Those Savvy Sockers Understand the Ways of the Road
Nestled in the woods in a township that seems to exist only on signposts, the Richfield Coliseum seems almost foreign to its environment.
As if the Sockers were not already just a bit uncomfortable in their surroundings, they also had to endure a Vaderesque character who exhorts the Cleveland Force to the theme from Star Wars during pregame introductions.
In this setting, the Sockers were not really themselves Sunday night. They were not the hellbent-for-goals bunch that frolics in the San Diego Sports Arena. They were about as free flowing as a glacier.
They were, to be sure, good enough to win in overtime, 3-2, and take a 3-0 lead in a Major Indoor Soccer League championship series, which is looking like it may be over almost before anyone realized it had started. They can wrap it up Tuesday here in Game 4.
The key to Sunday night’s victory, and the key to the Sockers’ road success through the 1987-88 season, was the fact that this seeming shyness was a masquerade. Call it conservatism by design.
In truth, the Sockers were like a heavyweight fighter looking for an opening through which to explode a knockout punch.
Indeed, the 1-minute, 28-second overtime period was virtually a microcosm of the entire game. The Sockers spent about the first minute and 20 seconds packed back on defense, an unusual configuration for such a wildly offensive bunch.
Suddenly, they burst free. Brian Quinn, the MISL’s Magic Johnson, whipped a pass to Fernando Clavijo and Clavijo’s pass to Zoran Karic left Cleveland goalkeeper P.J. Johns in a helpless and hopeless bind. He could veer toward Karic and Clavijo would be open . . . or vice versa. Karic made the shot and it kicked the Force into the deepest of pits.
The Sockers won the game the way they played it virtually from start to finish.
“We have to play more of a strategic game on the road,” said defender Kevin Crow. “At home, we’re more of a fast-breaking team. On the road, we have to take the crowd out of the game as much as possible.”
What the Sockers did Sunday night probably amounted to taking the crowd out of the series. Sunday’s attendance was 10,705, but that should drop drastically Tuesday with the hometown heroes on the verge of being ignominiously swept.
“Another thing,” Crow said, “is the danger of getting into a hole. You can’t get down three or four goals on the road, because it’s very difficult to get back in the game. When we’re on the road, we figure if we go in at the half tied or behind only 2-1 or 3-2, it’s our game.”
In this case, the Sockers were tied at the half . . . but it sure didn’t seem like they were playing their game.
“We have to play more defense on the road,” said Juli Veee, the forward whose name is rarely linked to defense. “We have to stay more compact. You don’t see me bouncing around up front like you do at home.”
What you see is the Sockers passing the ball back and forth in front of their own goal, frequently taking the ball from midfield back to the goalkeeper. You see the Sockers being very patient.
“You have to realize that soccer is such a game of confidence,” Quinn said. “At the start of the game, we weren’t feeling very comfortable. A big part of playing at home in the friendly confines of the Sports Arena is that we’re confident right from the start. The nature of the game changes on the road. You have to breed confidence yourselves, and do what you have to do to get into your game.”
The Sockers’ approach to playing on the road enabled them to win 19 of 28 road games during the regular season, not dramatically different than their 23-5 home record. No one else in the MISL was above .500 on the road.
“Basically,” Coach Ron Newman said, “we just can’t be quite so cocky and self-assured on the road.”
Of course, it is hard to imagine that this team will be anything but cocky and self-assured Tuesday night. It now has four chances to win the one game it needs to win its sixth indoor championship in seven years.
“We can rest a little bit now,” said Veee. “Hopefully, we’ll play a little bit better Tuesday.”
The Sockers may even forget that they are on the road. Chances are, the next friendly crowd they see will be greeting them at Lindbergh Field . . . and it may well be as early as Wednesday.
