1990 MISL ALL-STAR GAME : ALL-STAR NOTEBOOK : Newman’s Challenge Draws Guarded Response

Werner Fricker, president of the United States Soccer Federation on Wednesday said he had not given a lot of thought to a challenge issued to the U.S. national team by Ron Newman, coach of the San Diego Sockers.

At Tuesday’s media luncheon for the 11th Major Indoor Soccer League All-Star game, Newman proposed that a team of MISL American stars play the national team in a best-of-three series, the winner advancing to Italy for this summer’s World Cup.

Fricker, in San Diego for the All-Star game, said, “I believe our schedule (leading to the Cup) is pretty well set at this time, but nothing’s impossible and if we receive a formal request from the MISL we would consider it.”

National team Coach Bob Gansler made a similar statement on Tuesday when he first heard the proposal.

Newman said he didn’t think Gansler took him seriously.

“I don’t think he understands,” Newman said. “If they don’t win (the series) they don’t go to Italy. Let’s put our chips down. If we lose, we lose. If they win, great, then they’ve got the experience of two highly competitive games before going to Italy. It’s that type of do-or-die pressure they need before they go to Italy.”

Newman allowed that the MISL side would stand little chance of winning. Indoor players, he said, simply are not in outdoor shape.

The national team is handicapped because there is no professional outdoor league from which to draw players. But Newman said he thinks it is also handicapped by the federation’s unwillingness to use MISL players.

Newman has never been asked to lend a player to the national team.

“The USSF people just think the indoor game deteriorates outdoor players,” Newman said when asked why there hasn’t been cooperation between the two groups.

Fricker disagreed. “We’re very cooperative,” he said.

Newman said he and other MISL coaches would allow their players to compete on the national team for a game or two. But the national team often competes in exhibitions around the country for up to two weeks at a time.

“We would give them a Kevin Crow if they had a game coming up this weekend,” he said. “But we wouldn’t let our players go for two weeks.”

Newman admitted that using players from an indoor league isn’t ideal when preparing for a World Cup.

Conditioning wouldn’t be a problem for players who knew they would be called upon for national team duties, Newman said.

“If players knew they were going to play outdoors they could train for it,” he said.

Earl Forman, MISL Commissioner, announced Wednesday that a four-man committee has been appointed to contact the USSF about Newman’s challenge.

The committee consists of Roy Turner, Wichita Wings president; Gordan Jago, Dallas sidekicks president; Kenny Cooper, Baltimore Blast coach; and Newman.

Said Foreman, “We come in peace with an olive branch.”

Branko Segota scored one goal and assisted on another Wednesday to move past Stan Stamenkovic as the second all-time All-Star scoring leader in league history with 16 points (eight goals and eight assists).

He also moved past Stamenkovic in assists (Stamenkovic has seven).

Segota’s goal came at 13:51 of the third quarter, only 21 seconds after St. Louis’ Gary Heale had also scored for the West. They were the two quickest goals scored by one team in the game’s history.

Segota’s San Diego teammate, Steve Zungul, is the All-Star game leader in points with 19.

George Fernandez, a San Diego defender also had a goal and an assist in the game, his first All-Star performance.

At Tuesday’s luncheon, East Coach Kenny Cooper asked why players had to be introduced amid fog and emerging from rocket ships. “Why not let the game stand on its own?” he asked.

Well, the introductions went something like this:

The Sports Arena went dark, a Frankie Goes to Hollywood tune blasted through the public address system, limousines drove out onto the carpet and coaches and players emerged into spotlights.

The Sockers might get some hate mail for breaking from tradition at the All-Star game.

When the team moved indoors in the early 1980s, then-owner Bob Bell replaced the national anthem with “God Bless America.” Bell heard the Philadelphia 76ers had done just that and went on a long home winning streak.

When Ron Fowler took over before the 1987-88 season, however, he decided to go back to the national anthem. But fan complaints poured in and the new owner had to change his tune.

But Wednesday night, Michelle Lovett, lead singer from Dr. Feelgood and the Interns of Love, sang the national anthem. It was the first time in more than two years the anthem was performed at an MISL game in San Diego.