Minnesota United FC (2010–16)
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| Full name | Minnesota United Football Club |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | The Loons |
| Founded | 2010 |
| Dissolved | 2016 (MLS 2017) |
| Stadium |
National Sports Center Blaine, Minnesota |
| Capacity | 10,000 |
| Owner | Bill McGuire |
| Head Coach | Carl Craig |
| League | North American Soccer League |
| 2016 |
Spring: 4th Fall: 8th Combined: 5th Playoffs: DNQ |
| Website | Club home page |
Minnesota United FC is an American professional soccer team based in the Minneapolis-Saint Paul area in Minnesota. Founded in 2010, the team played in the North American Soccer League (NASL), a professional league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation. The team won the 2011 NASL championship.
On March 25, 2015, Major League Soccer announced it had awarded an expansion franchise to the Twin Cities and McGuire’s ownership group to begin play in 2017.
The team played its home games at the National Sports Center in Blaine, Minnesota, 18 miles north of Minneapolis. The team's colors were sky blue, gray, and black with a blue accent.
The National Sports Center began considering fielding a Division 2 men's professional soccer team in December 2009. The then current team, the Minnesota Thunder, were tenants of the National Sports Center and were struggling through financial difficulties. In January 2010, the National Sports Center announced they would field a new team to replace the Minnesota Thunder. The Thunder at the time were not officially folded but were facing financial ruin. Following a team-naming contest, the National Sports Center (NSC) announced the official team name would be NSC Minnesota, with the team nickname being Stars on February 5, 2010. Five days later, former USMNT player Manny Lagos was named as the clubs first head coach.
The team played its first official game on April 11, 2010, a 2–0 loss to the Vancouver Whitecaps. The first goal in franchise history was scored by Daniel Wasson in their next game, a 1–0 victory over the Carolina RailHawks. The Stars enjoyed some impressive victories in their debut season, including a 3–1 win over Crystal Palace Baltimore, a 3–0 win over AC St. Louis, and a 3–1 win over FC Tampa Bay, eventually finishing fourth in their conference. Unfortunately for the Stars, they went out of the playoffs at the quarter final stage, 4–0 on aggregate to the Carolina RailHawks, after defender Andres Arango was issued a red card after just 38 minutes. Simone Bracalello and Brian Cvilikas were the Stars' top scorers in 2010, with 5 goals each. The team averaged an attendance of 1,374 which was 10th out of the 12 league teams.
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