Magee out as Thunder coach

Richard Sennott, Star Tribune file

Amos Magee on Tuesday announced his decision to step down halfway through his third season as head coach of the Thunder.

The team is without a victory in its past 10 league matches and is in last place in the USL's First Division.

By DAVID La VAQUE, Star Tribune

Last update: July 22, 2008 - 9:56 PM

New ownership, a new home -- and now, a new coach. The changes keep coming for the Minnesota Thunder.

Amos Magee on Tuesday announced his decision to step down halfway through his third season as head coach. Team President Manny Lagos said that the Thunder, in last place in the United Soccer League's First Division, needs a new direction.

The Thunder enters Thursday's match against Seattle with a 0-6-4 record in its past 10 league matches and has not won since May 24. It is four points out of the final playoff spot and has not qualified for postseason play since 2004.

"The past couple weeks have been difficult for the organization and for Amos himself," Lagos said. "The reality is, this team needs to play better and to play with more consistency."

A flat 1-0 loss to Rochester on Sunday prompted some soul-searching, Magee said. He requested a meeting with Lagos, and after a few hours of "raw, in-depth and very fruitful" conversation they came to a "pretty mutual" decision that Magee would step down. He posted a 16-35-22 record as Thunder coach.

Assistant coach Don Gramenz, who was a Thunder teammate of Magee's from 1991 until Gramenz retired in 2003, will serve as interim head coach while a permanent replacement is found.

"Our team needs to exceed a certain pace, and we weren't doing it," Magee said. "Is this the right answer? I don't know, but it's a start. We have the talent in our locker room to be a playoff team. We are not a last-place team."

Magee trained with the team during its inaugural 1990 season and appeared in at least one Thunder match every season until his retirement in 2004. He played under Buzz Lagos, Manny's father, and remains the Thunder's all-time leading scorer in professional matches with 64 goals and 39 assists.

Manny Lagos, whose ties to Magee stretch back two decades when they were teammates at St. Paul Academy, called the move "unbelievably difficult." Lagos added that Magee will be offered another position within the organization.

"It's hard when it's a long-term member of the Thunder family," he said. "But there is also a business side to think about. We expect to improve from game to game and to start winning more."

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