Not Everyone Wants Veee Back : Some Players Question His Value to Sockers If He Becomes a Free Agent and Is Signed
Juli Veee may soon be coming back to the Sockers, but his homecoming may not be greeted with open arms.
Both an attacker and defender are questioning why the Sockers would need Veee again. After all, the Sockers tied a Major Indoor Soccer League scoring record with 302 goals last season in winning their fourth straight indoor championship.
“We have a pretty solid team,” midfielder Branko Segota said. “If anything, we need some defenders. We have plenty of firepower. Up front, I don’t know where Juli would play. I guess it would be good for the fans to bring him back.”
Said goalkeeper Jim Gorsek: “We have good defenders, but they haven’t made a name for themselves. If you’re looking for a weak point, it has to be our defense.”
Players also wonder how Veee would affect the team’s attitude. Gorsek still hasn’t forgotten what Veee said about him while Veee was playing for Las Vegas in February.
According to Veee, Gorsek probably would have been “shoveling manure somewhere” if not for veteran players on the Sockers. Veee was among the veterans on three of the Sockers’ four championship teams.
“I’ll take that up with him,” Gorsek said Tuesday. “I had a few words with him when we played in Las Vegas. He laughed and said he was misquoted, but I know he wasn’t. If it comes down to it, I’m sure I’ll have my few words with him. Some say he’d be good for us. Some say he should be the one out shoveling manure because of what he did to Steve Zungul. He had no right to go after someone the way he did.”
The act in question occurred when Las Vegas played the Sockers here in February. Veee, frustrated because his team was losing, head-butted Zungul from behind and knocked him to the ground.
Zungul is currently visiting relatives in Yugoslavia, but he is known to still be upset at Veee. Socker owner Bob Bell does not think Veee’s possible return would cause dissension among the stars.
“If Juli played well, they’d be happy to have him,” Bell said. “If he didn’t play well, he wouldn’t play. If he had been on our team last season, I’ll guarantee you he would have said a lot worse things about Jim Gorsek. Players are on each other all the time.”
Veee, the Sockers’ all-time leading scorer, was a fan favorite when he played for San Diego. However, he was booed by Socker fans after he head-butted Zungul. Veee has not played in San Diego since the incident.
“I don’t think the fans will forget it,” Gorsek said. “Hopefully, they’d remember him for what he did in the past. He’s another player who would have to complement the team. If he doesn’t fit in, he won’t play a lot. If he does, he’ll make us stronger.”
Veee is technically a member of the Las Vegas Americans, who folded last month. However, he has not been paid in two months and will become a free agent Saturday if he is not paid.
“Everything depends on him officially becoming a free agent,” Bell said. “Anything before that is tampering. The minute he’s a free agent, we’ll sit down and talk.”
Scott Simpson, Veee’s agent, said five MISL teams have offered more money than the Sockers. Teams on the list include Baltimore, Wichita, Cleveland and Dallas.
Veee had three years remaining on a Las Vegas contract worth $700,000. Sources said he is seeking a three-year contract from the Sockers worth between $75,000 and $100,000 a year.
“Juli would like to finish here,” Simpson said. “It’d probably be best for him and the Sockers. Anybody else would need to pay considerably more for him to even consider playing elsewhere. Baltimore feels that with Juli, it could beat San Diego, which is probably true.”
Without Veee, the Sockers beat Baltimore, 4 games to 1, in the 1985 MISL championship series.
Socker Notes
The Sockers may also sign midfielder Kaz Deyna next week. Deyna, 37, is the team captain. “I’m still negotiating with Bob Bell,” said Scott Simpson, who represents Deyna. “We should have that wrapped up next week.” Bell said he thinks the Deyna situation “will be resolved” next week. . . . Jim Gorsek is unhappy with the two remaining years on his three-year contract. Gorsek was paid $50,000 last season. He noted that Scott May, Baltimore’s second-string goalkeeper, was paid the same salary. “I consider myself one of the top goalkeepers in the league and want to be paid that way,” Gorsek said. “I’m trying to renegotiate, but right now, Bob Bell won’t talk to me about it. He said the club policy is not to renegotiate, which is the first I’ve heard of it. If I get more, fine. If not, I have a contract to play up to.” . . . Branko Segota had surgery recently for bone chips in his right foot. Segota said the injury does not bother him now.
1985 SOCKERS SCHEDULE
October: 25--at Baltimore; 27--at Cleveland.
November: 1--Chicago; 9--Los Angeles; 22--at Dallas; 23--at Wichita; 30--St. Louis.
December: 4--Los Angeles; 7--Minnesota; 13--at Cleveland; 14--at Kansas City; 21--Dallas; 22--at Los Angeles; 26--at Wichita; 27--at St. Louis; 29--Tacoma.
January: 3--Wichita; 8--at Tacoma; 11--St. Louis; 17--Tacoma; 19--Baltimore; 22--Kansas City; 25--Pittsburgh; 28--at Kansas City; 31--at Chicago.
February: 2--at Pittsburgh; 4--Minnesota; 7--Wichita; 9--at Tacoma; 11--Los Angeles; 14--Kansas City; 16--at St. Louis; 23--at Pittsburgh; 26--at Chicago; 28--at Cleveland.
March: 2--at Los Angeles; 4--at Kansas City; 7--at St. Louis; 9--at Wichita; 12--Kansas City; 15--Wichita; 18--at Minnesota; 22--Baltimore; 26--Tacoma; 29--St. Louis.
April: 2--at Tacoma; 4--at Los Angeles; 5--Dallas.
