Minnesota Thunder Facing Financial Issues

On Monday, David La Vaque of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune published an article detailing the financial issues faced by the Minnesota Thunder of USL-1. You can read the article HERE.

The article details the clubs cash-flow concerns and the various outstanding debts facing the Thunder.

Other local businesses are awaiting payment or have taken legal action against the Thunder, which also had experienced internal cash-flow problems. Team owner Dean Johnson, a St. Paul native who heads the Belgium-based real estate company WingField Corp., said the bills will be paid. He blamed the situation on the team's aggressive expansion during a period of economic chaos. Team revenue is down, due in large part to a more than 50 percent drop in sponsorship money since 2008.

"While there have been some moments which were difficult, we have never considered not continuing to invest," Johnson said. "Even in a difficult environment, we're moving forward with this franchise and we're creating something for Minnesota soccer."

For some more perspective on the article and the Thunder's situation, we encourage you to read Brian Quarstad's editorial at Inside Minnesota Soccer.