History
The Rampage were originally owned by Pro Soccer International, a group managed by Michael O'Flaherty and Oscar Albuquerque, a former member of the former National Professional Soccer League's Illinois Thunder and the 1980 Canadian Olympic qualifying team.
On October 7 and 8, 2006, try-outs were held for the, then, Rockford Thunder at the ISC. 24 players arrived from various soccer backgrounds. Some had played locally with the Rockford Raptors, but other players had played in various leagues including: Segunda división mexicana, Tercera división mexicana, Primera División Uruguaya, 2 Liga Polska, USL First Division, and Premier Development League (PDL).
On March 10, 2007, after defeating the Cincinnati Excite 5-4 with a late goal by Ante Cop, the Thunder secured a position in the AISL finals to face the Massachusetts Twisters.
On March 31, 2007, the Thunder traveled to West Springfield, Massachusetts for the AISL Championship. The Twisters claimed the championship winning 11-5.
On August 7, 2007, the AISL announced that the Thunder had changed their name to the Rampage. This is most likely due to the Texas Thunder of the National Pro Fastpitch moving to Rockford.
The Rampage finished the 2007/08 AISL regular season with a 12-1 record. They defeated the Massachusetts Twisters 18-5 in the AISL championship game at home on March 15, 2008.
On September 9, 2008, the Rampage announced they were joining the new Major Indoor Soccer League for its inaugural season in 2008/09. They finished with a 10-8 regular season record, qualified for the playoffs, defeated Monterrey in the playoff semifinals, but lost to Baltimore 13-10 in the NISL championship game.
On July 7, 2009, it was announced that the Rockford Rampage acquired the Chicago Magic youth soccer club and its nationally recognized Development Academy and structured them as a non-profit organization.
On August 21, 2012, the Rampage joined the Professional Arena Soccer League for the 2012-2013 season.
Read more about this topic: Rockford Rampage
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