Sockers Retrieve Hirmez, Send Garcia to Lazers

Waad Hirmez, the high scorer in last season’s Major Indoor Soccer League playoffs while helping the Sockers to their sixth indoor championship, returned to the Sockers from the Los Angeles Lazers Tuesday in a trade for forward Poli Garcia.

Hirmez, who joined the Lazers as a free agent last summer, has scored 11 goals and nine assists in 30 games for Los Angeles this season. Garcia, who played for the Lazers from 1982 to 1987 and scored 50 goals for the St. Louis Steamers last season, had played only sparingly for the Sockers this season and scored just one goal.

“We’re ecstatic about this,” Sockers’ Coach Ron Newman said. “We had an abundance of offensive talent here, and Poli just couldn’t find much playing time. We needed help in the midfield, and we already know that Waady can provide that for us.”

Hirmez, who went to Point Loma High School, started his career with the Sockers as a defender in 1984. He moved to the midfield midway through last season and scored a career-high 30 goals. In the playoffs, he scored 15 goals and had nine assists, including a hat trick in the Sockers’ MISL championship-clinching 7-4 victory over the Cleveland Force.

“I can’t be any happier about this,” Hirmez said. “Things just didn’t work out for me in Los Angeles, and I’m happy to be coming back to San Diego.”

Hirmez will return to the lineup in time to play against the Lazers in Los Angeles Thursday night.

Socker Notes

Coach Ron Newman said the Sockers are still somewhat interested in re-acquiring goalkeeper Jim Gorsek from the Lazers, but talks are on hold. “There’s been some preliminary talks, but that’s it,” Newman said. “We’re unsure whether or not we need a third goalkeeper because we don’t know about the status (of Zoltan Toth, who’s been out for more than a month with bunions). But they (the Lazers) have three goalkeepers, so they could be looking to move one of the them.” . . . Amid rumors that it might be looking for a new commissioner, the MISL announced that Bill Kentling has until March 15 to decide whether or not he wants to return for the 1989-90 season. Kentling, speaking after Tuesday’s MISL owner meetings in Dallas, said he hasn’t started thinking about what he wants to do. But owners have already put together a committee, headed by Stuart Weitzman, the Baltimore Blast’s managing general partner, to begin looking for a new commissioner in the event Kentling doesn’t come back.