Sockers, Minus 33%, Equals Win
With a 33% lowering of the Major Indoor Soccer League per-team salary cap being proposed, the Sockers said they used a “33% offense” in their 3-1 victory over the Wichita Wings Friday night.
That’s what it was like being around the Sockers afterward.
“Do you know of any part-time jobs?” defender Fernando Clavijo asked.
“I’ve got to run,” midfielder Juli Veee said. “We all have second jobs. I’m a night watchman at Balboa Park.”
As might be expected, the topic of conversation was the MISL Board of Directors’ announcement Friday to fold the league in June if the Players’ Assn. doesn’t accept their proposal to cut the salary cap from $1.275 million to $898,000 by April 15.
“It’s hard to keep your spirits up, but you’ve got to play,” said Socker goalkeeper Jim Gorsek, who made 9 saves on 23 shots and raised his record to 15-4. “You have to put it out of your mind. We started out slow, but the players did a great job defensively, and we got three goals.”
The Sockers appeared distracted by the news of the proposed salary-cap reduction and tired from their recent three-city road trip.
They also played without the nucleus of their firepower. Branko Segota (left hamstring strain), Brian Quinn (right arch strain), Hugo Perez (stress fracture on his left shin) and Zoran Karic (groin strain) all sat out.
Between them, the four have accounted for 66 goals and 62 assists this season.
Against the Wings, the Sockers had a season-low 12 shots on goal.
“Everybody was walking on their elbows,” Veee said. “I was happy to just stagger on the field.”
Socker Coach Ron Newman, picking up on the 33% theme, said: “We had an emotional day yesterday, but that certainly wasn’t 33% less effort out there . . .
“Look at our unit. It’s not the most prolific. It’s very young.”
It was good enough to beat the Wings, 16-20 and 2-16 on the road. Playing in front of 9,115, the Sockers raised their record to 27-9 and 12-4 at home.
The Sockers took a 1-0 lead on Waad Hirmez’s 25th goal of the season at 8:07 of the first quarter. Hirmez has scored at least one point in 22 consecutive games.
Veee and former Socker Jean Willrich of Wichita teamed up on Wichita’s tying goal at 11:08 of the first quarter. Veee scored an own-goal while trying to control the ball, and Willrich was credited with his 11th goal because he was the Wing closest to the net.
San Diego took the lead for good on defender Brian Schmetzer’s sixth goal of the season at 1:20 of the second quarter.
That was all the scoring until the Sockers added an insurance goal by Hirmez on a power play at 9:04 of the fourth quarter. The Wings, playing without star forward Erik Rasmussen (bruised left calf), pulled their goalkeeper in favor of a sixth attacker with nearly six minutes to play. But it was too late.
On this night, the Wings were only to score 33% as many goals as the Sockers.
