Even in the best case scenario — where Minnesota reaches the NASL final — the match against the Cosmos on Saturday will be the last for United in the National Sports Center stadium. Whether you love or hate the Nessie, this is a milepost in the journey of the team. The final match at NSC: the last home NASL match. What will be the best way to celebrate the team and close out this chapter in their history? It’s something Dark Clouds member AJ Jahnig has had on his mind.
In August, Jahnig volunteered to lead the Dark Clouds tifo effort. Tifo — the choreographed displays by supporters at the start of the match — can go in several different directions: ribbing the opponent, commenting on a current event, promoting the team, humorous, solemn, graphically stunning. Some of the best are an elegant combination.
“It’s nerve wracking for my end because you don’t really know what’s good or bad when it comes to tifo when you’ve never done it before, but I think it’s exciting,” says Jahnig. “I think it’s a good send off, so to speak, for the NSC and NASL, overall. I know everyone in Dark Clouds wants to do something memorable and something that will be a good culmination of seven years of memories, so to speak. I hope this fits the bill for that — I think it does. I’m pretty excited about it.”
Jahnig got some guidance from Ben Pfutzenreuter, who led the Dark Clouds tifo effort a few years ago. Working together, they quickly zeroed in on the idea for this weekend. “He and I were spitballing ideas and he basically ran with it and a couple days later, he had a full-fledged idea.” Over the course of the next couple weeks Jahnig sewed and traced the outline of the design onto the fabric. About a dozen more Dark Clouds met him at the Summit Brewing Patio last week to complete the paint job.
Those twelve people are the only ones who know what’s in store, but if you’d like to make a guess, Jahnig has a hint for you: “Porky Pig.” We’ll also give you one last peek:
Have a favorite tifo from the past? Think you know what the final Dark Clouds tifo will be? Let us know in the comments!
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