MISL All-Star Game Tonight Could Make or Break the Lazers
Indoor soccer has, for the most part, been rejected by Los Angeles area residents. But Forum officials have gone all out recently, attempting to make it a success, if only for one night.
After all, this is not just another Lazer game. This is the 1987 Major Indoor Soccer League All-Star game, to be played tonight at 8 at the Forum.
“The Forum staff has been working harder than ever and the cooperation within the Forum, from management, the staff and (owner Jerry) Buss has been tremendous,” said Ron Weinstein, Lazer executive vice president.
Because it is an all-star game, the tools of promotion have been busy.
The game has been sold out, which is a first in soccer history at the Forum, but it is too early to call the promotion a success story.
Some tickets were sold in blocks to corporations, which have in turn given them to various charities. “We’ve sold the tickets,” Weinstein said. “But getting people to use them is a different matter.”
All the Forum people can do now is wait anxiously until kickoff.
Said Buss: “When (corporations) give the tickets to charity, one can never tell (how many will use them). So it is a little bit of a gamble.”
If this gamble doesn’t pay off, a different bet might be whether the Lazers will be calling L.A. home next season. If the league’s showcase game can’t draw fans, the argument goes, how can the Lazers hope to do so?
League officials, however, believe that the All-Star game will stimulate interest, here and elsewhere.
Said MISL Commissioner Bill Kentling: “By being in Los Angeles, it gives the league a chance to be on television in an area where we don’t have a dynamic presence yet.”
The game is being televised by ESPN as part of a doubleheader, the first game featuring the National Hockey League All-Stars against the Soviet national team in Quebec City.
Others believe that the game itself warrants optimism.
“This is much more than a soccer game,” said Dan Leary, director of communications for the MISL. “There are the regular fans that would go anyway, there are the fans who want to see all the best players at one game, and then there are the fans who just want to check it out.”
One reason Los Angeles was awarded the MISL All-Star game, according to Kentling, was Buss’ reputation.
“Jerry Buss has a tendency to pull off what he says he’s going to pull off,” Kentling said. “Every All-Star game that Buss has hosted, NHL or NBA, has been successful.”
But this is indoor soccer, not basketball or hockey, a fact that Buss is well aware of.
“The sales, in the NBA and NHL, are automatic,” he said. “You just announce the game and it’s a sell-out. Here, you have to do some work.”
The work has been done, and to Buss’ satisfaction. But will Los Angeles go for it? On a Wednesday night?
“We’re going to be excited to see how many people actually show up,” Buss said.
Nervous might better describe some others’ feelings around the Forum.
The previous seven MISL All-Star games were successful, but all were played in cities that have accepted the sport. The average attendance is 14,915.
Said Weinstein: “If we get less than 10,000, I’ll be very disappointed.”
The Western Division squad will be coached by San Diego’s Ron Newman and will feature San Diego midfielder Branko Segota, who in his MVP performance, scored twice last year in leading the West to its fifth victory in six years, and Tacoma’s tandem of forwards Steve Zungul, who holds virtually every scoring record, and Preki.
Joining Zungul and Preki at forward will be Nebo Bandovic of St. Louis, Pato Margetic of Kansas City and Kim Roentved of Wichita.
Joining Segota at midfield will be San Diego’s Brian Quinn, Wichita’s Chico Borja and St. Louis’ Daryl Doran.
Defenders include the Lazers’ Gus Mokalis, San Diego’s Kevin Crow and Fernando Clavijo, Tacoma’s Neil Megson and Kansas City’s Jorge Espinoza.
The Lazers’ David Brcic will alternate with San Diego’s Zoltan Toth in the net.
The Eastern Division, coached by Minnesota’s Alan Merrick, will feature, at forward, the Dallas Sidekicks’ Tatu, the league’s leading scorer with 33 goals and 21 assists; Cleveland’s Kai Haaskivi, third in the league in scoring; Cleveland’s Carl Valentine, and Chicago’s Frank Klopas.
Playing at midfield for the East will be Peter Ward of Cleveland, former Lazer Batata, now with Chicago, and Michael Collins of New York and Thompson Usiyan of Minnesota.
Defenders will be Richard Chinapoo, Bruce Savage and Mike Stankovic, all of Baltimore, and Chris Whyte of New York, Victor Moreland of Dallas and Gary Etherington of Minnesota.
Tending the nets will be Krys Sobieski of Dallas and Tino Lettieri of Minnesota.
Said Kentling: “This is a showcase of all the stars in the league, as important as the championship series itself. You’ll see some guys that can really play.”
