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 | Club website | ||
|
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]
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.[7] The crest was designed by local designer Nicole Meyer, along with help from colleagues Allie Reinke and Carla Zetina-Yglesias.[8] The crest was originally one of three designs, all of which were voted on by the community members.[9] Other names considered for the new team included Arctic Minnesota and Minnesota Foxfire FC, all designed by Meyer, Reinke, and Zetina-Yglesias.[10]
The kit worn by MN Aurora FC was designed by Cassidy Sepnieski and was revealed on April 9, 2022.[11] Manufactured by Hummel International, the home kit features a dark background with a borealis swirling in the center.[12] 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.[13]
Players and staff
[edit]Current Roster
[edit]No. | Pos. | Player | Home |
---|---|---|---|
00 | GK | Sophie Augustin | |
0 | GK | Mio Nakajima | |
1 | GK | Taylor Kane | |
2 | DF | Alicia Donley | |
3 | MF | Sophie French | |
4 | MF | Morgan Stone | |
5 | MF | Sofia Bush | |
6 | MF | Rami Rapp | |
7 | DF | Elizabeth Rapp | |
8 | FW | Kaylie Chambers | |
9 | MF | Lydia Ruppert | |
10 | MF | Yao Giada Zhou | |
11 | FW | Tess Werts | |
12 | DF | Taylor Shell | |
13 | FW | Maya Hansen | |
14 | MF | Servane Blouin | |
15 | MF | Addison Weichers | |
16 | MF | Addy Symonds | |
17 | MF | Kacie Laurie | |
18 | MF | Jill Bennett | |
19 | MF | Mariah Nguyen | |
20 | FW | Catherine Rapp | |
21 | MF | Jelena Zbiljic | |
22 | FW | Stella Lawson | |
23 | DF | Assa Kante | |
24 | FW | Saige Wimes | |
27 | DF | Julie Sattler | |
30 | MF | Katie Duong | |
33 | DF | Nicole Norfolk | |
51 | DF | Kelis Barton |
Management
[edit]Coaching staff[14]
- 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 | 6 | ||
2023 | 12 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 60 | 4 | 36 | 1st, Heartland | Conference Final | 12 | ||
2024 | 12 | 10 | 0 | 2 | 61 | 6 | 32 | 1st, Heartland | First Round | 9 |
Head coaches
[edit]- Includes Regular Season and Playoffs. Excludes friendlies.
Coach | Nationality | Start | End | Games | Win | Loss | Draw | Win % |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Nicole Lukic | October 16, 2021 | present | 29 | 26 | 2 | 1 | 89.66 |
Honors
[edit]Player honors
[edit]Year | Player | Country | Position | Honor |
---|---|---|---|---|
2022 | Kenzie Langdok | Defender | All-League First Team | |
Kelsey Kaufusi | Defender | All-League Second Team | ||
Sarah Fuller | Goalkeeper | All-League Second Team | ||
Addy Symonds | 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 24 October 2022. Retrieved 24 October 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.
- ^ "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.