It's time for Minnesota Aurora to go pro; they just need the right investor

The Minnesota Aurora scrimmaged at TCO Stadium on Tuesday before finishing with the diabolical beep test run, a shuttle run that determines an athlete's fitness while pushing them to exhaustion.

"It's not my favorite," Aurora head coach Nicole Lukic admitted.

They shouldn't be practicing. Their season ended on Saturday with a loss to Indy Eleven in the USL W playoffs. But Aurora players must stay in shape for the teams they will suit up for in the fall. And a less-intense practice, which included music in the background and plenty of laughs, can flush away the pain from their undefeated season ending with a 1-0 loss in the quarterfinals.

So it's time to assess the program after it has gone 26-2-1 over its first two seasons in existence and scored a league-record 60 goals this season.

And here it is: It's time to go pro.

The Aurora are lamenting another season in which they fell short of their championship goals. Beyond the on-field success, this women-led pre-professional juggernaut has performed well off the field. And all while inspiring women who want to be a part of any level of a professional sports organization.

Sponsorships doubled from year one. Merchandise sales were about the same as a year ago — which is an accomplishment because inaugural season gear usually sells well. And, this season, games were televised on FOX9+.

"And we sold TV commercials, and FOX9 sold commercials," said Andrea Yoch, Aurora co-founder and chair. "So that was a new area for us."

And the soccer community has responded. The Aurora averaged about 6,000 spirited fans this season. That would place them ninth in the 12-team National Women's Soccer League, the top women's league in the country. And it would have been neck and neck with the Orlando Pride, owned by the Wilf family, which is averaging 6,001 a game. If the Aurora played in a larger stadium, they likely would average more fans.

But to join the NWSL — or perhaps the USL Super League, which will launch in 2024 — it will take significant investment. Franchise fees for the NWSL are now up to about $50 million. Celebrities — Natalie Portman, Patrick Mahomes, Serena Williams, Matthew Stafford, Julie Foudy, Kevin Durant and Lindsey Vonn among them — have all invested in teams. Denver has announced a group, including former NWSL player Jordan Angeli, that is looking to bring a professional team to Colorado.

The Aurora need to find a celebrity.

"Athletes are doing that," Yoch said. "Megan Rapinoe, if you are reading this, we'd love to have you."

Yoch believes the Aurora have checked all the boxes to be an expansion candidate for a professional league. Yoch expressed this ambition before the season started and it has intensified since. With the Women's World Cup beginning this weekend the exposure could lead to interest, as the state of women's soccer will be discussed for the next several weeks. The NWSL's television deal expires after this season, so it is poised to use the buzz generated by the World Cup to land a bigger deal.

Yoch plans to expand the Aurora's board of directors and take some responsibilities off her list so she can focus on finding the right investor to take the franchise to the next level.

"I'm trying to fire myself," she joked.

If the right investors are found, the Aurora would become the latest professional sports franchise in the Twin Cities. Unfortunately, the Aurora already have one thing in common with our other teams: Getting knocked out of the playoffs sooner than expected.

"It's the championship game, getting back there," Lukic said. "We are disappointed we didn't get there. It feels like we fell short even though we accomplished a lot. That's going to continue to be our goal, to get back to the championship game and win the whole thing."

Lukic then joined her players in the beep test. Why is she so mean to herself?

The season ended earlier than the Aurora wanted, but they have established that women's soccer can thrive here, and that could lead to bigger things.