Edmonton fans have chance to return charitable favour to NSC Minnesota supporters

At the end of May, the Dark Clouds, a band of NSC Minnesota Stars supporters, collected money to send to the Red Cross to help the victims of the Slave Lake wildfire in northern Alberta.

They had found out about the fire, which destroyed 374 homes in the town, as their club traveled to Alberta to face FC Edmonton in NASL play for the first time.

Now, FC Edmonton fans have the chance to return the favour.

The Stars and Fox 9 are working together to raise money for the victims of the North Minneapolis Tornado. FC Edmonton provides the opposition at Saturday’s game in Blaine, Minn.

And there’s even more of an Edmonton connection to the June 18 game in Blaine, Minn. Ian Leonard, who was a darn good keeper and played in the upper tiers of Edmonton men’s soccer, and who this writer actually teamed with a couple of times (not in the upper tiers of men’s soccer, but on a media team that played a few times in the Edmonton area), is now the lead meteorologist with Fox 9 in the Twin Cities. Fans in Minnesota can pay $2 to dunk Leonard.

Our friends at IMSoccer News have more details on the event. Click HERE.

Why are they taking their frustrations out on Leonard, who was the meteorologist at Edmonton’s CFRN before heading across the border? During the Champions League final, which Fox aired nationally in the U.S., the Twin Cities area received a tornado warning. Leonard and the Fox 9 news team broke into coverage of the big game, which angered soccer fans in the area. The game was shown on a split screen, with the sound down, while the Fox 9 crew prepared viewers for the potential of a tornado, which, thankfully, didn’t materialize.

But the parties have worked together to turn the bitterness between soccer fans and the station into a great make-up party.

Earlier this season, Stars fans showed how great the soccer community can be — rivals when those 90 minutes are ticking away, but friends before and after the whistle.

Now, Edmonton supporters groups can support a charitable cause in the Twin Cities.

Question: Being an Edmonton native — and the fact that his dad used to do colour for the old NASL Drillers — is Leonard cheering for FC Edmonton, or the Stars?

Here’s how FC Edmonton supporters can help:

Cheques can be sent to:
Minnesota Stars
C/O Tornado relief
1700 105th Avenue NE
Blaine, MN 55449

Or fans can call Angie at the Stars office, 763-792-7348, to donate by credit card.

In the Dark Clouds’ case, they gathered the money locally and then sent to lump sum as a larger donation.