The Thunder Rolls!! AISL Expands

(Cleveland, OH-September 15, 2006) Rockford Thunder president Oscar Albuquerque officially unveiled today the AISL expansion club, along with its logo, head coach, and tryout information.

Albuquerque played for the Illinois Thunder in the NPSL in the early nineties and made his home in the area after his playing days were through. “Ever since I played there in the heydays, I always thought that Rockford was a good venue," he said in the Register Star. “I'm a man of few words. I like action, and I wanted to get something done."

The team's logo, features a unique color combination of black and “electric chartreuse." Albuquerque got the idea for the color from seeing the away uniforms of famed Spanish club FC Barcelona.

The Thunder's head coach will be Jeff Kraft. A native of Baltimore, Kraft coached the Thunder and Team AISL Chicago last season when the teams played in exhibitions last season, which tested the market. Kraft's indoor soccer playing career included stops with the MISL's Kansas City Comets in 1987 and three years with the AISA's Hershey Impact (PA). His coaching resume includes one year with the MISL's Chicago Storm, where he worked with Albuquerque. The 41-year-old Kraft resides in Elk Grove Village, IL, with his wife Gina and one-year-old son Jake.

Albuquerque also announced that the team will be holding tryouts from 11AM to 1PM on October 7th and 8th at the Wedgbury Indoor Sports Center in Loves Park. Registration for the tryouts is $25.00. For more information, call (877) 507-5840.

Albuquerque, along with co-owner Mike O'Flaherty are currently finalizing an agreement with the Wedgbury Indoor Sports Center to be the Thunder's home arena, and an official announcement is expected shortly.

The Thunder will open the 2006-07 season on November 11th when they will travel to Cincinnati to face the 2005-06 league champion Excite. The Thunder will open its home campaign one week later when they take on the Excite in Rockford.

For more information on the Rockford Thunder, call or e-mail Oscar Albuquerque at (877) 507-5840 or brazilusasoccer@onebox.com.

The American Indoor Soccer League opens its fourth season on November 11th with the defending AISL champion Cincinnati Excite hosting the Rockford Thunder. The league has offices in West Springfield, MA (Administrative) and Cleveland, OH (Media Relations). For more information on the AISL, contact commissioner Paul LaPointe at (413) 569-0088 or director of media relations Rich Paschette at (216) 741-4144. Information on the league can also be found on the AISL's official website, www.aisl.org.