Minnesota United FC is a professional soccer team in the United States . FC stands for football club. Soccer is called football in much of the world. Minnesota United FC competes in the Western Conference of Major League Soccer , the top soccer league in the United States and Canada . The team, also called MNUFC or the Loons, plays its home games at Allianz Field in St. Paul , Minnesota .
Minnesota played its first season in the MLS in 2017. The team’s roster included veteran American defender Justin Davis and Costa Rican players Francisco Calvo and Johan Venegas. For a discussion of soccer positions and formations, see Soccer (Players and officials) .
Professional soccer in Minnesota dates back to 1976, when the Minnesota Kicks joined the North American Soccer League (NASL). The team folded in 1981, as did the league after the 1984 season. The Minnesota Strikers played in the Major Indoor Soccer League from 1984 through 1988. From 1990 to 1994, the Minnesota Thunder played as an amateur team. Beginning in 1995, the club played in the U.S. International Soccer League (later called the United Leagues) until 2009. From 2011 through 2016, the NSC Minnesota Stars (renamed Minnesota United FC in 2013) competed in the reestablished NASL. NSC stands for the National Sports Center, a sports complex in Blaine, a Minneapolis suburb. The team was promoted to MLS after the 2016 season.
