Sioux Falls Thunder FC

Sioux Falls Thunder FC is a men's soccer club based in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.[2] The club currently competes in the National Premier Soccer League in the North Conference, having joined the league as an expansion team in 2016.[3] The team's colors are red and black.

Sioux Falls Thunder FC
Full nameSioux Falls Thunder FC
Short nameThunder
FoundedNovember 4, 2016; 8 years ago (2016-11-04) [1]
StadiumUSF Bob Young Field
Capacity~5000
OwnersMatt, Naomi & Jon Dobson
Head CoachJohn Hakari
LeagueNPSL
Websitehttps://www.sfthunderfc.com/

History

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Timeline

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The club was founded by Amadu Meyers in 2016, coinciding with the announcement that it would be joining NPSL as an expansion team for the 2017 season.[4] The club played their inaugural match on May 13, 2017 at Yankton Trail Park in Sioux Falls against the Dakota Fusion FC. The first goal scored in team history came in the 6th minute when Houston Hoffman connected on a penalty kick. The Thunder would end up losing the match 3-1. The Thunder got their first win on May 30, 2017 against LC Aris FC by a score of 3-0. On March 1, 2018 the club announced that Mekonnen Afa would become the third head coach in franchise history.[5] The Thunder would start the 2018 season strong by taking 4 points in the first 2 games. But after that they would struggle and lose 9 straight games. The Thunder would finally get on the winning side of things by winning 5-2 against Dakota Fusion FC. They would carry that momentum and they would eventually win their next two games to finish the season with a total of 4 wins. After the regular season concluded Nigel Nielsen, Thunder midfielder, was named to the North Conference XI team.[6]

Season-by-Season Record

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Year NPSL Regular season Position Postseason
P W L T GF GA Pts Div. Conf. Leag. NPSL USOC
2017 14 3 7 4 22 31 13 7th 19th 72nd Did not qualify Did not qualify
2018 14 4 9 1 25 33 13 7th 18th 73rd Did not qualify Did not qualify
2019 12 2 8 2 15 26 8 5th 15th 70th Did not qualify Did not qualify
2021 12 2 7 3 18 35 9 6th 13th 61st Did not qualify Did not qualify
2022 14 3 6 5 27 28 14 5th 11th 58th Did not qualify Did not qualify
2023 12 1 8 3 19 27 6 7th 82nd Did not qualify Did not qualify

All-Time Top Goalscorers

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Leading Career Goal Scorers
# Name Career Total
1   Tyler Limmer 2017, 2021–22 12
2   Brice Holiday 2017-19 8
3   Stevenson Storm 2019, 2021–22 6
T4   James Bolger 2022 5
T4   Michael Haight 2017-18 5
T4   Manny Rosas Quiroz 2018 5
T4   Lucas Trimble 2019 5

Bold Signifies a Current Thunder Player

Team

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Current roster

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Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK   ENG Johnny Thurbin
2 FW   USA Josiah Trimble
3 MF   USA Brennan Haggerty
4 DF   SOM Ayanleh Hassan
5 DF   BDI Bigirimana Omari
6 MF   CRC Emmanuel Jon Coronado
7 FW   USA Alex Jacobs
8 FW   SVK Lubos Polacko
9 DF   SCO Jack Crombie
10 MF   ENG Callum Bryan
11 FW   JPN Ryushiro Morita
12 FW   TAN David Bizimana
13 MF   USA Armando Garcia-Perez
14 FW   NOR Vetle Auglænd
No. Pos. Nation Player
15 DF   USA Robert Amaro
16 MF   USA Trace Dobson
17 DF   USA Joshua Seyer
18 DF   DEN Patrick Hansen
19 MF   MEX Eric Beltran
20 MF   BRA Bernardo Torres
21 FW   ENG Marcus Horwood (Captain)
22 DF   NGA Stephen Ayodele
23 MF   ENG Lewis Albert
24 MF   LBR Samuel Dolobaipu
77 GK   USA Wil Rieves
99 GK   ENG Jack Howard
MF   MEX Alexis Gonzalez
MF   GHA Isaac Sam

Staff

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As of March 5, 2023[7]
Coaching staff
Team Owner   Matt, Naomi & Jon Dobson
Head coach   John Hakari

References

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  1. ^ "Sioux Falls Thunder FC Joins the NPSL". Archived from the original on 2016-12-28. Retrieved 2016-12-28.
  2. ^ "Sioux Falls Thunder FC Joins the NPSL". www.npsl.com. Archived from the original on 2016-12-28.
  3. ^ "Sioux Falls Thunder FC Joins the NPSL". www.npsl.com. Archived from the original on 2016-12-28.
  4. ^ "Sioux Falls Thunder FC Joins the NPSL". www.npsl.com. Archived from the original on 2016-12-28.
  5. ^ "Sioux Falls Thunder FC on Instagram: "Sioux Falls Thunder FC is proud to announce Mekonnen Afa as the new head coach for the 2018 season."".
  6. ^ "National Premier Soccer League".
  7. ^ "Staff". Sioux Falls Thunder FC. Retrieved May 7, 2022.
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