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The Aurora have done almost everything right, and reaped just about every reward a fledgling sports franchise can reap, but they've tried just a bit too hard to fit into the ethos of Minnesota sports.
Win big in the regular season, lose in the postseason? Where have we heard this before?
Oh, that's right — we've heard it from every men's franchise in Minnesota since 1991.
Friday, the Minnesota Aurora will play the Indy Eleven at Keyworth Stadium in Detroit in the conference semifinals of the USL W League. The Aurora went 10-0-2 this season, and somehow that stands as the worst record in their three-year existence.
They are 33-0-3 in their first three regular seasons, and went to the championship game in their inaugural year and the conference finals last season.
No, they didn't lose because someone took a knee, or they had an extra player in the huddle, or because Phil Cuzzi officiated one of their games.
Their record, attendance and ability to draw attention in a packed sports marketplace have all been exceptional, given that the team was conceived on napkins at a brewery.
They also, unlike fully professional sports franchises, are in the business of player development and in the habit of highlighting social justice, so trophies aren't their only raison d'être.
That doesn't mean they're not competitive. Speak with one of their founders, and the conversation won't get far before they mention their thirst for a championship. Speak with their players and coach, and they temper the conversation with talk of "process," without concealing their ambition.
"We talk about it at training all the time," midfielder Sophie French said. "Pressure is a privilege. So, there is pressure on us and we want to win, and that's a privilege to have that be a goal, a collective goal.
"That's like a fuel, not something that's restricting us."
By virtue of their dominance and drawing power, it would seem that the league is making a mistake by not allowing the Aurora to host this and every possible playoff game. They play in a beautiful venue — the Vikings' TCO Stadium — and can guarantee a 6,000-seat sellout.
Instead, teams from Indiana and Minnesota will play in Michigan.
The Aurora aren't complaining. They're flying on Thursday afternoon, and they've come to enjoy traveling together.
French and midfielder Jelena Zbiljic said they play charades on an app, and hang out in each other's hotel rooms. As a group of women who are in college or looking for post-college advancement in their sport, the Aurora often feel like a combination summer camp, job fair, grassroots campaign and soccer clinic.
"We do have unfinished business from the inaugural season and last year," Zbiljic said. "This is our third year into this, and all of the new players and returnees are on the same page. I think one of the best things about the Aurora is that we all have that collective mindset that we're all here to get better as individuals, but then also as a team."
Zbiljic is from Excelsior and played her senior season at the University of Minnesota. French grew up in Oregon and played for the University of Portland.
They raved about the atmosphere they've enjoyed at home games, and the support of fans and other women's teams in the Twin Cities.
Aurora players also know that the franchise could move in a half-dozen directions in the future, as women's soccer leagues and franchises shape-shift to maximize popularity and revenue growth.
That won't be on the players' minds this week, though. They'll fly to Detroit, and play cards and walk to Starbucks, and then try to accomplish that which is rare and special at any level of sport.
"When you jump on board and decide to come here, you already have decided that this is something we're aiming for," Zbiljic said. "We're ready to go for that championship."
That's all that's left for the Aurora to accomplish at this level, as their founders are acutely aware.
