Who are ya? - Minnesota Thunder

By: Bob Kellett | April 23rd, 2008

The Details: Portland Timbers v Minnesota Thunder, Thursday, April 24, 7pm, PGE Park. Web audio broadcast, Video webcast, Spanish radio on La X 1040AM

Last season: Once a perennial contender in the USL, the Minnesota Thunder missed the playoffs for the third straight year, finishing in second to last place with 5 wins, 12 losses, and 11 draws. Their dismal record was a bit misleading. On the season they only yielded three more goals than they scored. They also proved to be a bugaboo for the Timbers. The two teams drew three times, twice in Minnesota and once in Portland where one of their players scored a life partner at romantic PGE Park.

2008 Outlook
The Thunder have a new ownership group. The old owners took a once proud franchise and decimated its spending on players. The results showed on the pitch. The new owners have brought in a number of new players- only 8 players remain from last year’s squad - and on paper the team has been upgraded. The club has a new logo and will debut its new kits on Thursday night. Their preseason results were mixed.

Familiar faces:
None of the players listed on the Thunder roster have ever played for the Portland Timbers. The most familiar name is Leo Gibson. The forward continues Minnesota’s tradition of having diminutive Liberian players on their team (there’s something in the neighborhood of 10,000 Liberians living in Minnesota). Gibson has scored nine goals in 48 games for the Thunder. In his spare time he serves as a stunt double for Gary Coleman.

Keep an eye on:
Tighe Dombrowski – The older brother of Timbers midfielder Neil Dombrowski, Tighe joins the Thunder after a season playing for Sweden first division side IK Sirius FK. He also spent some time playing with the San Jose Earthquakes. When you Google image search “Tighe” you are introduced to this fine gentleman. He does not play professional soccer.

Stephen deRoux – The Jamaican midfielder/defender spent the past couple of years with DC United where he was never quite able to crack the lineup. The guy has muscles coming out of muscles which means he probably doesn’t eat much “Roux,” a mixture of flour and fat.

Frederico Moojen – The mere fact that he is a forward from Brazil should be enough to grab the attention of USL-1 defenders. Moojen played in fourteen games for the Montreal Impact last season, scoring two goals before sustaining an injury that sidelined him for the rest of the season. He was the top scorer in the PDL in both 2005 and 2006, scoring 18 goals each season. A “Moojen” is a spiny rat found in Brazil.

The series: The Timbers and the Thunder have played each other 23 times since 2001 with the Timbers winning nine times, Minnesota winning nine times, and the teams drawing five times. The Timbers are 4-3-4 against Minnesota at PGE Park. I’d say it has been pretty darned even, wouldn’t you?

Final random thoughts: Minnesota has a lot of new faces, which for a club that has been near the bottom of the table the past three seasons is probably a good thing. The talent level is improved. The question is how long it will take for all the new pieces to gel. This is their opening game of the season so you can expect the play to be a bit erratic. For whatever reason, the Thunder always play the Timbers tough at home. With the derby against Seattle this weekend, the Timbers would like to take care of business early to keep some of the players fresh for Saturday. Either way, expect Gavin Wilkinson to utilize his bench more than he did in the opener against Puerto Rico. I will be interested to see how the Thunder’s upgraded defense fares against Suzuki and Brown.

They are wild and wacky in the great white north