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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.
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| 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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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] 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]
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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.
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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]
Current Roster
| 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
Coaching staff[15]
- Colette Montgomery – head coach
- Thomas Kleczewski – assistant coach
- Lucca Shimanuki – goalkeeper coach
- Nicki Le – volunteer assistant coach
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Year-by-year
- 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
- 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 |
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Player honors
| 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 |
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