Segota Injury May Give Karic Second Chance

When the curtain dropped on the Major Indoor Soccer League regular season April 17, the hottest Socker was a guy nobody knew about when the season started.

As a point of reference, go back 1 1/2 months when forward Zoran Karic was scoring seven goals in five games, providing much of the offense for a team with several veterans who appeared to be playing out the string of a long season.

Karic, a 26-year-old rookie who didn’t join the team until November, was voted the Sockers’ player of the month in April, and appeared ready to help the team in the playoffs. But Karic has struggled recently.

Things got so bad, in fact, that Coach Ron Newman sent him home after Game 3 of the Western Division finals in Kansas City and didn’t call on him to play in any of the final four games.

Now, however, with the injured Branko Segota probably out of the MISL finals, which begin Wednesday night when the Sockers play host to Cleveland, Karic may get a second chance.

Karic said Monday that the coaches have told him he will be the player who takes Segota’s spot on the roster, at least for the beginning of the series.

Newman said he won’t make a final decision until today, saying that it is between Karic and Keder, a 28-goal scorer during the regular season.

“If they go with me, I’ll be happy to have another chance,” Karic said. “I didn’t play well against Kansas City and I think some of the losses were my fault. I know I can do better.”

Karic, who was recommended to Newman while the Socker coach was on a recruiting trip in Yugoslavia last summer, played in 27 games during the regular season and had 21 goals and 12 assists. But he hasn’t scored a point in the playoffs.

Karic suffered a pulled lower abdomen muscle April 13 against St. Louis and wasn’t able to play in the Sockers’ first-round playoff series against Tacoma.

He was on the roster for the first three games of the Kansas City series, before Newman sent him home.

“He just wasn’t doing the things he was supposed to do,” Newman said. “Then, at the end of the series, I wanted to go with my most experienced players.”

Now, however, Newman will be forced to go without Segota, who suffered a left shoulder separation during Game 7 of the Kansas City series Saturday night.

“I just hope if he (Karic) gets in there, he does the job,” forward Hugo Perez said. “He was playing well before, so maybe he can play well again.”

At the moment, it seems, that’s what Newman will be banking on, too.

Socker Notes

Branko Segota (left shoulder) and defender Gus Mokalis (left ankle) are expected to have X-rays today. Mokalis hurt his foot when he jammed it against the boards in the first quarter of Game 7 Saturday night. He was walking around at practice Monday, and figures to play Wednesday night. . . . Tickets for Games 1 and 2 are still available. The Sports Arena box office opens at 10 a.m.