Soviet ‘Big’ Soccer Team Ends U.S. Tour Tonight : Dynamo Moscow--Turned Indoors Out in 5 Straight Losses--to Meet Sockers

Dynamo Moscow’s two-week, whirlwind tour through America and the Major Indoor Soccer League has been void of victories but filled with adventures.

The traveling party of 25--which includes 17 players, a coach, 2 assistant coaches, an interpreter, delegation leader, tour manager, doctor and masseur --concludes its six-game MISL swing with an exhibition match against the Sockers at 6:05 tonight in the San Diego Sports Arena.

Playing an indoor game that is unfamiliar to them, Dynamo Moscow has lost to the Kansas City Comets (11-3), Wichita Wings (6-5), St. Louis Steamers (7-6 in overtime), Baltimore Blast (8-7) and Chicago Sting (10-4).

After landing in New York on Jan. 25, the Soviets waited in an airport lounge that had been stocked with vodka. What did the player request? Coke-Cola without ice.

On their flight to Kansas City, “Dr. Zhivago” was the scheduled movie shown.

The Soviets received jeans and Snoopy telephones in Kansas City. In St. Louis, one of their players, Igor Bulanov, swept two games in a chess challenge against a local television personality.

The highlight of the trip was eating pizza in Wichita. Because the Soviet players have a restricted diet, loads of fruits and salads were laid out for them. The players were not to eat pizza, according to Vladimir Mozalev, the Soviet team doctor.

But James Budish, the MISL director of operations who has served as tour guide for the Soviets, asked Mozalev if he would at least try a slice of pizza. It would only have cheese and wouldn’t be too spicy.

“He said he’d try it,” Budish said. “Everyone gathered around like in a commercial. He (team doctor) looks at the pizza and a hush came over the crowd. He cuts a piece off with his fork. He starts chewing but doesn’t smile. He says, ‘Good.’ They brought 20 pizzas, which the players polished off.”

In Washington, the Soviet delegation toured the nation’s capital. In Chicago, the Soviets lost again but they also received another warm welcome.

“There are beautiful players and beautiful soccer fans over here,” Dynamo Moscow Coach Eduard Malofeev said through team translator Boris Notkin. “We have received a warm reception and we are grateful. This trip lays the foundation for friendship between nations.”

From Chicago, it was on to San Diego, where Dynamo Moscow practiced in 82-degree weather Friday afternoon. Moscow had a low of 24 degrees.

“Our expression for the best you can do is ‘class,’ ” tour manager Willie DeWald said. “This weather is class.”

DeWald also was the manager who accompanied the Dynamo Kiev team that lost a 6-4 exhibition match to the Sockers last season.

In December, Dynamo Moscow--the oldest and most popular team in the Soviet Union--defeated Dynamo Kiev, 2-1, in front of 100,000 fans in Kiev to win the Soviet championship.

Dynamo Moscow was established in 1923 and has been the Soviet champion 11 times and has finished second 10 times. But that is in “big soccer,” which is the term the Soviets use for the outdoor game. The indoor game, with sideboards, is quite different, and most of the Dynamo Moscow players had never played it before this trip.

“The walls have helped our competitors,” Malofeev said. “Of course, we would like to play more successfully, but we gave three good matches in which we could count on victory. In two matches, we failed to achieve good play. We came here to learn this soccer. It’s very useful for us.”

Does Malofeev think the indoor game will catch on in the Soviet Union?

“Big soccer is very popular in our country,” he said. “The sport is No. 1. I like indoor soccer. We shall tell about the rules and our experiences. Those who are competent to decide whether this should be popularized will decide. But interest in indoor soccer should not replace the big soccer.”