| Club: | NSC Minnesota Stars |
| Season: | 2012 |
| Chrtitle: | Owner |
| Chairman: | Paul Erickson |
| Mgrtitle: | Head coach |
| Manager: | Manny Lagos |
| Stadium: | National Sports Center |
| League: | NASL |
| League Result: | 3rd |
| Cup1: | NASL Playoffs |
| Cup1 Result: | Runners-Up |
| Cup2: | U.S. Open Cup |
| Cup2 Result: | Fourth round vs San Jose Earthquakes |
| Pattern La1: | _goldshoulders |
| Pattern B1: | _amber_sleeve_seams |
| Pattern Ra1: | _goldshoulders |
| Leftarm1: | 244B9B |
| Body1: | 244B9B |
| Rightarm1: | 244B9B |
| Shorts1: | 244B9B |
| Socks1: | 244B9B |
| Pattern La2: | _whiteadidasplate |
| Pattern B2: | _whiteadidasplate |
| Pattern Ra2: | _whiteadidasplate |
| Pattern Sh2: | _white_stripes |
| Pattern So2: | _3_stripes_white |
| Leftarm2: | EFAF33 |
| Body2: | EFAF33 |
| Rightarm2: | EFAF33 |
| Shorts2: | EFAF33 |
| Socks2: | EFAF33 |
| American: | true |
| Prevseason: | 2011 |
| Nextseason: | 2013 |
The 2012 Minnesota Stars FC season was the club's third year of existence and their first season under the simple moniker Minnesota Stars after being called NSC Minnesota Stars for their first two seasons of existence. The team played in the North American Soccer League, the second tier of the American soccer pyramid, for the second consecutive year.
Outside of NASL play, the Stars competed in the 2012 U.S. Open Cup, reaching the fourth round before losing to the San Jose Earthquakes of Major League Soccer.
The Minnesota Stars FC Started the 2012 Regular season as the defending NASL Champions. The home opener was scheduled at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome vs the defending NASL regular season champions, the Carolina RailHawks.
The Stars were still leagued owned at the start of the season; this could have meant that the 2012 season could have been the last season for the franchise.
On November 8, 2012, NASL announced that Dr. William McGuire would be the new owner of the Stars, saving the Stars from possible contraction.[1]
| No. | Name | Nationality | Position | Date of birth (Age) | Signed from | Signed in | Contract ends | Apps. | Goals | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | |||||||||||
| 1 | Mitch Hildebrandt | GK | 2012 10, df=yes | Oakland Golden Grizzlies | 2012 | 3 | 0 | ||||
| 30 | Matt Van Oekel | GK | 2012 10, df=yes | Minnesota Thunder | 2010 | 41 | 0 | ||||
| Defenders | |||||||||||
| 2 | Justin Davis | DF | 2012 10, df=yes | New Mexico Lobos | 2011 | 60 | 2 | ||||
| 3 | Cristiano | DF | 2012 10, df=yes | Miami | 2011 | 44 | 1 | ||||
| 5 | Edi Buro | DF | 2012 10, df=yes |  Travnik | 2012 | ||||||
| 6 | Kevin Friedland | DF | 2012 10, df=yes | Kansas City Wizards | 2004 | 33 | 1 | ||||
| 14 | Brian Kallman | DF | 2012 10, df=yes | Minnesota Thunder | 2010 | 64 | 1 | ||||
| 15 | Evan Sassano | DF | 2012 10, df=yes | 2012 | |||||||
| 16 | Kyle Altman | DF | 2012 10, df=yes | Minnesota Thunder | 2010 | ||||||
| 20 | Connor Tobin | DF | 2012 10, df=yes | Rochester Rhinos | 2012 | ||||||
| 28 | Ernest Tchoupe | DF | 2012 10, df=yes |  Expreso Rojo | 2012 | ||||||
| Midfielders | |||||||||||
| 4 | Neil Hlavaty | MF | 2012 10, df=yes |  Jagiellonia Białystok | 2010 | 85 | 13 | ||||
| 8 | Daniel Wasson | MF | 2012 10, df=yes | VfL Osnabrück | 2010 | ||||||
| 13 | Kentaro Takada | MF | 2012 10, df=yes | Rochester Thunder | 2010 | ||||||
| 19 | Shawn Chin | MF | 2012 10, df=yes |  Edmonton | 2012 | ||||||
| 22 | Kevin Venegas | MF | 2012 10, df=yes | Fullerton Titans | 2010 | 23 | 2 | ||||
| 23 | Miguel Ibarra | MF | 2012 10, df=yes | UC Irvine Anteaters | 2012 | 31 | 5 | ||||
| 24 | Michael Reed | MF | 2012 10, df=yes | PSC Soccer Academy | 2012 | ||||||
| 32 | Lucas Rodríguez | MF | 2012 10, df=yes | Kansas City Brass | 2010 | ||||||
| 77 | Andy Lorei | MF | 2012 10, df=yes | Real Maryland | 2011 | ||||||
| Forwards | |||||||||||
| 7 | Fuad Ibrahim | FW | 2012 10, df=yes | 2012 | |||||||
| 9 | Martin Nuñez | FW | 2012 10, df=yes | Fort Lauderdale Strikers | 2012 | ||||||
| 10 | Simone Bracalello | FW | 2012 10, df=yes | 2010 | 83 | 20 | |||||
| 11 | Amani Walker | FW | 2012 10, df=yes | Orange County Blue Star | 2011 | 48 | 10 | ||||
| 17 | Geison Moura | MF | 2012 10, df=yes | Rockford Rampage | 2010 | ||||||
| 21 | Devin Del Do | FW | 2012 10, df=yes | 2010 | |||||||
| 26 | Travis Wall | FW | 2012 10, df=yes | Columbus Crew | 2012 | ||||||
| Players away on loan | |||||||||||
| Players who left during the season | |||||||||||
In:[2] Out:
In:Out:
See main article: 2012 North American Soccer League season.
See main article: Soccer Bowl 2012.
See main article: 2012 U.S. Open Cup.
|-|colspan="14"|Players who left NSC Minnesota Stars during the season:|}
| width=60 | Place | width=60 | Position | width=60 | Nation | width=60 | Number | width=150 | Name | width=150 | NASL | width=150 | NASL Playoffs | width=150 | U.S. Open Cup | width=80 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | FW |  | 11 | Amani Walker | 7 | 2 | 0 | 9 | |||||||||
| 2 | FW |  | 10 | Simone Bracalello | 5 | 1 | 2 | 8 | |||||||||
| 3 | FW | 9 | Martin Nuñez | 5 | 1 | 0 | 6 | ||||||||||
| 4 | MF |  | 23 | Miguel Ibarra | 3 | 1 | 1 | 5 | |||||||||
| 5 | MF | | 4 | Neil Hlavaty | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | |||||||||
| 6 | MF |  | 13 | Kentaro Takada | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |||||||||
| FW | | 21 | Devin Del Do | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||||||||||
| MF | | 22 | Kevin Venegas | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | ||||||||||
| 9 | DF | | 16 | Kyle Altman | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |||||||||
| DF | | 2 | Justin Davis | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||||||||||
| DF |  | 28 | Ernest Tchoupe | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||||||||||
| DF |  | 3 | Cristiano | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||||||||||
| FW | | 25 | Nate Polak | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||||||||||
| MF | | 12 | Jamie Watson | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||||||||||
| DF | | 6 | Kevin Friedland | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||||||||||
| MF |  | 32 | Lucas Rodríguez | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | ||||||||||
| Own goal | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |||||||||||||
| TOTALS | 34 | 7 | 5 | 46 | |||||||||||||
| Number | Nation | Position | Name | NASL | NASL Playoffs | U.S. Open Cup | Total | |||||
| 2 | | DF | Justin Davis | 7 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
| 3 | | DF | Cristiano | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 4 | | MF | Neil Hlavaty | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 6 | | DF | Kevin Friedland | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 7 | | FW | Fuad Ibrahim | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 9 | FW | Martin Nuñez | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 10 | | FW | Simone Bracalello | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| 13 | | MF | Kentaro Takada | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 14 | | DF | Brian Kallman | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 15 | | DF | Evan Sassano | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 16 | | DF | Kyle Altman | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| 20 | | DF | Connor Tobin | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 21 | | FW | Devin Del Do | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 22 | | MF | Kevin Venegas | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 23 | | MF | Miguel Ibarra | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| 28 | | DF | Ernest Tchoupe | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 32 | | MF | Lucas Rodríguez | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| TOTALS | 41 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 53 | 3 | ||||