The 2012–13 Rockford Rampage season was the first and only season of the new

Rockford Rampage The Rockford Rampage was an American indoor soccer team based in Rockford, Illinois, United States. Founded in 2005 as the Rockford Thunder, the team originally played in the American Indoor Soccer League until 2008 then moved to the Major Indoor ...

indoor soccer club. The Rampage, a Central Division team in the

Professional Arena Soccer League A professional is a member of a profession or any person who works in a specified professional activity. The term also describes the standards of education and training that prepare members of the profession with the particular knowledge and skil ...

, played their home games in the

Victory Sports Complex Victory Sports Complex is a multi-purpose arena, in Loves Park, Illinois, just outside the city of Rockford. Opening in 2007, the VSC became home to the Rockford Victory in 2008, when the team announced that it would be playing in the Ultimate ...

Loves Park, Illinois Loves Park is a city in Boone and Winnebago counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. Most of the city is in Winnebago County, with a tiny sliver in the east located in Boone County. The population was 23,996 at the 2010 census, up from 20,044 in ...

. The team was led by owner Saul Robles, head coach Jeff Kraft, and assistant coach Armando Sanchez.

Season summary

The team had mixed results in the regular season. The Rampage started the season with a four-game win streak but stumbled as the team's best players were signed by the

Chicago Soul Chicago soul is a style of soul music that arose during the 1960s in Chicago. Along with Detroit, the home of Motown, and Memphis, with its hard-edged, gritty performers (see Memphis soul), Chicago and the Chicago soul style helped spur the a ...

of the Major Indoor Soccer League. Ultimately, the team finished 7–9 and failed to qualify for the postseason. The Rampage participated in the

2012–13 United States Open Cup for Arena Soccer The 2012–13 US Open Arena Soccer Championship is the fifth edition of an open knockout style tournament for arena/indoor soccer. In this edition, teams from the Professional Arena Soccer League, Premier Arena Soccer League, and other independen ...

. They lost to the Chicago Mustangs in the Wild Card round, abruptly ending their run in the tournament.

History

The previous indoor soccer franchise, founded in 2005 as the Rockford Thunder, was initially a member of the

American Indoor Soccer League The American Indoor Soccer League was a semi-professional indoor soccer league founded in 2002 and folded in 2008. History Founded in 2002, the AISL's headquarters were in West Springfield, Massachusetts, but the media relations office was in C ...

. They played home games at the

. In August 2007, the team changed its name to "Rockford Rampage" to accommodate a women's fastpitch softball team, the

Texas Thunder Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by bo ...

, which relocated to Rockford. The Rampage won the 2007–08 AISL Championship but the league folded soon after the season. In 2008, the Rampage became a founding member of the

National Indoor Soccer League The National Indoor Soccer League (NISL) is an indoor soccer league that began play in 2021 and is based in the Southeast United States. The league fields men's and women's divisions. On March 24, 2021, the league announced its partnership with N ...

and relocated to the

Rockford MetroCentre The BMO Center (formerly known as BMO Harris Bank Center and Rockford MetroCentre) is a multi-purpose arena located in downtown Rockford, Illinois. It is currently home to the AHL's Rockford IceHogs hockey team. The arena formerly served as th ...

in downtown

Rockford, Illinois Rockford is a city in Winnebago County, Illinois, located in the far northern part of the state. Situated on the banks of the Rock River, Rockford is the county seat of Winnebago County (a small portion of the city is located in Ogle County). ...

. The team continued in that league (renamed "Major Indoor Soccer League" in 2009) until going on hiatus in October 2010. Current Rampage head coach Jeff Kraft also led these previous incarnations of the team. The new Rockford Rampage joined the

in August 2012.

Off-field moves

In November 2012, the Rampage signed a marketing agreement that made Radioactive Energy Drink the team's "presenting sponsor" for this season. The beverage's logo was featured on the front of the team's uniform jerseys.

Roster moves

The team held an open tryout at the Victory Sports Complex on Saturday, September 22, 2012.

Awards and honors

On November 13, 2012, Rampage goalkeeper Ante Cop was named PASL Player of the Week for helping lead the team to a 3-0 start and for excellent defensive goalkeeping.

Schedule

Regular season

† Game also counts for US Open Cup, as listed in chart below.

2012–13 US Open Cup for Arena Soccer

References

External links

*rockfordrampage.com Rockford Rampage official website {{DEFAULTSORT:2012-13 Rockford Rampage season

Sports in Rockford, Illinois