Sockers Sign Forward From the Comets

The Sockers worked out the final details Tuesday in a trade for Damir Haramina, a forward acquired from the Kansas City Comets for future draft choices. He has been signed to a one-year contract.

For now, the Sockers 18-player roster is set, but what remains to be seen is how it will change by Friday afternoon, when the Sockers board a flight to Dallas for Saturday’s opener.

Left in limbo for the time being is Jacques Ladouceur, a midfielder who has been consistent throughout training camp. It’s possible Socker Coach Ron Newman is still trying to find a way to keep him, but neither Newman nor Ron Cady, the team’s president, will comment specifically on the possibility of a trade.

“There could still be some changes in the lineup even up until Friday at three o’clock,” Cady said.

If there is to be a trade, it could involve forward Zoran Karic, who led the team in scoring last season with 37 goals. Karic, 28, is a potent front-line player, but Haramina has similar skills and Karic has had his differences with Newman.

Haramina, 27, passed a physical examination the Sockers had him take Monday, though Cady said it will take a while to get him in the same shape as the rest of the players. Haramina has a history of injury problems, including two knee surgeries and a hernia operation. He played just 13 games last season, but ranks fourth on the Comets’ all-time scoring list.

* Meanwhile, Socker midfielder Ben Collins pulled the quadriceps muscle in his left leg while running sprint drills in Tuesday’s practice and will likely miss this weekend’s trip to Dallas. Socker trainer Bill Taylor said this type of injury can keep a player out anywhere from 10 days to six weeks. “I was fine,” Collins said. “Everything was fine. It felt great. It just went, I don’t know why.”