Comets Streak by Sockers
It was a typical Sockers opener. A loss.
And it was a typical Kansas City home game. A victory.
Jan Goossens scored a goal and assisted on two others to help Kansas City defeat the Sockers, 4-1, Friday night in the Major Soccer League opener for both teams.
For the three-time defending champion Sockers, the loss was their fourth straight opening-night defeat and fifth straight opening-night loss on the road. For the Comets, the victory was their 17th straight regular-season triumph at home, dating to Jan. 19 of last season, and fourth straight over the Sockers at Kemper Arena, where 11,009 attended Friday’s game.
“It was the first game of the season, and there was a lot of rustiness on both sides,” Kansas City Coach Dave Clements said. “We’ve got some young guys who were pretty eager. The home field advantage at this point means more.”
The Sockers were without midfielders Brian Quinn (strained groin) and Paul Dougherty (visa problem), and Branko Segota was hindered by a sprained ankle. And it showed.
The Sockers’ one goal--by Waad Hirmez that tied the score 1-1 with 48 seconds left in the first half--gave San Diego its lowest output in an opener in club history. Previously, the Sockers suffered a 3-2 overtime loss at Baltimore in 1985 and a 5-2 loss to Los Angeles in 1988.
“Physically, we weren’t able to match their footspeed and strength,” Sockers Coach Ron Newman said of the Comets. “They were stronger, faster and fitter than we were.”
They also had more experience. Four Sockers--David Banks, Alex Golovnia, Eddie Henderson and Saeed Bakhtiari--were playing their first MSL game.
“They made mistakes, but you have to expect that at this stage,” Newman said. “I thought the second half we played better in the first half. It was a miracle it was 1-1 at halftime. It could have been 4-1, easy. I was very disappointed in our first-half performance.
“We’ve got a lot of work to do. We were hanging on throughout the game. We were trying to keep within striking distance.”
A mistake by second-year player Wes Wade, who has been moved from forward to defender, led to the Comets’ go-ahead goal 6:57 into the third quarter. Wade cleared a ball in the penalty area straight to Kansas City’s Carl Valentine, who tapped it past Victor Nogueria, breaking a 1-1 tie.
“That was just my second game on defense,” Wade said. “I’ll get used to it. I have to learn to start clearing it out instead of tapping it away.”
The Comets then put the game with rookie Paul Peschisolido’s first MSL goal 10:03 into the period, and Ted Eck’s fourth-quarter goal off a re-start.
Nogueria made the save on Peschisolido’s original shot, but Peschisolido, 19, a Canadian who arrived in Kansas City only hours before kickoff, knifed a shot between Bakhtiari and Golovnia.
“We didn’t play bad,” Wade said, “but they got some scrappy goals and held the lead, and that’s what you have to do.”
Segota, who took only four shots in the game, attributed the Sockers’ problems to lack of cohesion with all the new players.
“We have a lot of new players, and they have most of their players back,” Segota said. “We were confused at times, and our passing was off. We have to work our way back. We’ll get better.
“San Diego has proven it’s not how you start the season, it’s how you finish.”
Socker Notes
The Sockers will play at Dallas tonight. They play their first four games on the road before opening at home on Nov. 2 against St. Louis. . . . Midfielder Paul Dougherty, a native of England, was unable to play Friday night and will miss tonight’s game because his visa did not arrive in time. The visas of Alex Golovnia, who is from the Soviet Union, and David Banks, who played at Philadelphia Textile but is also from England, arrived Friday.
