Major Indoor Soccer League Preview : Things May Change, but Sockers Still Favorites

Everything in the Major Indoor Soccer League seems to change except the champion.

The San Diego Sockers have won two consecutive MISL titles and three in the last four years. In 1983-84, the Sockers won the North American Soccer League title.

While players are shuffled from team to team and the league headquarters make its annual switch in venues (from Chicago to New York City this year), the Sockers remain intact. They have the same players, they continue to bicker, they set league records and they win.

“Individually, we’re still better than any team,” Socker forward Juli Veee said. “They send a few mummies from one team to another, but those owners get a surprise. And it’s not a treasure.”

In this, the ninth MISL season, the Sockers appear to be front-runners again, with improved Minnesota Striker and Tacoma Star teams offering the stiffest challenge. San Diego came back from a 3-1 deficit to beat Minnesota in last year’s championship series.

“We’ll make the playoffs, no problem,” Veee said. “Tacoma could give us a problem. Maybe Minnesota, but you don’t see a surge of new talent.”

So what is new?

Bill Kentling, the Wichita Wings’ former president, will start his first season as commisioner, replacing Francis Dale, who resigned under pressure from the owners last June.

The regular season has been increased from 48 to 52 games and started last night instead of its traditional late October opener. The New York Express joined the league and will play in the Nassau Coliseum, which was the former home of the Arrows. The Pittsburgh Spirit folded, with its players circulating throughout the league. A $1.2 million salary cap per team has been implemented.

Two rules changes will go into effect: 1) Indirect kicks, which are when the ball must be touched by another player other than the kicker before entering the goal, have been eliminated. 2) Players will come out of the penalty box when their team is scored upon while serving five-minute major penalties. In the past, a short-handed team remained short-handed for the entire five-minute stretch.

ESPN will broadcast MISL games for the second straight season, but this year the television network will pay the league a fee instead of the league paying the network, as it had done last season. ESPN will broadcast 18 games, including the All-Star Game from Los Angeles Feb. 11, as well as four playoff games. The Sockers will be on four delayed telecasts during the regular season.

Here is a brief look at the 12 teams in the league:

WESTERN DIVISION

Kansas City Comets

Last season’s record: 18-30

Finish: Fifth. Did not qualify for the playoffs

Coach: Rick Benben

Top returners: Alan Mayer (G, 15-20, 4.75 GAA), Dale Mitchell (F, 37 goals and 26 assists), Damir Haramina (F, 27 goals and 15 assists), Gino Schiraldi (D, 17 goals and 13 assists)

Top newcomers: Jan Goossens (F, 22 goals and 22 assists in regular season with Minnesota and 12 goals and 9 assists in 15 playoff games), Yilmaz Orhan (M, 12th leading scorer in the history of the MISL with 332 points, played with Pittsburgh last season), Pat Ercoli (F, tied with Orhan as 12th leading scorer in league history, played with Cleveland last year).

Outlook: After a very disappointing year, the Comets made 24 off-season transactions. Offense is much improved with the acquisitions of Goossens, Ercoli, Orhan and 40-year old midfielder Jorgen Kristensen, who is the oldest player in the league. Comets released former Socker Laurie Abrahams, Stuart Lee, Carlos Salguero and Ty Keough.

Los Angeles Lazers

Last season’s record: 13-35

Finish: Sixth. Did not qualify for the playoffs

Coach: Peter Wall

Top returners: Poli Garcia (F, 36 goals and 21 assists), Beto (M, 23 goals and 19 assists), Willie Molano (25 goals and 16 assists in only 37 games), Tim Harris (G, 7-19, 5.32 GAA).

Top newcomers: Stuart Lee (F, club record holder for most goals in a season, 42 in 1984-85, returns after playing with St. Louis last season), Paul Kitson (F, 19 goals and 19 assists with Baltimore), David Brcic (G, 21-22, third in the league with a 3.77 GAA with Pittsburgh).

Outlook: The worst defense in the league last season (270 goals allowed) hopes to get a boost with the acquisition of Brcic and defenders Adam Topolski and Erhardt Kapp from Pittsburgh. Lazers also signed defender their top draft choice, Jim Kavanaugh of St. Louis University. Offense bolstered by return of Lee and acquisition of Kitson.

San Diego Sockers

Last season’s record: 36-12

Finish: First. Defeated St. Louis, 3-1, and Tacoma, 3-1, to win the Western Division. Defeated Minnesota, 4-3, to win the MISL title.

Coach: Ron Newman

Top returners: Branko Segota (M, 60 goals and 46 assists), Hugo Perez (M, 41 goals and 25 assists), Jean Willrich (M, 27 goals and 30 assists), Juli Veee (F, 23 goals and 31 assists), Fernando Clavijo (D, 17 goals, 9 assists, 70 blocked shots) Kevin Crow (D, 10 goals, 10 assists, 94 blocked shots), Jim Gorsek (G, 19-2, 3.72 GAA), Zoltan Toth (G, 17-9, 4.19 GAA).

Top newcomer: Veteran team has only one newcomer. Defender Carlos Melian played for the Wanderers of the First Division in Uruguay.

Outlook: Will age catch up with the veteran Sockers? How will Newman continue to motivate a team that has won five straight indoor titles? The Sockers scored a league record 308 goals and allowed a league-low 195 goals. The Sockers will be without high-scoring forward Steve Zungul for the entire season. Zungul was sold to Tacoma during midseason last year, but the Sockers still won the title.

St. Louis Steamers

Last season’s record: 23-25

Finish: Fourth (tied with Tacoma for third, but finished fourth by virtue of a tiebreaker). Lost to San Diego, 3-1, in first round of Western Division playoffs.

Coach: Pat McBride

Top returners: Nebo Bandovic (F, 33 goals and 8 assists in 29 games) Don Ebert (F, 34 goals and 21 assists), Daryl Doran (M, 31 goals and 23 assists), Slobo Ilijevski (G, 19-17, 4.50 GAA).

Top newcomers: Angelo DiBernardo (M, 14 goals and 15 assists for Kansas City), Louie Nanchoff (M, 37 goals and 128 assists for Dallas), Boki Bandovic (F, 17-year old brother of Steamer forward Nebo, former member of Team Sudjeska).

Outlook: One of the more experienced indoor teams with 10 players having five or more years in the MISL. Without forward Rick Davis, who signed with the New York Express, the offensive load will fall on Ebert, Nanchoff and the Bandovic brothers.

Tacoma Stars

Last season’s record: 23-25

Finish: Third. Beat Wichita, 3-1, in the opening round of the Western Division playoffs and lost to the Sockers, 3-1, in the division finals.

Coach: Alan Hinton

Top returners: Steve Zungul (F, 55 goals and 60 assists to lead the league in scoring), Preki (F, 41 goals and 30 assists), Gary Heale (F, 24 goals and 16 assists), Peter Mowlik (G, 7-3, 4.21 GAA).

Top newcomers: Gerry Gray (M, 19 goals and 31 assists for Chicago), Godfrey Ingram (F, 26 goals and 25 assists for Pittsburgh), Joe Papaleo (G, 1-3, 5.68 GAA for Pittsburgh).

Outlook: Steve Zungul was right when he said the Stars would improve themselves during the off-season. The addition of Gray and Ingram will take some of the offensive pressure off Zungul and Preki. Having Zungul and Coach Hinton from the start of the season will be a big boost. With Zungul, acquired during mid-season from the Sockers last year, the Stars went 11-8. In the playoffs, Tacoma upset Wichita and lost a tough four-game series to the Sockers. Under Hinton, the Stars were 12-9 in the regular season. Goalkeeper Mike Dowler tore cartilage in his knee in midseason last year and is not expected to return until January.

Wichita Wings

Last season’s record: 27-21

Finish: Second. Lost to Tacoma, 3-1, in the opening round of the Western Division playoffs.

Coach: Charlie Cooke

Top returners: Erik Rasmussen (F, 67 goals and 41 assists to place second in the league in scoring with 108 points) Chico Borja (M, 33 goals and 41 assists). Kim Roentved (D, 26 goals and 38 assists). Seamus McDonagh (16-16, 4.94 GAA).

Top newcomers: Laurie Abrahams (F, 15 goals and 19 assists in 31 games for Kansas City), Bill Irwin (G, 2-7, 6.08 GAA with Minnesota), Garry Stanley (M, a veteran of 11 years in the English League). Dale Ervine (M, an All-American from UCLA who was the team’s top draft choice).

Outlook: Charlie Cooke takes over for Roy Turner, who replaced Bill Kentling as the team president. An already high scoring club, led by Rasmussen and Borja, will become even stronger with the addition of Abrahams. Once again, the Wings goalkeeping is suspect.

EASTERN DIVISION

Baltimore Blast

Last season’s record: 24-24

Finish: Fourth. Lost to Cleveland in the opening round of the Eastern Division playoffs.

Coach: Kenny Cooper

Top returners: Mike Stankovic (M, 19 goals and 13 assists), Richard Chinapoo (M, 22 goals and 20 assists), Keith Van Eron (G, 14-10, new MISL mark with a league-leading 3.66 GAA), Scott Manning (10-13, 4.59 GAA).

Top newcomers: Keith Furphy (F, 33 goals and 28 assists with Kansas City and Tacoma last season. Signed as a free agent after Tacoma put him on waivers.), Andy Chapman (26 goals and 19 assists for Cleveland), Paul Child (F, 29 goals and 15 assists with Pittsburgh).

Outlook: “The Fat Man” has retired. Stan Stamenkovic, the team’s leading scorer for the last three seasons and one of the league’s top offensive threats, has opened up “Pizza Bar NO. 10” in his native Yugoslavia. The Blast is once again very strong in goal and on defense. The key will be if Furphy, Chapman and Child can make up for the offensive loss of Stamenkovic.

Chicago Sting

Last season’s record: 23-25

Finish: Tied for fifth with Pittsburgh. Did not qualify for the playoffs.

Coach: Willy Roy

Top returners: Karl-Heinz Granitza (F, 28 goals and 47 assists), Drago Dumbovic (F, 47 goals and 14 assists in 47 games with Chicago and Minnesota), Manny Rojas (F, 24 goals and 17 assists), Victor Nogueira (17-14, 4.31 GAA).

Top newcomers: Batata (M, 17 goals and 29 assists for the Lazers), Vojislav Stanisic (G, played briefly with the Cosmos in 1984-85).

Outlook: The Sting will be playing in suburban Rosemont Horizon instead of at Chicago Stadium. Having the explosive Dumbovic all season should help the Sting, who got off to a 1-7 start last year. Chicago’s 14-10 mark was the best record in the MISL East in the second half of last season, but they fell one win short of making the playoffs.

Cleveland Force

Last season’s record: 27-21

Finish: First. Beat Baltimore, 3-2, in the opening round of the playoffs and lost to Minnesota, 3-1, in conference championship series.

Coach: Timo Liekoksi

Top returners: Craig Allen (F, 50 goals and 31 assists), Ali Kazemaini (F, 38 goals and 21 assists), Carl Valentine (F, 26 goals and 14 assists), Chris Vaccaro (G, 19-14, 4.36 GAA), P.J. Johns (G, 8-6, 3.86 GAA).

Top newcomers: Demond Armstrong (D, draft choice from University of Maryland), John Stollmeyer (D, draft choice from Indiana University), Michael King (D, Farleigh Dickinson).

Outlook: Except for the loss of free agent Andy Chapman and the addition of three draft choices, the Force will field basically the same team it had last season. Cleveland is 114-78 over the past four seasons, but has never reached the championship.

Dallas Sidekicks

Last season’s record: 25-23

Finish: Third. Lost to Minnesota, 3-1, in the opening round of the playoffs.

Coach: Gordon Jago

Top returners: Tatu (F, 49 goals and 32 assists), Krys Sobieski (G, 24-16, 4.42 GAA), Pedro DeBrito (M, 28 goals and 21 assists), Victor Moreland (D, 13 goals, 14 assists and 54 blocked shots).

Top newcomers: Hayden Knight (D, 3 goals and 7 assists in only 15 games with Chicago), Howard Gayle (F, played for Liverpool in England’s First Division).

Outlook: Most of the attention during the off-season focused on whether the team would remain in Dallas. A group headed by Stan Finney Jr. bought the club from Donald Carter. Except for the loss of forward Louie Nanchoff, Dallas returns basically the same team that qualified for the playoffs in only its second year of existence last season.

Minnesota Strikers

Last season’s record: 26-22

Finish: Second. Beat Dallas, 3-1, and Cleveland, 3-1, to win the Eastern Division championship. Lost to the Sockers, 4-3, in the championship series.

Coach: Alan Merrick

Top returners: Thompson Usiyan (F, 30 goals and 30 assists), Alan Willey (F, 43 goals and 12 assists), David Byrne (F, 26 goals and 25 assists), Tino Lettieri (G, 24-15, 4.40 GAA).

Top newcomers: Helmut Dudek (D, 18 goals and 23 assists for Pittsburgh), John O’Hara (D, 1 goal, 1 assist, 67 blocked shots with Pittsburgh), Enzo DiPede (G, 0-4, 6.92 GAA with Kansas City).

Outlook: The Strikers led the Sockers three games to one and played the sixth game in front of a sellout crowd at the Met Center. That’s how close they came to winning the title. Will this be their year? Except for the loss of Jan Goossens, their balanced offense remains intact. The controversial and very talented Tino is back. The defense, which allowed the third most goals in the league (242) last year, is bolstered by the addition of Dudek and O’Hara.

New York Express

Last season’s record: The Express joined the league this season and will play their home games at the Nassau Coliseum in Long Island. Chairman of the Board is Stan Henry and chief financial officer is Ralph McNamara, both are Long Island businessman. The Express replaced the Pittsburgh Spirit, which folded after last season.

Coach: Ray Klivecka, who coached the Buffalo Stallions from 1980-82 and the Cosmos in 1984-85.

Top players: Goalkeeper Shep Messing is also the president of the team. Messing, 37, starred with the Arrows on their championship teams in the early 1980s and played briefly for Pittsburgh and the Cosmos in 1984-85. Midfielder Rick Davis and forward Njego Pesa played with St. Louis, defender Kevin Maher with Pittsburgh, midfielder Amr Aly with the Lazers and midfielder Michael Collins with Baltimore. Former Cosmo goalkeeper Hubert Birkenmeier, 37, played with Chicago last season.

Outlook: The motto of the Express is “Soccer . . . American Style.” Messing, Davis and Collins are three of the top Americans to play the indoor game. In addition, there are four Long Island natives. Defender Kazbek Tambi and midfielder Amr Aly (former Hermann Trophy winner) were both captains of the Columbia University soccer team.