You’d have to be pretty oblivious to not know about the soccer revolution going on in Minnesota. From the rise of the Loons from the NASL to MLS, to last year’s wonder women Minnesota Aurora, soccer is exploding in the state. And the growth isn’t limited to the top tiers. Soccer is growing throughout the state from the biggest national leagues down to the local. Everywhere you go in the state, you’ll find the sport on the rise.

That growth is what inspired this week’s announcement of a Minnesota Super Cup. The competition will kick off this year with 6 lower league clubs from every major national league. The participants come from USL2, UPSL, NPSL, and MLSNP. The club list is a who’s who in men’s amateur soccer in the state: Mpls City (USL2), St Croix (USL2), Duluth (NPSL), Med City (NPSL), Vlora (UPSL), and MNUFC U19 (MLS Next).

The Managing Director of the state cup, Jonathan Martinson, talked with Protagonist about how the idea came about. “This iteration of the concept came about kind of organically through casual "what if" conversations. Looking at the landscape of soccer in Minnesota, particularly, the pre-professional "lower divisions", many good, exciting things are happening. We now have several clubs represented in the pre-professional leagues, USL2, NPSL, and UPSL, and a number of players from these clubs progressing in their soccer careers. These clubs are producing quality game-day experiences for their energetic fan bases and giving high-level exposure to many quality players. From a casual fan perspective, I want to see more of this. So, the thought came about to pull these clubs together in a serious competition that hopefully enhances what the individual clubs are doing while fostering more growth in the community. I mean what gets people most excited about supporting their club? Local rivalries and high-stakes matches. The Minnesota Super Cup will provide that.”

The Minnesota Super Cup schedule has yet to be announced, but the competition will be “following a World Cup-type format with a group stage (two groups of 3), a knockout stage (semifinal), and a final.” While the group and semifinal matches will be hosted by the clubs, the Super Cup will host the final. Following @MNSuperCup on Twitter and visiting mnsupercup.com is the best way to keep up to date on announcements.

Dan Hoedeman, one of the founders of MPLS City, is fired up about his club participating in a state-wide tournament. “Ultimately, we are seeing that the work of unifying American soccer is going to come down to clubs and individuals doing it themselves. We're proud to be part of the Super Cup and what it does to bring all these disparate leagues together. It's also exciting to see some old rivals [Duluth, Med City] in a competitive setting again. This trophy is one we very much want to win."

While the MSC is currently focused on getting the men’s Cup up and running, Protagonist had to ask about the potential of a women’s cup in the future. In response, Martinson responded that “there are discussions happening regarding a number of future events and I am really excited about these opportunities.”

The Minnesota Super Cup announcement certainly offers even the most casual amateur soccer fan a lot to be excited about. The clubs involved are big players in the sport, loaded with talented players, and should put on an exciting show. Hopefully the matches will be broadcast for those of us outside the North Star State, though no confirmation on that yet. Regardless, the MSC is a great development for the Minnesota soccer community and a model for other states to follow.

- Dan Vaughn