Minnesota Aurora FC

Not to be confused with Aurora, Minnesota.

Minnesota Aurora FC
Founded2021; 3 years ago (2021)
StadiumTCO Stadium
Eagan, Minnesota
Capacity6,000
Head coachColette Montgomery
LeagueUSL W League
20231st, Heartland Division
Playoffs: Conference Final
Websitehttps://www.mnaurora.com/

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

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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.

Minnesota Aurora game at TCO Stadium on June 12, 2022

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

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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.[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

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The club has one supporters' group, named Revontulet (Finnish for Northern Lights), which sits in a designated section at the stadium.[14]

Players and staff

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Current Roster

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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

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Coaching staff[15]

  • Colette Montgomery – head coach
  • Thomas Kleczewski – assistant coach
  • Lucca Shimanuki – goalkeeper coach
  • Nicki Le – volunteer assistant coach

Record

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Year-by-year

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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 United States Morgan Turner 6 United States Nicole Lukic
2023 12 12 0 0 60 4 36 1st, Heartland Conference Final United States Maya Hansen 12
2024 12 10 0 2 61 6 32 1st, Heartland First Round United States Katie Duong 9 United States Colette Montgomery

Head coaches

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  • 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 3 085.71

Honors

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Player honors

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Year Player Country Position Honor
2022 Kenzie Langdok United States United States Defender All-League First Team
Kelsey Kaufusi United States United States Defender All-League Second Team
Sarah Fuller United States United States Goalkeeper All-League Second Team
Addy Symonds United States United States Midfielder Goal of the Year

References

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  1. ^ 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.
  2. ^ "Coaching Staff Announced". Minnesota Aurora. December 17, 2021. Archived from the original on June 22, 2022. Retrieved June 25, 2022.
  3. ^ "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.
  4. ^ "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.
  5. ^ 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.
  6. ^ 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.
  7. ^ 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.
  8. ^ "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.
  9. ^ "Creating Aurora: Meet the woman who helped design Minnesota's new USL W team brand". kare11.com. February 2, 2022. Retrieved June 25, 2022.
  10. ^ "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.
  11. ^ 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.
  12. ^ "The Northern Lights & Constellation Kits". Minnesota Aurora. Archived from the original on June 22, 2022. Retrieved June 25, 2022.
  13. ^ "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.
  14. ^ 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.
  15. ^ "Technical Staff". Minnesota Aurora. Archived from the original on June 26, 2022. Retrieved June 25, 2022.
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