The Club
Minnesota United FC
Minnesota United FC represents the next era of professional soccer in the land of 10,000 lakes. We are proud of who and what has come before us—from the raucous party that was the Kicks, the magical years the Thunder spent developing local talent, to the recent 2011 NASL Championship. Now we are excited for what the future holds. We seek to help the world’s game grow in the Twin Cities through strong play on the field and constant giveback off it.
We are fully committed to making professional soccer an accessible source of pride for people from all walks of life in Minnesota and the Twin Cities. With an average ticket price comparable to the cost of a movie, Minnesota United FC provides an opportunity to unite around the world’s beautiful game and unite our community. With involvement in initiatives supporting children and adults throughout the state, we seek to pour as much heart and soul into our off-field efforts as we do to our pursuit of championships.
We are industrious and built around the idea that hard work yields the greatest rewards. We are strong and getting stronger. We are United.
NASL Soccer
The original North American Soccer League lasted from 1968 to 1984. In that period of time, high level soccer was brought to North America by world class superstar players, including Pele, Johan Cruyff, Franz Beckenhauer, George Best, and Bobby Moore, among others.
The league started a second chapter in 2011 with an eight-team league featuring teams from the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. United FC enjoyed a magical run to the League championship game, the Soccer Bowl, where it defeated the Fort Lauderdale Strikers across to claim the reborn league’s inaugural championship.
Following the 2011 season, NASL founders the Montreal Impact stepped up a division, joining Major League Soccer as its 19th club. The San Antonio Scorpions took Montreal’s place in the NASL, bringing a passionate new fan base into the NASL family. The league will be joined in 2014 by three additional clubs in Indianapolis, Northern Virginia and Ottawa.
Minnesota Soccer
The NASL brought the Kicks to Minnesota and professional soccer has been a part of the sports landscape in the land of 10,000 lakes ever since. The Minnesota Thunder followed in 1994 and had a great run of success that included sending several players on to the U.S. National Team and other professional teams. After the Thunder dismantled in 2009, the Stars began play in 2010 as the NSC Minnesota Stars, a team owned and operated by the National Sports Center in Blaine. In 2011, the team changed hands, becoming a league-owned franchise, winning the 2011 NASL crown in the first season of the re-launched league. On January 9, 2012, the NSC Minnesota Stars unveiled a new crest and announced a change in name, as the team became known as Minnesota United FC.
