Rockford Thunder

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Rockford Thunder

Founded	2005
Arena	ISC
Based in	Rockford, IL & Loves Park, IL
Colors	chartreuse & black
League	American Indoor Soccer League

The Thunder are a member of the American Indoor Soccer League owned by Pro Soccer International, a group managed by Michael O'Flaherty and Oscar Albuquerque, a former member of the former National Professional Soccer League's Illinois Thunder and the 1980 Canadian Olympic qualifying team. The team currently makes its home in the ISC in the Rockford, Illinois suburb of Loves Park. They plan on moving into the Rockford MetroCentre in the 2006/07 season. The ownership group owns the rights for teams in both Chicago and Rockford, but when no space was available for the Chicago franchise in the 2005/06, the Thunder took field in Rockford.

On October 7 & 8th, 2006, try-outs were held for the Thunder at the ISC. 24 players arrived from various soccer backgrounds. Some had played locally with the Rockford Raptors, but other players had played in various leagues including: Segunda división mexicana, Tercera división mexicana, Primera División Uruguaya, 2 Liga Polska, USL First Division, and Premier Development League (PDL).

On March 10, 2007, after defeating the Cincinnati Excite 5-4 with a late goal by Ante Cop, the Thunder secured a position in the AISL finals to face the Massachusetts Twisters.