WAAD HIRMEZ : He Finally Earns Sockers’ Respect, but It Wasn’t Easy

“Waadie, come off,” the Socker players yelled from the bench.

“Waad, look for a change,” called Socker Coach Ron Newman.

Thursday night’s Major Indoor Soccer League playoff opener between the Sockers and Kansas City Comets was in overtime, and it was Waad Hirmez’s turn to take a rest on the Sockers’ bench.

“Everyone was yelling at me to come off, come off,” Hirmez said. “They thought I was tired. But I knew I had more energy to stay on the field.”

Instead of sitting, Hirmez scored.

“His face was drawn and he looked tired,” Newman said. “I was calling to him to change. But afterward, I thought to myself, ‘Ron, shut up.’ ”

At 5:58 of overtime, Hirmez’s left footer from the top of the box gave the Sockers a 5-4 victory and a 1-0 lead in the best-of-five series, which continues here Sunday afternoon.

The game-winner completed a hat trick for Hirmez, who hurt his right leg while taking a shot in the first half. He scored two second-half goals playing with a leg strain.

“I’ve been involved in championships for the last two years,” Hirmez said, “but for me, that game was the most exciting thing that happened in my life.”

Before Thursday’s game, Hirmez--the Sockers’ utility man--wasn’t sure if he would be playing defender or midfielder.

“I thought I’d play defender because Hugo (Perez), Brian (Quinn) and Juli (Veee) are back,” Hirmez said. “Then, at the meeting, I found out I’d be a midfielder.”

With midfielder Branko Segota still recovering from a fractured cheekbone, Newman kept Hirmez up front.

“Waad helped us through the shortage of firepower when everyone was injured,” Newman said. “He’s the only one who could score consistently.”

Hirmez, who scored a career-high 35 points (23 goals and 12 assists) in 50 regular-season games, believes his performance as a fill-in finally earned him respect.

“The veteran players had to cooperate with the young players,” said Hirmez, 25. “That changed the mentality of the older players. But it might change again now. I’m happy that I’ve earned respect from these guys. It wasn’t easy.”

Call it jealousy or a strict form of initiation, but the Socker veterans make a young player prove himself to earn the right to get the ball in crucial situations and to be treated like a regular instead of just another reserve.

Hirmez had 13 goals and 12 assists during the regular season last year and 8 goals and 5 assists in 15 playoff games, but that wasn’t enough to gain the respect he sought.

“Until this year, they hadn’t accepted me,” Hirmez said. “I needed to prove myself on the field. I was patient with it. I didn’t want to fight back.

“Before, they wouldn’t celebrate with me when I scored. Now they do.”

Before, the veterans wouldn’t go out of their way to help Hirmez during games. That has changed.

Segota said that at the beginning of Thursday’s game, “I was telling him (Hirmez) to play simple. Not to go crazy.”

And Veee told Hirmez: “We need your legs, your energy. Just take shots and go out and play your game.”

Hirmez had never heard such encouraging words before.

Hirmez and Veee connected on two perfect goals Thursday, with Veee threading the needle and Hirmez providing the finish.

“If you make the run for Juli or Branko,” Hirmez said, “they’ll play the ball perfectly to you. They’re great players with tremendous talent.”

What about Hirmez?

“He’s still learning the game,” said goalkeeper Jim Gorsek. “He’s a young player. He’s got a strong shot and he’s producing.

“But when you put him out with a Juli, Brian or Jean (Willrich), it’s easier to play. You get the chance to do things. These guys will make it easy for you. One young guy can come out there and look good.”

Newman cut Hirmez from the roster on two occasions before working him into the lineup last season.

“You have to accept some of his bad shots to get some of the good ones,” Newman said. “He has a powerful shot. I told him, ‘Waad, you keep shooting.’ ”

Hirmez liked that advice.

“Offense is still inside me,” he said. “Scoring goals is something I’ve enjoyed all my life.”

But when Hirmez, a native of Iraq, started playing regularly last season with the Sockers, he had to adjust to playing defense. Everywhere he had played before, including his days at Point Loma High School, Hirmez concentrated on blasting shots rather than blocking them.

“It really doesn’t bother me where I play,” Hirmez said. “It’s a great feeling to score goals, but now I enjoy stopping goals as much. For me, it’s special to stop forwards like Tatu or Steve Zungul.”

When Segota returns to the lineup, which could be as soon as the second game of the series Sunday afternoon, Hirmez anticipates being moved back to defender.

Wherever Hirmez plays, he is a tough guy to get off the field. Just ask the Comets.

Socker Notes

Branko Segota, who missed the final seven regular-season games and Thursday’s playoff game with a fractured cheekbone suffered April 10, practiced Friday. Segota said that when he returns, he might want to play only on power-play opportunities.