Timing Is Off for Schalke 04 Team in Its 8-3 Exhibition Loss to Sockers
It was 4:30 Monday morning in Germany when the Sockers exploded for four goals in the third quarter of their 8-3 win win against Schalke 04 in an International Challenge exhibition match Sunday night at the Sports Arena.
“We got tired and it was very hard work for our players in the second half,” Schalke 04 Coach Diethelm Ferner said through a translator. “There was the time difference, we’re not playing right now in Germany and therefore a lot of players are not in the best condition, and the indoor game is entirely different.”
Schalke 04, considered to be the most popular outdoor club in West Germany, arrived in Los Angeles late Saturday afternoon. The team took a bus to San Diego Saturday night, and was instructed on the American indoor rules Sunday.
In Germany, Schalke 04 (6-8-5) finished 11th in the Bundesliga (First Division) this season. It uses the indoor game--without sideboards--primarily for training.
“We’re not used to the boards,” Ferner said.
Schalke 04 also wasn’t used to substituting quickly and regularly. It often substituted five players at a time instead of continually moving fresh players in and out.
“They had a hard time judging how long they should be out before substituting,” Socker Coach Ron Newman said. “Their reactions slowed down and we flew by them.”
San Diego led at halftime, 3-2. With the score 4-2 in the third quarter, Jean Willrich, Branko Segota and Jacques Ladouceur scored within a one-minute, 42-second stretch.
“The technique of the Sockers is great,” 19-year-old Olaf Thon said through a translator. Thon, a member of the German National team, had an assist and two goals, including a rocket left-footer with two seconds to play in the first half.
“If we played the indoor game more often, we could get used to it,” Thon said. “But the Sockers are a very good team. Steve Zungul is an excellent player. He wouldn’t have any problem playing in Germany.”
Zungul scored two goals. After missing five games with a sprained right toe, Ade Coker returned and had two goals and an assist. Raffaele Ruotolo also scored for San Diego.
Brian Quinn added three assists for a Socker team that was coming off an impressive 9-0 win against Wichita Friday night.
“We played with a letdown tonight,” Newman said. “At the start, we weren’t really going at it with guns blasted.”
San Diego still managed to improve its mark in international competition to 4-0. On Dec. 11, the Sockers beat Dynamo Kiev of the Soviet Union, 6-4, in front of 10,969 at the Sports Arena.
“The Dynamo team might be a bit more aggressive, but the Germans are probably a little more skillful,” Newman said. “They are quick to the ball.”
Schalke 04 played a patient, defensive game that probably impressed the San Diego players more than the announced crowd of 5,012.