Throwback Thursday - 2011 NSC Minnesota Stars: The Little Team That Could

By Jason S Rufner

In recent weeks, as the 2014 version of the North American Soccer League (NASL)  has shaped up for what promises to be a tremendously competitive postseason, we've focused on some of the more memorable, pivotal moments in the league's championship history from the #NASLGoldenEra...until now.

This week, with The Championship fast approaching, we remember the very first championship of the NASL’s Modern Era, a surprise triumph by NSC Minnesota Stars (now Minnesota United FC) who came "out of nowhere" and set the course for the strong, vibrant franchise the NASL now boasts in the Land of 10,000 Lakes.

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No one could have predicted that the 2011 NASL season – inaugurating the NASL’s Modern Era -- would end up going the way it went.  But fans of professional soccer in Minnesota sure are glad it went that way -- even though some figured it might not get started at all.

With a roster composed of several talents produced in Minnesota's Twin Cities, including goalkeeper Joe Warren and head coach Manny Lagos, the NSC Minnesota Stars (now Minnesota United FC) were a club trying desperately to gain a foothold in its market while being owned and operated by the league itself.

"For a while it looked like, going into 2011, there wouldn't be a Minnesota team in the NASL," recalled Jon Marthaler, a veteran Minnesota sportswriter, citing the club's lack of well-financed ownership at the time.  "There was a little bit of a surprise that we even had a team in the league."

The renaissance of the legendary NASL dawned with eight clubs, comprising what the U.S. Soccer Federation (USSF) sanctioned.  There were familiar monikers from days of yore, namely Tampa Bay Rowdies and Fort Lauderdale Strikers, plus markets from the #NASLGoldenEra, such as Atlanta and Montréal.  The new league also sported outposts that made it truly North American, in Edmonton and Puerto Rico.  And there were call-ups from other leagues, like Carolina and Minnesota.

It wasn't the smoothest possible start.  As is common with any startup, issues saddled a few of the founding league member clubs.  The USSF granted the NASL the desirable status, but the clubs would have to earn that standing by strengthening ties to their markets.

As much as any other club, Minnesota-- after beginning life in front of sparse crowds and with stopgap ownership -- have rightfully solidified itself within the market and among the ranks of American professional soccer.  That uncertain journey to stability began, unexpectedly, with a magical title run in the 2011 postseason.

It was sweet redemption for a league-owned club and its fan base, both of whom took the underdog label to heart.

"It was sort of an us-against-the-world mentality, not only for the team but for the fans as well," Marthaler said.  "It was sort of a 'nobody wants us, but we don't care' mentality....  In fact I think the fans still sing a song about 'the team that nobody wanted.'

"But the fact that the team continued to draw interest and draw fans, despite being run on a shoestring, was what helped bring in the club's current stability."

Minnesota wasn't much to write home about during the regular season, with nine wins, nine draws and ten losses.  The Stars nearly missed the playoffs altogether, sneaking in to the sixth and final slot -- a mere point ahead of Montréal.

That's when good things, all of the sudden, began to occur.

Backstopped by Warren, Minnesota shutout Tampa Bay 1-0 in the quarterfinals.  Advancing to the two-legged semis, the Stars tied top-seeded Carolina on aggregate, then won that round with penalty kicks, converting on all five they took.  Lucas Rodríguez pounded in the clincher.

"Everyone thought Minnesota would get steamrolled by Carolina, because Carolina was awfully good that year," Marthaler said.  "That was a shock."

On October 22, at the National Sports Center in Blaine, the Minnesota hosted Fort Lauderdale, another NASL mainstay.  In front of more than 4,500 fans -- almost three times the regular season's average attendance -- Minnesota handled the visitors with remarkable ease, 3-1.  Neil Hlavaty scored early in the first half, Luke Mulholland scored early in the second and Rodríguez put one in late.  The only ball to get past Warren was an own goal in the 52nd minute, and that was immediately answered by Mulholland.

The second-leg of the 2011 NASL Soccer Bowl, back at Lockhart Stadium, ended scoreless, and Minnesota was the surprise NASL champions -- the first NASL title for a Minnesota-based club.

"Getting some visibility for that playoff run, I think that was important for the club," Marthaler opined, "In terms of building what it is today."

For the 2012 season, with the fans' input, the club's name was changed to Minnesota Stars FC.  The name wasn't the same, but the results nearly were, as the Stars almost pulled off the same trick of barely making the postseason, then advancing to the Soccer Bowl.  The magic nearly returned, except Minnesota lost the championship in Tampa Bay on penalty kicks.

But the club's foundation on the field, with its penchant for success when it mattered most, was setting.  That foundation grew stronger when Dr. Bill McGuire purchased United after 2012 season.

"We're going to take and honor what people have done in the past and build and grow on it," McGuire told Minnesota Public Radio after acquiring the club.

And grow, they have.  Now United is one of the NASL's top clubs, drawing nearly 6,000 for every match in Blaine and rewarding fans with abundant winning.  Minnesota will enter The Championship this year as the overall top seed, and the Twin Cities will turn its attention to soccer as Lagos and the Loons compete for another title.

The club from the cold plains of Minnesota isn't quite the underdog it was just a few short years ago, but as long as the chip on the shoulder still fits, their fans will wear it.