The Trip

On March 10, 2007, Bruce and I headed east on I-94. Our destination was Madison and our purpose was to watch a few current and some possibly future Thunder players play some 9 vs. 9 scrimmages against two division 1 college soccer teams, the University of Wisconsin (Madison) and University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee.

This was the beginning of the spring schedule for both college teams. Being that Minnesota has no mens division 1 soccer programs, Wisconsin reaps the benefits. In this case the two collegiate teams fielded 8 players from Minnesota. Because of that there were numerous parents who drove in from throughout Minnesota to watch their boys play.

Notable names from this Minnesota group playing for UW were Ryan Vint (Class AA) and Brandon Miller (Class A), the Mr. Soccer winners with the MSHL in 2005. Playing for UW Milwaukee was Colin Baker from Minneapolis South. Another familiar name playing for UWM, although not a Minnesota boy, was Zeke Dombrowski. Yes, yet another Dombrowski who plays soccer at a high level.  

For the Thunder, there were only three names familiar to most Thunder fans: Kevin Freidland, Leo Gibson and Sasha Gotsmanov were the only signed players to travel to Madison. The Thunder brought two goalkeepers and 19 field players, including the three aforementioned. Head coach Amos Magee, assistant coach Tod Herskovitz and director of soccer operations Manny Lagos were all present and observing play. 

The UW facility was top notch. The field was only 80 yards long so the teams played 9 v 9.  The Thunder players started slow but as time went on dominated most of the games. I personally thought that UWM looked the stronger of the two college teams. But regardless, the prospective Thunder players seemed to use their maturity, size and strength to dominate most of the matches.

Injury News

The Thunder brought in two new keepers as Nick Platter recently tore ligaments in his hand during a training session. No word on a timeline for his return but ligament damage can sometimes take longer to rehab from then a broken bone. Hopefully recovery will go quickly but I would not expect to see him fielding balls for another couple of months.

Personal Observations

As for the current Thunder players, Leo Gibson stood out as a man amongst boys. He was simply tireless as he played in a forward role with Gotsmonov, but often drifted back into the center of the field to target to defenders and start the playmaking on the attack. He showed an amazing work-rate and took control of the team by his actions and his talking on the field. He seemed to be everywhere. His touches were excellent and distribution was quite effective.

It was good to see Kevin Freidland back on the field. Kevin always seems to be a fan favorite. He too looked the part of a veteran, but playing right back did not afford him the touches that we are used to. He stopped most everything that came his way and his passing was efficient and thoughtful, his first touch excellent. He too was talking to other players and offering advice. 

Sasha Gotsmanov started slow and quite frankly was somewhat unimpressive. But as the games wore on, Gotsmanov warmed up and started showing what we hope is his true form for the Thunder, scoring the large majority of the goals for his team. His most impressive was a 60 yard chip that caught the UWM keeper too far out of goal. Sasha is one of those players who does not have great speed or great moves, but has a knack for putting the ball in the back of the net. This is something the Thunder needed desperately in 2006. Gotsmanov gave us a performance that's something to be hopeful for in the coming season.

Invited Players of Note 

(see bottom of article for full Thunder roster)

GK - Ari Solomon

Looked by far the stronger of the two keepers. His hands were very soft and he seemed to make good decions bar one mistake that was not taken advantage of.

#7 - Jeremiah Bass

From what I was told, Jeremiah has been one of those fringe Thunder players for a while. I believe he played at Marquette University in the late 90's. On Saturday he played midfield and impressed me quite a bit. Fantastic first touch, seemed to show leadership on the field and his distribution was very good. Unfortunately, he did have several scoring opportunities and seemed to get a bit overexcited on all of them, either striking high or wide.

#9 - Kevin Taylor

Kevin was my pick of all the future prospects. He's from Florida and was invited up for this scrimmage by the Thunder. He played for University of Michigan and was picked in the third round of the 2004 superdraft by Colorado. He has been playing for the Michigan Bucks in the PDL of the USL. Kevin played outside left back to begin with and eventually switched out to central defender. I don't think he was beaten one-on-one all day long and towering over most other players never lost an air contest. He also looked dangerous on corners, almost scoring twice with his head. Kevin talked a lot in the back when he switched to central defender and seemed to take control. He was very calm with the ball at his feet and his decisions were excellent for a defender as well as his distribution of the ball. Taylor has scored 8 goals in the last three seasons for the Bucks. I talked to Taylor briefly after the scrimmages and found out that he had flown up from Florida on Friday. Even more impressive, I found out that he had caught a stomach flu and was sick all day Saturday, trowing up in a trash can in between his sessions on the field. Not bad for a sick guy.

#21 - William Bagayoko

William was one of only three combine player to be invited to this event. Bagayoko is a solid and talented young man. Very athletic, but in my opinion is a project. He seemed to lack confidence at times and seemed a bit confused as to what was expected of him. He is an impressive dribbler and holds the ball well. He scored a goal from the left channel with his left foot curling a very hard hit out-swinger to the far post that was a game stopper. Very impressive!

Honorable Mentions

These would go to #4 - Stephen Cruickshank, who played right back the whole game. I was under-impressed with Cruickshank the first game but like Gatsmanov warmed up as the games progressed. He has outstanding speed and seemed most effective when he would streak up the flank and dribble at the opposition. However, a bit inconsistent overall. Last would be #22 - Doco Wesseh who also was a bit inconsistent but had moments. He played central midfield and did a nice job of holding the ball and got off a few great shots.

Another note of interest was that Ansu Tore's brother Moussa Toure was also at the scrimmage. Moussa was another inconsistent player but did have his moments. Like his brother he is not afraid to shoot and has a rocket. He scored an impressive goal from 20 yards out.

Final Thoughts

I truly believe that being a USL head coach has got to be one of the hardest soccer coaching jobs around. You need to put together a roster but on a very limited budget, on a timeline, but having to wait to pick up any scraps dropped from the MLS table. You need to look at college players, PDL players, as well as former college and PDL players. You need to look at former USL players who have dropped off the radar as well as local immigrants who were never on the radar. Your eyes need to be wide open and your ears attached to the ground listening for any future prospects. But in talking to coaches of UW and UWM, there was no doubt that Amos Magee is very well respected.