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.
 | |||
| 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/ | ||
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History
editMinnesota 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
editThe 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
editThe club has one supporters' group, named Revontulet (Finnish for Northern Lights), which sits in a designated section at the stadium.[14]
Players and staff
editCurrent Roster
edit| No. | Pos. | Player | Home |
|---|---|---|---|
| 00 | GK | Sophie Augustin |  Germany
|
| 0 | GK | Mio Nakajima |  Japan
|
| 1 | GK | Taylor Kane |  United States
|
| 2 | DF | Alicia Donley | United States
|
| 3 | MF | Sophie French | United States
|
| 4 | MF | Morgan Stone | United States
|
| 5 | MF | Sofia Bush | United States
|
| 6 | MF | Rami Rapp | United States
|
| 7 | DF | Elizabeth Rapp | United States
|
| 8 | FW | Kaylie Chambers | United States
|
| 9 | MF | Lydia Ruppert | United States
|
| 10 | MF | Yao Giada Zhou |  Italy
|
| 11 | FW | Tess Werts | United States
|
| 12 | DF | Taylor Shell | United States
|
| 13 | FW | Maya Hansen | United States
|
| 14 | MF | Servane Blouin |  France
|
| 15 | MF | Addison Weichers | United States
|
| 16 | MF | Addy Symonds | United States
|
| 17 | MF | Kacie Laurie | United States
|
| 18 | MF | Jill Bennett | United States
|
| 19 | MF | Mariah Nguyen | United States
|
| 20 | FW | Catherine Rapp | United States
|
| 21 | MF | Jelena Zbiljic | United States
|
| 22 | FW | Stella Lawson |  New Zealand
|
| 23 | DF | Assa Kante | United States
|
| 24 | FW | Saige Wimes | United States
|
| 27 | DF | Julie Sattler | United States
|
| 30 | MF | Katie Duong | United States
|
| 33 | DF | Nicole Norfolk | United States
|
| 51 | DF | Kelis Barton | United States
|
Management
editCoaching staff[15]
- Colette Montgomery – head coach
- Thomas Kleczewski – assistant coach
- Lucca Shimanuki – goalkeeper coach
- Nicki Le – volunteer assistant coach
Record
editYear-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
editPlayer 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.
