Minnesota Aurora FC withdraws pro bid

MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota Aurora FC, the state's pre-professional women's soccer team, has withdrawn its bid to jump to the pros .

In a letter to the team's community owners, the board cited "circumstances out of our control" as the reason for a delay in moving to the National Women's Soccer League.

"Though the NWSL isn't happening right now, we are committed to building a healthy and sustainable organization that will grow so we can continue to explore all opportunities available to us in the future," the board said.

The Aurora have played in the USL W League since the team's inception in 2022. In three years, the team has yet to suffer a regular season loss. They made it to the championship their inaugural season, but lost in overtime. They've been bounced earlier in the playoffs each of the last two seasons.

This is the second time club has postponed plans to go pro. After the inaugural season, the team announced intentions to jump to the NWSL , but failed to secure the necessary funding .

The team has more than 3,000 community owners. In addition, the board said it secured "a strong investment group" for this bid.

"There remains strong interest by investors to support Minnesota Aurora going pro," the board said.

Note: The video above originally aired June 16, 2024.