The Austin Thunder was an American

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

club based in

Austin, Texas Austin ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Texas. It is the county seat and most populous city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and W ...

that was a member of the Lone Star Soccer Alliance.

History

In 1987, Nigel Bowman and Jeff Brown founded The Austin Thunder, the first semi-professional soccer team in Austin, as part of the Lone Star Soccer Alliance, initially playing at House Park. The Thunder ended their first season with a 3–3 record, finishing third in the Lone Star Soccer Alliance. Lone Star Soccer Alliance announced that the 1998 season would have five teams in an eight-game season format. For the second season in a row, The Austin Thunder finished in third place in the Lone Star Soccer Alliance. In the 1989 season, Nigel Bowman continued to encourage soccer in Austin by developing new talent for the team. Working to improve the players understanding of the game, in addition to their physical talents. These changes lead the team to their first championship game, where they played FC Dallas, who had 35 straight wins over the last three seasons. The Thunder were able to beat FC Dallas 3–2 in the final, claiming their only LSSA championship. Three players made the all-star team that year. Richard Johnson at

defense Defense or defence may refer to: Tactical, martial, and political acts or groups * Defense (military), forces primarily intended for warfare * Civil defense, the organizing of civilians to deal with emergencies or enemy attacks * Defense industr ...

, Nigel Bowman at

midfield In many sports, midfield is the part of a sports field that is near the line that is equally far from the end lines. That is, in American football it is the part of the field near the 50-yard line; in association football (soccer) and field hoc ...

, and Derek Missimo at forward. LSSA added two more teams for the 1990 season and split the league into two divisions. The Thunder played in the South Division and was aligned the Houston Dynamos, Houston Alianza, and San Antonio Alamo. Bringing back nine players from their 1989 championship team allowed the Thunder to reach the playoffs for a second year in a row. In a repeat of the 1989 finals, the Thunder met FC Dallas in the semi-finals, losing 1–0. 1991 was another successful season for the Austin Thunder, with the team winning the South division and earning a spot in the LSSA championship against long time powerhouse FC Dallas. In a rematch of the 1989 finals, the Austin Thunder fell to FC Dallas in the seventh round of a

penalty shoot-out The penalty shootout is a method of determining a winner in sports matches that would have otherwise been drawn or tied. The rules for penalty shootouts vary between sports and even different competitions; however, the usual form is similar to pe ...

, after playing 120 minutes to a 3–3 tie. For the 1991 LSSA all-star game, Nigel Bowman was selected to co-coach the South's team. The Austin Thunder started the 1992 season with a friendly against

Queen's Park F.C. Queen's Park Football Club is a Scottish professional football club based in Glasgow, which plays in the , the second tier of the Scottish football pyramid. Queen's Park is the oldest association football club in Scotland, having been founde ...

, a professional team from

Scottish Football League Second Division The Scottish Football League Second Division was the third tier of the Scottish football league system between 1975 and 2013. History The Second Division was created in 1975, as part of a wider reconstruction of the Scottish Football League (SFL ...

. The Austin Thunder's 1992 season was both their last season in the LSSA and last season as a semi-professional team. , they continue to play amateur soccer in the Austin Men's Soccer Association.

Austin Thunder Ladies

Austin Thunder also had a girls program that was a finalist in the Division One Texas State Cup in 1989. Playing in youth tournaments, the Austin Thunder Ladies won the 1991 South Texas State Cup. The Thunder Ladies team's success continued and in 1991 they were invited to England for the Watford International Women's Tournament. After losing their first game to Sheffield Wednesday, the Thunder Ladies beat Manchester women's select, North West to earn a place in the finals. The Austin Thunder Ladies beat Sheffield Wednesday 3–2 in the finals to capture the Watford International Women's Tournament.

Year-by-year

Honors

* Lone Star Soccer Alliance **Champions: 1989 **''Runners up:'' 1991 *South Texas State Cup **Champions: 1987 *Austin Men's Soccer Association **Champions 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2023, 2024

References

{{Austin, Texas Defunct soccer clubs in Texas Lone Star Soccer Alliance teams 1987 establishments in Texas 1992 establishments in Texas Association football clubs established in 1987 Association football clubs disestablished in 1992 Sports in Austin, Texas

History

Austin Thunder Ladies

Year-by-year

Honors

See also

References