They Can’t Be in Two Places at Once : World Cup and MISL Playoff Conflicts Affect Five Sockers
Many soccer players dream of representing their country in World Cup competition. And players in the Major Indoor Soccer League dream of helping their teams win the championship.
But can a player realize both dreams?
Numerous MISL players are trying, including five Sockers--Kevin Crow, Jim Gorsek, Jacques Ladouceur, Branko Segota and Hugo Perez. Segota plays for the Canadian national team, the others play for the U.S. national team.
Their dilemma is simple to understand and difficult to handle. The next round of World Cup qualifying competition is in May, which coincides with the MISL playoffs.
“If the qualifying games are the day before or day after a playoff game, I’ll try to make them,” Crow said. “If they are the same day as the Sockers play, I don’t want to let the Sockers down. Players are caught in the middle by this because the leagues don’t cooperate.”
The leagues in question are the MISL and the United States Soccer Federation, the chief governing body of soccer in the U.S. The MISL, a part of the USSF domain, is the major supplier of World Cup players.
“We’d like to help them, but it has to be done in order of priorities,” Socker Owner Bob Bell said. “We’re not going to destroy the MISL or its players. It seems the USSF doesn’t recognize that. They scream and yell when players are not lent to their satisfaction. I can’t destroy my franchise for them.”
The Sockers are attempting to win their fourth straight indoor championship. However, the task will be difficult on their World Cup players, as it is for those of other MISL teams, because of the excessive travel involved in playing for two teams.
The next round of qualifying matches for the U.S. are temporarily set for May 15 and 19 against Trinidad-Tobago and May 26 and 31 against Costa Rica. Bell questioned why the matches could not have been scheduled in June.
“We are stuck with the dates we have for the World Cup,” said Chuck Blazer, vice president of the USSF. “We are required by FIFA (international soccer’s governing body) to complete this round by May 31. We have set our dates as late as possible to minimize conflict with the MISL. The next thing we have to do is see how long the MISL can work around these dates, if possible.”
The World Cup is a major event for the players. The U.S., which has not qualified for the World Cup finals since 1950, is considered to have a legitimate chance to qualify for the 1986 finals in Mexico City.
Tuesday, the U.S. lost to Canada, 2-0, in an exhibition match in Vancouver. The teams meet again tonight in Portland. Segota has returned to San Diego for the Sockers’ game against Tacoma on Friday night at the Sports Arena. The other four Sockers will play tonight in Portland and will fly home Friday morning.
“This is a tiring process,” Ladouceur said. “But everyone wants something to do with their national team. That’s the ultimate goal for a player. The league just needs to draw lines on this. And when they draw the lines, it’s going to be difficult. Everyone will lose out somehow.”
Ron Newman is trying to satisfy both parties. He is the Sockers’ head coach and an assistant coach for the U.S. national team.
“I’d like to see our national team get to the World Cup, but not at the expense of the Sockers,” he said. “I will do all I can to help the national team without putting our club in jeopardy. To be 100% safe, we could ignore the USSF. That is not good PR for our club and would be a very selfish way to go. We have to see how much we can bend without breaking.”
Some MISL clubs already hit their breaking point. After the U.S. beat the Netherlands Antilles in a qualifying match last October, four MISL teams withdrew their players from the national team and were fined $5,000 a player by the USSF. The now-defunct Cosmos were fined $35,000 and $5,000 fines were assessed to Baltimore, Pittsburgh and St. Louis. All fines were suspended and may be rescinded after a year if the USSF thinks the teams are being cooperative.
As usual, players were caught in the middle.
“Some players just won’t do it any more,” Crow said. “It takes a lot out of you. You’re killing yourself. The odds of benefiting from it are not great. It’s not like you are making any money playing for the U.S. team. And if you get hurt, you don’t know what might happen with your indoor team.”
Earl Foreman, outgoing commissioner of the MISL, made that point clear in a memorandum to league owners last Friday. Foreman said players must sign a waiver releasing their MISL team from any responsibility in regard to injuries before they can participate in the World Cup.
The Sockers are particularly concerned about the possibility of World Cup-related injuries. They already have three defenders and one forward sidelined by injuries.
“I’m sitting here with all sorts of injuries,” Bell said. “If one of my guys gets hurt, I’m taking a terrible risk. Injuries could hurt us in the playoffs. If we lose in the first round of the playoffs, I’m risking a loss of $1 million in potential revenue for the playoffs. Could you imagine the Padres fighting for a pennant and deciding to send Steve Garvey to play in a World Cup exhibition for baseball?”
Blazer argued that the USSF also has a lot at stake, noting Chico Borja of Las Vegas may not play for the U.S. national team because of torn knee ligaments suffered last Saturday against the Sockers.
“If you look at the number of injuries from our games, thank God, we don’t have many,” Blazer said. “What happens to us when a player like Chico sustains an injury just before a World Cup game? The federation has put a lot of time, money and effort into these players as well.”
The USSF also offers opportunity for advancement in pro soccer. Crow, for instance, is considered a candidate to play in the prestigious English First Division outdoors next season.
“The World Cup gives me a good opportunity to get exposure,” Crow said. “My goal is still to play outdoor soccer if I get the opportunity. I like indoor soccer, too, but outdoor is a much better game to me.”
Most soccer players agree. Perez, in fact, has a contract clause permitting him to play for the U.S. national team, even if it conflicts with a Socker playoff game. The other four Sockers involved do not have the clause.
The Sockers agreed to the clause as a compromise after Perez was suspended for two months earlier this season in a contract dispute. Perez dropped his arbitration hearing when the Sockers added the clause.
Though Perez has the opportunity to play in each World Cup qualifying game, he still is hedging.
“I’ll make the decision when I know who we’re playing in the playoffs,” he said. “If I’m going to be in the World Cup, I need time to train with the team. If I have played indoor for five months and need to play outdoor the next day, I won’t be fit for outdoor. I want to play in the World Cup, but I want to at least help the Sockers win the championship again.”
Players in other countries do not face the same predicament.
“Other countries stop their leagues and let their team prepare for the World Cup,” Perez said. “That doesn’t happen here. If we qualify for the World Cup, you’re talking about the outdoor game coming back in the United States. And my ultimate goal is to play in the World Cup.”
The players obviously would like to be part of both another indoor championship and World Cup qualifying team. Their dilemma must ultimately by solved by the MISL and USSF--two organizations that talk of compromise but refuse to bend.
Socker Notes
Bob Bell said there is an 80 to 90% chance the Sockers will spend two weeks in China in October. They would play four outdoor games--two each against Chinese national and army teams. Bell said the trip might also include an indoor game in Hong Kong. . . . Sockers’ playoff tickets will go on sale at halftime of Friday night’s game against Tacoma.
