Players Await Offers From Sockers
Although the Sockers have been assured of another season, some players are beginning to wonder if the same can be said of their soccer careers.
Eleven Sockers on Tuesday received notices that they will be tied to the club by right of first refusal, which means they have until Aug. 1 to get an offer from another club, at which time the Sockers have the opportunity to match it.
Those notified were: defenders David Banks, Glenn Carbonara, Ben Collins, and Alex Golovnia, midfielders Michael Collins, Paul Dougherty, and Brian Quinn, forwards Waad Hirmez and Branko Segota, defensive runner Jacques Ladouceur and goalie Victor Nogueira.
A club can exercise its right of first refusal on a player only once. Last year, the Sockers used the option on Rod Castro, Kevin Crow, Jim Gabarra and Wes Wade. Those players now are unrestricted free agents, as are Savva Biller gueira’s backup), defender Garrett Smith and forward Keder.
Of the players on whom the club exercised the right of first refusal, some expected contract offers to be included with their notices.
That didn’t happen.
Now Nogueira, the MSL’s Most Valuable Player from last season, and Hirmez, whose 43 goals were most on the team, wonder how serious the club is about signing its stars.
“I want to talk to Ron Newman and see if he cares about signing me or not,” Nogueira said after receiving his letter Tuesday.
“What kind of team are they going to have if they lose everybody?” Nogueira said, alluding to himself, Hirmez and forward Paul Wright, who already was lost during the recent ownership transition. “This team is going to be more broken up than it was last year. I guess they just don’t care.”
Newman said he hadn’t made offers for next season because he had had no time to do so, having been busy recruiting potential owners since the end of the playoffs. Newman said he put off making offers this week while he negotiated his own contract with the new owners, who were approved Friday.
“But that’s not really fair to us,” Hirmez said. “It doesn’t give us any indication of what we’re going to get. We need an offer; we’ve waited long enough and now they want us to wait another week. It’s not our fault they haven’t signed the coach, and if that’s the case, let the new owners talk contract with us.”
Hirmez, who accepted a cut in pay last year and played for $44,000, said he wants to stay in San Diego. But he also expects a raise after his most productive season.
Nogueira, who earned $50,000 last year, said he will begin contacting other teams today to solicit offers. He said he would like in the neighborhood of $69,000, which is what Zoltan Toth received from the St. Louis Storm last year when Toth was the league’s highest-paid goalie.
“Everyone wants more money,” Newman said. “Of course, no one thanks us for saving their jobs.”
Socker Notes
Even forward Branko Segota will be bound to the Sockers. Segota has made no secret that he would like to play for the St. Louis Storm. But on Tuesday, Sockers Coach Ron Newman made it clear the club is prepared to offer the league’s second all-time scorer the maximum allowable salary of $72,000. “We know that other teams can’t beat that.” Newman said. “Now if Branko decides he’s not one to stay, well then he’s trading material.”
