Thunder Warm Up Cold Rockford Night With 8-3 Win Over Cincy

Alexey Korol, in his first game with the Thunder (6-2) led the team in scoring with three goals.

"This was my first time playing with the team, but I knew a lot of the guys from playing with them in Chicago," Korol said. "I knew most of them, so it was easy to fit in, but I got lucky a few times."

"After halftime, we decided that it was time to start finishing our chances, and we were able to make the most of them," Thunder coach Jeff Kraft.

AISL leading scorer Bato Radoncic and Mike Rigas each scored twice for the Thunder, and Zlatko Zebic scored his third goal in two games.

Jack Cummings, Shawn Rockey, and Tiest Sondaal each scored once for the Excite, whose record drops to 4-4. They remain in second place in the AISL.

The Thunder will be off until February 17th, when they will host the Massachusetts Twisters at 7:30PM CST.

Mike Rigas is the OT Hero as Thunder Defeat Twisters 12-11

"This was the best game in all four years the Twisters have played in the AISL," said Twisters owner Paul Lapointe. "From the professionalism, to the crowd, to the finish, it was the total package."

Everson Maciel led the Twisters with four one-point goals and Jeff Deren bagged two two-pointers and a one pointer. Mike Rigas, Steve Reuter, and Bato Radoncic each scored twice for the Thunder in the winning effort.

Dimitri Meletis took the win in goal for the Thunder and Paul DelloStritto took the loss.

The loss was the fourth in a row for the Twisters (3-5). The Thunder retain their lead in the league at 5-2.

The Thunder’s next game will be back home at the friendly confines of the Indoor Sports Center when they host the Cincinnati Excite next Saturday night, February 3rd at 7:30PM CST.

Excite Wins Third in a Row! Silences Thunder 7-5 in Rockford

The Excite and Thunder are now tied with 12 points for the season, but the Thunder (4-2) hold the top spot by virtue of a better record than the Excite (4-3), last season’s AISL league champions.

After missing more than a month due to a broken wrist, Tiest Sondaal made his return to the indoor pitch a memorable one, scoring three one-point goals and adding one assist in the victory. Matt Brienes chipped in two one-pointers, and John Cipriani added the game winner at 13:14 of the fourth quarter.

Bato Radoncic, the league’s leading scorer, led the Thunder with three one-point goals.

Jim Adams took the win in goal for the Excite, his third straight win. Ante Cop took the loss in relief of Dimitri Meletis.

The Thunder’s next game will be next Saturday night, January 27th, when they face the Massachusetts Twisters in Springfield at 7:30PM EST.

The Arrival of “el Nino”! - Thunder Announce Signing of Indoor Vet Da Silva

"Nino is an added asset to our team,” said Thunder coach Jeff Kraft. “I was an assistant coach with the Chicago Storm when Nino was playing for them. He is a great player with a lot of knowledge of the indoor game, and right now it’s just a matter of getting his fitness level back"

Da Silva, the son of former indoor star Nilton “Batata” da Silva, last played for the Chicago Storm of the MISL in 2005. He started his indoor career with the Kansas City Comets in 2000, and played for the club for three seasons. In 133 games with the Storm and Comets, he tallied a total of 124 goals and 94 assists.

Da Silva also saw time in MLS, playing parts of four seasons with the Kansas City Wizards and the MetroStars (now Red Bull New York).

Da Silva is expected to make his AISL debut this Saturday night when the league leading Thunder (4-1) host the Cincinnati Excite at the Indoor Sports Center in Loves Park, with kickoff scheduled for 7:30PM CST.

Tickets for Saturday night’s game, as well as all Rockford Thunder games are $10.00, and are available at the Indoor Sports Center (8800 East Riverside Dr) the evening of the game.

Thunder Take AISL League Lead With 8-7 Victory over Twisters

The game was definitely a nail-biter for the Thunder and their fans, as the game was in doubt until there was ninety seconds left in regulation, as Roberto Gallo bagged his second of the night to ice the victory.

Mike Rigas led the Thunder with four assists on the evening, including the set-up on the game-winning goal.

Jeff Deren bagged four goals for the Twisters (3-2) in the losing effort.

Ante "Slash" Cop, in his first start in goal this season for the Thunder got the win, allowing seven goals and making ten saves. Paul DelloStritto took the loss for the Twisters, his first of the season. He made fourteen saves in goal tonight.

The Thunder will have the week off, returning to the indoor pitch next Saturday night, when they host the Excite at the Indoor Sports Center at 7:30 PM CST.

Excite Start New Year Off With a Bang-Hammer Thunder 15-5

Excite player coach Craig Rhodis was rightfully proud of his troops this evening.

"Especially being short handed, I am thrilled with our effort", he said. "We are improving little by little every day. We had a lot of work this week, and it showed in our play."

Marcel Matis led the Excite attack with three goals and three assists.

"We did what we had to do tonight,” Matis said. ”We are too good of a team. We came together at the right time, and it showed."

The 15 goals scored by the Excite tonight was the most scored in the league this year. The Excite’s seven goals in third quarter was a team record.

John McGinlay also had a hat trick in the victory and Jon Caldwell chipped in two goals to lead the Excite (2-3).

Bato Radoncic and Ante Cop led the Thunder (3-1) with two goals each. Mike Rigas added a tally of his own.

Jim Adams took the win in goal in his first start of the season for the Excite. Dimitri Meletis took the loss.

The Excite return to the indoor pitch next Sunday afternoon when they take on the Massachusetts Twisters at the Game Time Training Center. The Thunder will face the Twisters next Saturday night at the Indoor Sports Center in Loves Park.

Rockford Thunder To Play MISL’s Chicago Storm On February 13th

(Cleveland, OH-January 4, 2007)In a joint announcement made this morning, the Chicago Storm of the Major Indoor Soccer League have announced that they will be hosting the Rockford Thunder of the American Indoor Soccer League in an exhibition "friendly" at the Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates, IL on February 13, 2007.

The game will have a special 10AM kickoff, as the game is the team’s annual "School Day" matinee game. The matinee is part of the MISL club's "Storming Schools" campaign, which is sponsored by the team and the Daily Herald newspaper. It will feature a special program stressing the importance of education tied in with a fun experience featuring reading, math, history, and geography.

That morning's game will feature two of the top clubs in indoor soccer. The Thunder is currently leading the AISL with a 3-0 record, and after defeating the defending MISL champion Baltimore Blast last Saturday afternoon, the Storm are in second place with a 7-4 record.

This match will be the fifth time that clubs in the MISL and AISL have faced each other. In October 2004, the Cleveland Force swept the Cincinnati Excite in a pre-season "home and home" series. One year later, the Excite lost an exhibition game 10-1 to the St. Louis Steamers, and prior to the current season, the Excite would drop a 16-2 to the MISL's newest team, the Detroit Ignition.

"This is a very important day for the AISL," said commissioner Paul Lapointe. "Both teams are at their top in-season form, and it will be a good barometer to see where the level of play matches up."

The two teams do have some common ties. Thunder co-owner Oscar Albuquerque and head coach Jeff Kraft both served with the Storm as assistant coaches in the Storm’s inaugural season of 2004-05 under then-head coach Frank Klopas.

"This is a great opportunity to showcase the wealth of soccer talent in the Chicago and Rockford areas," said Kraft. "My players are very excited and I hope we can put on a great show for the fans."

The "friendly" will be held at the brand-new Sears Centre, a 9,500 seat arena which opened its doors for the first time last fall. In addition to the Storm, the arena is the home of the Chicago Hounds of the United Hockey League, the Chicago Shamrox of the National Lacrosse League, and an expansion team in the Continential Indoor Football League. The arena is located immediately adjacent to Interstate 90, approximately fifteen minutes west of O’Hare International Airport.

Sears Centre and Tickets

Rockford’s Ante Cop “Lays Down Law” as AISL Player of the Week

(Cleveland, OH-December 4, 2006) For the second straight week, a member of the Rockford Thunder has taken home the American Indoor Soccer League's Player of the Week award, as the Thunder’s Ante Cop earned the award for Week 3 of the 2006-07 season.

Cop’s five-goal performance last Saturday night in the Thunder’s hard fought 12-7 victory over the New York Hampton Surf at the Indoor Sports Center earned him the honor. His five goals set a team record, and tied a season high performance for the AISL.

"I missed a couple of really good chances and then, at the end, they sat for me and to score five in any game is incredible," he said after the game in the Rockford Register Star. "It's a great feeling and, hopefully, this establishes a good groove for me for the rest of the season."

Cop now has eight goals and one assist for nine points on the season, which puts him third on the Thunder in scoring, trailing teammate Bato Radoncic, who has 15 points and Mike Rigas, who currently has 11.

Radoncic was the league's Player of the Week for Week 2 of the season.

The Thunder (3-0) will return to the field January 6th, when they face the Cincinnati Excite at the Game Time Training Center in Fairfield, OH.

Rockford Wins 3rd In A Row

Rockford Register Star Story

 
Rockford 12 (3-0)
NY/Hampton Surf 7 (0-1)
 

Rockford Highlights

Bato Radoncic had 4 Goals for the Thunder

Mike Rigas had 4 assists

Next Game for the Thunder

Next Home Game

Thunder Names Erwin Fleps Director of Player Personnel

Erwin Fleps Nickname “Jake” is a long time supporter of soccer in the Chicago Area. Arriving from Transylvania in 1971 till now has been involved in player’s development for the Pro and College level.

Played For the Chicago Kickers, Sparta and Schwaben Soccer Clubs. Coached in several Youths Level for the Schwaben and Sockers, with several players on the Roster for the Thunder. Referred at the highest Amateur and College Level. Was Illinois Select team Manager in 1991-92 and for the last past years has been Schwaben First team Manager Winning back to back the Indoor Championship in the Metropolitan Mayor Division Soccer League.

Rockford's Bato Radoncic Named AISL Player of the Week

The American Indoor Soccer League today named Rockford Thunder forward Bato Radoncic as the league's player of the week for the week ending November 19th.

The native of Berane, Montenegro, added his second hat trick in as many games last Saturday night, which put him on the top of the AISL's scoring ladder with six goals and four assists for ten points.

Radoncic started the season as the AISL Man of the Match in the league opener in Cincinnati on November 11th. In that match, which the Thunder defeated the Excite 8-6, Radoncic scored three goals and added two assists.

Cincinnati's Matt Brienes was the AISL's first Player of the Week for the 2006-07 campaign, when his five-goal performance in the loss to the Thunder earned him that honor.

The Thunder will take to the pitch again on December 2nd, when they host the New York Hampton Surf at the Indoor Sports Center in Loves Park at 7:30 CST.

Thunder Hammer Excite 11-5 in Home Opener in Rockford

The Excite came in to the game shorthanded, as they were without their high scoring "Lethal Weapon III" line of Tiest Sondaal, Matt Brienes, and Marcel Matis. Matis and Brienes had coaching engagements, and Sondaal was back in Cincinnati with a wrist injury.

"They were missing a few guys, but they knew what they had to do coming into our building," said Thunder coach Jeff Kraft. "We knew we had to start early, but we were a little flat. In the second half, we started to communicate better, and it showed in our play."

Bato Radoncic led the Thunder with three goals and two assists in the victory. Mike Rigas chipped in two goals for the Thunder, as did forward Ante Cop, which improved their record to 2-0.

Rookie Thies Hermann led the Excite with two goals.

The Thunder's next home game will also be December 2nd, when they host fellow expansion team the New York Hampton Surf.

Rockford Thunder Rain on Excite's Parade-Take Opening Game 8-6

"I'm so proud of my team, words can't describe it," said Thunder coach Jeff Kraft after the game. "We played as a team, and with a huge amount of heart. We stayed close all night, and when opportunities came, we took advantage of them."

"We played solidly as a team, and with hard work, we made it pay off," said Thunder 'keeper Dimitri Meletis. "We only were able to practice once or twice as a complete team the past few days, but since most of us have played together and against each other, we came together quickly. It was just a lot of hard work."

Bato Radoncic led the Thunder in scoring with three goals and two assists. John DeVae added two goals, including the game winner 2:47 into the final quarter.

Matt Brienes's five goals led the Excite, which broke a team record.

Meletis took home the "W" in goal for Rockford, while Jay Schneider took the loss for the Excite.

Prior to the game, the Excite were presented with the 2006 AISL championship trophy by league commissioner Paul Lapointe. Excite forward Tiest Sondaal also presented with the league's most valuable player award prior to the match.

The two teams will meet again next Saturday night, with the Excite traveling to Rockford to take on the Thunder at the Wedgbury Indoor Soccer Center with kickoff scheduled for 7:30PM CST.

Veteran PA Announcer Joins The Thunder

Balson is a resident of Buffalo Grove, Illinois and will make his Thunder debut on November 18th at the Wedgbury Indoor Soccer Center when the Thunder takes on the Cincinnati Excite in the American Indoor Soccer League home opener.

Balson has also been the play-by-play voice of many different soccer teams around Chicago and the on a national basis.

His background includes:

Radio play by play voice of Mutual Radio Network (national game of the week) from 1978 - 1981

Radio play by play voice of Chicago Power indoor soccer club (NPSL) from 1990-1993

National play-by-play of four NASL Soccer Bowls (2 Sting, 2 Cosmos)

Have broadcast (TV and radio play-by-play) over 1,200 soccer games...most games ever broadcast by U.S. announcer

Nominated for Emmy for 1982 documentary of 1981 Chicago Sting championship season, leading to name being placed in Illinois Soccer Hall of Fame.

PA announcer Chicago Fire (MLS) Soccer Club from 1988 (Inaugural year) to 2005

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