Johnny Menyongar is first player to sign with NSC Minnesota Stars pro soccer team

YES! A midfielder/forward we need.

Now that's a good first pick.

This is splendid.

The aging former media hack for the former club is heartened that his Tiny Ticket nickname has survived these 10 years. An excellent signing.

*Like* button pressed! Welcome home!

I love Johnny. It's good signing, but I'm not sure it's a good first signing. I was hoping for something a little higher profile--not AC St. Louis high profile, but something big nonetheless.

Is Johnny really the guy we can build a winning team around.

Are they obligated to build the team around the first signing?

I like this news a lot. I was genuinely surprised.

Johnny's a pretty well-known name in Minnesota soccer, and many people were disappointed when he left. He's perhaps not a cornerstone for the team performance-wise, though he was the Rochester MVP the last two seasons. He is, however, a great first signing: a fan favorite returning home. There hadn't really been many early indications of him signing here--no Favre-esque courting period--so this is a nice shot of enthusiasm surrounding this new, building team.

(Ok, I'm sounding like Rookie now... must temper enthusiasm somehow... uh, that crest is gonna look awful on Johnny. Yeah, that's it.)

JM is 30 years old and coming off ACL surgery, but he is as close as anyone at this level to being a classic No. 10 -- a play-maker who can score. His production from that position was sorely missed by the Thunder, and they never recovered after he left for Rochester. Hopefully the knee injury doesn't limit his trademark quickness and deceptiveness in tight spaces.

He was always best when he played in the middle as a playmaker. For some reason, Buzz always played him at forward, though.

This is a great signing. I wonder if we'll see someone like Melvin Tarley come back. For all the bad knocks Tarley gets, I think he actually paired up well with Menyongar.