MISL Preview : For the First Time in Its History, League Picks Up Where It Left Off
The Major Indoor Soccer League will begin its 10th season tonight with the same 11 teams that finished last season, some hurting financially, but all apparently ready to play another season.
“For the first time in our history, the same teams will play this season that ended the previous season,” boasted Commissioner Bill Kentling. “The NFL didn’t achieve that until their 16th season.”
Kentling, however, did not mention that the 11 teams, with the folding of the New York Express in the middle of last season, are the fewest the MISL has had since its second season in 1979-80.
In fact, the Minnesota Strikers were asking to take a year’s hiatus, citing financial problems, but a Save Our Strikers campaign by the community convinced owner Joe Robbie to stay, and a similar response saved the Wichita Wings from bowing out.
So the season--which has been expanded to 56 games, four more than last season--will start on schedule with the league basically intact.
For openers, there is a rematch of last season’s championship series between the defending champion Dallas Sidekicks and the Tacoma Stars.
The Sidekicks won the title by rallying from a 3-1 deficit with 2 minutes 30 seconds remaining in Game 7 and beat the Stars, 4-3, in overtime for the first title in the club’s history.
A brief look at the league:
WESTERN DIVISION
Tacoma Stars
Tacoma is the deepest club, with four of the MISL’s top 12 scorers, but dissension has been rocking the boat. Superstar Steve Zungul resigned as captain Monday, saying, “I will not be captain of this team as long as (Alan Hinton) is coach.”
“That saddens me,” said Hinton, who last week raised the ire of Zungul and fellow Yugoslav Preki by releasing their countryman, Cico, saying merely that he was a victim of the salary cap--a $1.275-million salary cap was imposed before last season.
Zungul, who recently signed a three-year contract, and Preki staged a one-day practice boycott after Cico was cut but should be ready to play.
Ricky Davis, a midfielder, was voted by the players to succeed Zungul as captain.
With Zungul, who had 42 goals and 47 assists last season; Preki, 41 and 47; Godfrey Ingram, 52 and 29, and Gary Heale, 46 and 24, the Stars have perhaps the most balanced and powerful offense in the league.
The defense is sound as well, consisting of 4 of the top 10 block leaders in Niel Megson, Ralph Black, Joe Waters and Val Tuksa.
Goal keeping could be a problem, however, as the Stars, who lost Joe Papaleo to free agency, will be counting on Mike Dowler, who played in only six regular-season games after missing most of last season with a knee injury.
San Diego Sockers
The Sockers, used to being a notch above the rest--having won three MISL titles since 1982-83--had their worst season last year, largely because of injuries and internal strife.
But the salary cap has added to the Sockers’ troubles, as the team had to trade team captain Jean Willrich to the Wichita Wings Tuesday. Goalkeeper Jim Gorsek, who along with Zoltan Toth forms one of the top goalkeeping pairs in the league, is also on the trading block because of the salary cap.
Despite losing Willrich and possibly losing Gorsek, the Sockers should be back in form--if they can stay healthy.
Branko Segota, the Sockers’ top scorer who last season had 34 goals and 41 assists in just 38 games, has committed to a three-year contract and is ready to play.
The defense, led by Toth and Gorsek, who were among the top five goalkeepers in the league, allowed 198 goals, fewer than any other team.
Kansas City Comets
After Coach Rick Benben was fired when the Comets were 10-14 last season, Dave Clements took over and guided the team to an 18-10 finish for a 28-24 record, earning coach-of-the-year honors in the process.
Jan Goossens, the league’s second-leading scorer last season with 51 goals and 44 assists, and Damir Haramina, 42 and 22, head an unchanged offense, and the addition of defender Kim Roentved from Wichita will make seven-year veteran goalkeeper Alan Mayer’s job a little easier.
Last season, Mayer was 22-16 with a 4.19 goals-against average.
Wichita Wings
Wichita, which led the league with 268 goals, has its work cut out, since the offense will be minus Chico Borja’s 51 goals and 36 assists. Borja is now with the Lazers. That means that Erik Rasmussen, 27 and 33, will be relied upon to provide most of the offense.
Midfielder Mike Stankovic, acquired from Baltimore, is an offensive threat as well, however, and should also help fill a defensive hole left by the departure of Kim Roentved.
Matt Kennedy, acquired from the Minnesota Strikers during the summer, will take over as the No. 1 goalkeeper for the departed Seamus McDonagh.
Los Angeles Lazers
The Lazers should be the most improved team this year, but a similar prediction last season preceded disaster. The club finished with the league’s worst record, for the second straight season and the third time in their five-year history. Another season like that and the league could be minus a team for the 1988-89 campaign.
Still, Coach Keith Tozer, since taking over midway through last season, has built a new team, most recently cutting Lee Cornwell, who was the last remaining player from the 1982-83 inaugural team.
The most notable acquisition this summer is Borja. Two other newcomers who could make a difference are two-time all-star Paul Child, who has scored 226 goals in his career, and Mark Frederickson. They were obtained from Baltimore and St. Louis, respectively.
With a healthy David Brcic in the nets, the Lazers should be able to improve on last season’s performance.
St. Louis Steamers
This franchise has gone steadily downhill in the last three years. After making it to the final in 1984, the Steamers didn’t qualify for the playoffs last season for only the second time in their history and for the first time since 1980.
Eight-year veteran Slobo Ilijevski, 16-28 with a 3.95 goals-against average last season, is still in goal and there are few changes elsewhere.
John Bain, picked up midway through last season from Kansas City, and Nebo Bandovic will have to perform extremely well on offense for the Steamers to have a chance at postseason play.
EASTERN DIVISION
Dallas Sidekicks
In the summer of 1986, the Sidekicks were on the verge of financial doom, but new majority owners James Graham, Stan Finney and Jan Rogers saved them.
It was Tatu, however, who got them to the championship. Last season, the Brazilian forward scored a league-leading 111 points (73 goals and 38 assists) and had a hand in 53% of the Sidekicks’ 209 goals.
The Sidekicks acquired another Brazilian, Beto, from the Lazers in the off-season and are expecting him to recover from a knee injury and become a 40-point scorer.
Krys Sobieski, the league’s second-best goalkeeper last season with a 24-19 record and a 3.45 goals-against average, will get help from Joe Papaleo, 22-9 and 3.98, who became a free agent. Papaleo was formerly with Tacoma.
Cleveland Force
The Force, winner of two straight Eastern Division titles, has been knocked out of the playoffs in each of the last four seasons, but look for them to get a third chance.
Kai Haaskivi, 34 goals and 55 assists; Craig Allen, 37 and 19, and Carl Valentine, 33 and 39, lead basically an unchanged offense.
Defensively, Bernie James, who led the league with 139 blocks, has signed with Tacoma, leaving Benny Dargle and rookie of the year John Stollmeyer to protect goalkeeper Victor Noguiera, 14-16 and 4.89. Noguiera was obtained from Chicago for goalkeeper Chris Vaccaro, 20-9 and 4.02.
Baltimore Blast
Forward Stan Stamenkovic, who led Baltimore to its only title in 1984, has returned from Yugoslavia but his weight and knees are still a question.
Baltimore, which had its second-best record last year, 33-19, still has one of the best goal keeping tandems: Keith Van Eron (15-6 and 3.92) and Scott Manning (14-9 and 3.47), but the Blast has lost one of its defensive stars, Mike Stankovic, to free agency. Stankovic signed with Wichita.
Minnesota Strikers
Minnesota Coach Alan Merrick has released Dan Canter and Ken Fogarty and has traded Helmut Dudek. Goalkeeper Tim Harris, the former UCLA star acquired from the Lazers during the off-season, will replace backup Matt Kennedy. Starter Tino Lettieri led the league last season, going 15-19 with a 3.38 goals-against average.
On offense, Steve Kinsey, 31 goals and 24 assists, and Alan Willey, 32 and 19, will be breaking in a group of rookies.
Chicago Sting
The Sting has missed the playoffs the last two years and a marketing group has been brought in to help increase the sagging attendance.
Coach Erich Geyer took over a 1-7 team last season and led it to a 23-29 record. The acquisition of Chris Vaccaro from Cleveland will improve the goalkeeping, but the Sting is still seeking the big scorer to replace retired Karl-Heinz Granitza.
