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Minneapolis City vs. Thunder Bay Chill

Past Meetings

Prior to 2024, Thunder Bay Chill was undefeated against Minneapolis City SC, though the Crows took their first point off the Canadians in July 2023. So far this season, City and Thunder Bay lined up against each other twice, earning one home win apiece. Ryan Keefe’s header gave Minneapolis victory in a hard-fought early June match, and goals from Nick Kent and Henri Tophoven weren’t enough to overcome the host’s three first-half finishes in Thunder Bay last week. 

Recent Form

Minneapolis City: W, L, W
City swept aside the MNUFC MLS Next team on July 7, five goals to one. The offensive spectacle was a continuation of the previous home match’s good form, in which Minneapolis dispatched Rochester FC via Eli Goldman’s penalty and Ryan Keefe’s sliding finish. In between those victories, Minneapolis traveled north to Thunder Bay on July 5 and ran out of time while battling hard for an equalizer.

Thunder Bay Chill: W, W, W
With victory over the St. Croix Legends on Wednesday night, Thunder Bay extended their unbeaten run to seven games. Before traveling down to the Twin Cities and facing St. Croix, the Chill hosted two home matches against Rochester and Minneapolis in early July, winning 2-0 and 3-2, respectively.

Notable and Quotable

Minneapolis is one of just two sides to beat Thunder Bay this season, and nearly repeated that feat on July 5 if not for a saved penalty kick, among other close chances. Regardless of the outcome, a hard-fought collective effort allowed positives to be taken from an otherwise frustrating result.

“Honestly, I think that’s the biggest point. We had so many more shots these two games than throughout the season,” striker Henri Tophoven said, after the Crows returned to Minnesota and recorded a commanding win over the Lil’ Loons. “I think that really helped us being able to score more goals, and being very effective up top.”

Tonight’s match is the Chill’s final league game, but they already mathematically-clinched a first-place finish in the Deep North division with Wednesday’s 2-1 win over the St. Croix Legends. Back-to-back division championships qualify them for the League Two postseason, where they advanced to the Central Conference semifinals last summer, but fell to the Des Moines Menace.

As Minneapolis builds towards a tough contest against the Chill, coming off a dominant attacking performance is the best case scenario. Now at home and well rested, having been spared last week’s six-hour drive north, City has one more chance to take points off the league leaders this season.

“It just gives everyone this last push, to push in the last two weeks in training and on the field for the games,” Tophoven said after the win over MNUFC, looking ahead to the Crows’ final league games of 2024 against Thunder Bay and St. Croix. 

“One thing about this group that I love is that it doesn’t matter if we have two or three games left, we’re gonna finish it through,” forward Steevie Lamarre said of the squad’s determination. “We’re gonna keep on playing, even if things don’t go our way, we’re gonna play until the last minute.”

Players to Mark

Henri Tophoven
Though the former University of Wisconsin-Madison striker missed much of City’s summer season with a foot injury, Tophoven returned to the field eager to make up for lost time. He drew and converted a late penalty that took the Crows to within a single goal in Thunder Bay. The following game in the Minnesota Super Cup, Tophoven recorded a goal and assist in the 5-1 win over MNUFC MLS Next. Quick passing combinations and composed finishing are promising signs of what’s to come as the chemistry between Tophoven and his strike partners continues to improve. 

Tyler Attardo
Eleven goals in  11 matches makes Attardo the far and away leading marksman in the Deep North division. In fact, the York University striker is tied for second-most in all of League Two. And playing just over three-quarters of the Chill’s total game time this season, Attardo is averaging a goal every 69 minutes. He netted twice against City in the away fixture last week, however, one of the few games in which the prolific goalscorer has not been able to find the net was City’s 1-0 home win. The Crows’ diligent defensive performance shut out Attardo on that night, and they will have to stay sharp if they want to keep him quiet again.

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