Sockers Seeing Red After Loss : San Diego Wants Minnesota’s Goalie Carded for Conduct
The Sockers are seeing red over a possible red card that was not called against Striker goalkeeper Tino Lettieri Sunday night.
This is what happened:
After Jean Willrich scored to give the Sockers a 2-0 lead, Ade Coker--standing in the goal mouth and near Lettieri--threw a clenched fist in the air to celebrate the goal.
Then, Coker bent down to retrieve the loose ball that had shot out of the net like a cannon.
As Coker bent down to get the ball, Lettieri placed his shoulder in Coker’s face. Coker fell to the ground.
“Ade is a cheap-shot artist,” Lettieri said after the Strikers’ 4-3 victory. “He makes like he is your pal and then gives you a shot. Well, I said, ‘I’m your pal,’ and then pow.”
Countered Coker:
“If he can say that after what he did last night, “ Coker said Monday morning, “then he is making himself out to be an amateur and an idiotic child. And I mean idiotic in capital letters.
“For all the antics that he does, it will come back to haunt him. . . . If he’s going to give it, he better learn to take it and not moan about it.”
Throughout this Major Indoor Soccer League championship series, the Sockers have been trying to bait the hot-tempered and physical Lettieri into getting a red card for violent conduct.
Lettieri, the mainstay and showman of the Minnesota team, received a red card in the Strikers’ Eastern Division final series against Cleveland.
He will have to miss a game if he gets another red card.
Coker said he did not say anything to Lettieri Sunday night. When asked if he was trying to bait Lettieri, Coker said, “absolutely not.”
“After giving up the second goal,” Coker said, “he (Lettieri) was frustrated. I went down to pick up the ball and next thing I know, he put his shoulder in my face.”
There was no call. Not a foul, penalty, yellow or red card.
“Marty (senior referee Marty Templin) said he never saw it,” Coker said. “Bill Maxwell (referee) just shrugged his shoulders.”
The television camera cut away from the goal mouth after Willrich’s goal. Therefore, the incident is not on tape.
That makes it a lot more difficult for Socker Coach Ron Newman to appeal the non-call to the league office.
However, appeals seem to be in vogue these days.
Minnesota appealed the yellow card Socker defender Fernando Clavijo received in Game 3 Friday night.
A film of the game was reviewed by James Budish, MISL director of operations, and Bill Kentling, chairman of the executive committee.
Saturday, Budish announced that Clavijo’s yellow card--given for unsportsmanlike conduct--had been upgraded to a red card.
Clavijo originally received a yellow card for tripping Striker forward Alan Willey, who was forced to leave the game with a hyper-extended knee.
“We’re making a statement that the league will protect players,” Budish said. “We (the MISL executive committee) don’t believe it (Clavijo’s tackle) was premeditated, but we believe it was a red card violation.”
Said Clavijo: “Maybe I went high, but I didn’t want to hurt anyone.”
Clavijo said he finds it difficult to believe he would get a red card and Lettieri would get off without a yellow or red card.
“I really believe that someone doesn’t want us to win the championship,” Clavijo said.
In addition to his confrontation with Coker, Lettieri elbowed Socker midfielder Branko Segota at midfield and shoved Socker midfielder Jacques Ladouceur.
No call was made either time.
“I was going toward the ball and he (Lettieri) gave me a shove,” Ladouceur said. “He already had the ball. It could have been a foul.
“He was throwing his elbows the whole game. You can’t touch him, but he pushed some of our guys out of the way.”
If Lettieri receives another red card, the Strikers will be forced to play a rusty Bill Irwin in goal.
Irwin has played just 39 seconds during the playoffs and was 2-7 with a 6.08 goals-against average during the regular season.
“It could be serious for them if he (Lettieri) had to sit out a game,” Newman said.
Lettieri is 9-3 in the playoffs and has set MISL playoff records with nine victories and 704 minutes played.
He is a very hot goalkeeper.
Hot with his feet. His temper. And his words.
Socker Notes Despite trailing 3-1 in the best-of-seven MISL championship series, many of the Sockers remain confident that they can win the next three games and capture their fifth straight indoor championship. Most of the players were actually quite relaxed on the plane trip back to San Diego Monday. “Personally, I have enough confidence we’ll make it,” Fernando Clavijo said. “I know we’re the best team. I can’t see San Diego not winning the championship. And I would say 95% of us feel pretty confident.” . . . Branko Segota and Tino Lettieri flew to Vancouver Monday. They rejoined the Canadian national team, which played Wales Monday night.. . . Bob Bell, Socker managing general partner, did not attend the team’s championship games in Minnesota. Limited partners Gene Hankin and Frank Najor did attend. . . . On Monday, the MISL officially announced that Bill Kentling is the league’s new commissioner. Kentling was general manager of the Wichita Wings.
