Can Any Team in MISL Really Stop Sockers? : Only Baltimore and Las Vegas Seem to Threaten the Defending Champions

As the Major Indoor Soccer League playoffs begin, a couple of teams seem capable of striking fear into the hearts of the Sockers.

The Baltimore Blast swept three regular-season games from the Sockers and are looking for revenge from the 1982-83 championship series. And the Las Vegas Americans, who split four games with San Diego, have six former Sockers dying to knock out San Diego.

So, which team scares the Sockers?

“I fear us the most,” Coach Ron Newman said. “If we don’t play up to what we can play, that’s the only thing that can stop us. Nobody else can stop us if we play to our capability.”

Newman may sound like he’s bragging, but he’s only being realistic.

After all, the Sockers rewrote the MISL record book during the regular season with 37 wins and a record-tying 302 goals.

Steve Zungul won his third triple crown (goals, assists and total points) and set an assist record. Zoltan Toth set a record for goalkeepers with 11 assists and Zungul and Branko Segota became the first teammates ever to score 100 points each in a season.

The records will mean nothing in the playoffs, except that the Sockers should win their fourth straight indoor championship.

“We don’t have to worry about anybody else,” Segota said. “They have to worry about us. If we play our game, I can’t see anybody beating us.”

In first-round play, the Sockers will meet St. Louis, Kansas City or Wichita.

It would be an upset if any of those teams beat San Diego. The Sockers swept four-game season series from Kansas City and Wichita. They beat St. Louis two of three times, losing in St. Louis by allowing three goals in the final 5 1/2 minutes.

Several Socker players said it really doesn’t matter who they play first. Newman concurred.

Newman did say he’d rather not play Wichita, only because flight connections are more difficult. Evidently, the Sockers would prefer a nonstop flight back from St. Louis or Kansas City before the semifinals.

San Diego won’t know its first-round schedule until this week’s mini-playoffs conclude. The possibilities:

If Wichita upsets Minnesota, the Sockers will begin at home April 25 against Wichita.

If Minnesota sweeps Wichita in two games and there is a two-game sweep in the St. Louis-Kansas City playoff, the Sockers begin at home Sunday. They would play the St. Louis-Kansas City winner.

If either mini-playoff takes three games and Minnesota is one of the winners, the Sockers begin at home next Wednesday against the St. Louis-Kansas City winner.

The Sockers will begin the playoffs on a roll. They have won 4 straight, 12 of 14, 19 of 23 and 23 of 28.

“We’ve been winning, even though we haven’t played so well,” Newman said. “If everybody all of a sudden starts turning in good performances, who on earth could stay on the field with us? There’s no way anybody could do it.”

Other teams, most notably Baltimore and Las Vegas, take exception to that.

“The Sockers are definitely the team to beat,” said Las Vegas goalkeeper Alan Mayer, a former Socker. “But they won’t walk through it by any means. Baltimore and our team both gave them a tough time. For sure, there are teams that can beat them.”

Barring any early-round upsets, the Sockers would meet the Baltimore-Las Vegas winner in the MISL championship series.

If the Sockers win in the first-round, they would play the Chicago-Cleveland winner in the MISL semifinals.

The Sockers have swept three one-goal games from Chicago, including two in overtime. They were 3-1 against Cleveland, losing in overtime.

With a win over Chicago or Cleveland, then the Sockers might get a shot at either Baltimore or Las Vegas. Baltimore is the only team to hold a season edge over the Sockers.

“We’re due to beat Baltimore,” Newman said. “They caught us twice on bad days, and they got lucky the other time. I wouldn’t mind playing them again.”

All season, it seems, the Sockers had excuses for their infrequent losses. It was either poor officiating, injuries, bad personal days or lucky days for the other teams. Never was it a lack of talent.

As the playoffs approach, the Sockers are fortunate to be in relatively good health.

Defenders Paulo Moura (arthroscopic knee surgery) and Brian Schmetzer (broken foot) both returned last weekend. Newman said Moura still needs to get stronger but Schmetzer appears in good shape.

Ade Coker returned from a bruised knee last Saturday, only to reinjure the knee in the first half. Coker’s status on the 16-man playoff roster is doubtful.

“If we do get injuries in the playoffs, these players might not quite be fit for matches,” Newman said. “We would’ve liked to get them into three or four games before the playoffs. We’re not sure of what they could do in the playoffs.”

The Sockers seem very sure of what they can do. Whether it be by arrogance or confidence, they have no doubt who should win the championship.

And they’re not talking about Baltimore or Las Vegas.