Sockers’ Plan Pays Some Big Dividends : Indoor soccer: The low-budget team comes together to defeat Dallas, 8-2.

Maybe they should only lower the salary cap for the Sockers next summer. This league-wide thing isn’t working.

The Sockers, nine-time champions, still are finding a way to put together the best roster $550,000 can buy.

It took nine games, but with Saturday’s 8-2 victory over the Dallas Sidekicks in front of 10,716 at the Sports Arena, the Sockers (6-3) moved into first place in the Major Soccer League, breaking a three-way tie for the top spot between themselves, the Sidekicks and Wichita.

The playoffs begin April 5.

Again, the difference was speed, especially that of forward Paul Wright, who finished with five goals, two coming against Dallas’ sixth-attacker Kevin Smith in the final minutes of the game.

Paul Dougherty added a goal and an assist, Brian Quinn passed for two assists as did Tim Wittman. Defender Kevin Crow scored his first goal of the season, and defender Ben Collins scored his second shootout goal of the season in three tries.

“Everybody is willing to work,” Coach Ron Newman said of his team’s winning chemistry. The coach contrasted this year’s team with past editions. “We had the great goal scorers in the past, but they didn’t exert as much energy as everybody else did.”

Newman wouldn’t name anyone, but it was obvious he was talking about midfielders Branko Segota, traded to St. Louis in the off-season, and Waad Hirmez, who signed with Baltimore before the season but who also ended up with St. Louis.

Despite the team effort, the performance of one individual overshadowed all others.

“We didn’t have anybody who was able to match Paul Wright,” said Dallas Coach Gordon Jago. “And that showed in the runs he was making. He simply timed his runs well and his finishing was superb.”

Wright’s second goal demonstrated the advantage his superior speed allows. After Wittman put a through ball into the midfield, Wright ran past Dallas’ Richard Chinapoo and beat the defender to the ball. Going in one-on-one against goalie Hank Henry, Wright hammered a shot high that bounced in off the bottom of the crossbar.

Wright’s effort comes after he went through last weekend’s two games relatively quiet, providing only one assist in the Sockers victories over St. Louis and Wichita.

A week before Wright lost a friend who was involved in a fatal car accident.

“I had a bad week that week,” Wright said. “And I thought it showed on the field. But I just decided I had to put it behind me. I can’t let my teammates down.”

Newman said he could tell Wright was about to explode.

“He had that real big loss when one of his friends died,” Newman said. “He had all that emotion pent up, and he had to get it out. . . . When Paul Wright is in the right mood, well, he was awesome tonight. And believe it or not, he can get better than that.”

Wright, however, said there was nothing different in this game from any other.

“The ball just kind of bounced my way,” he said.

The Sockers’ 3-0 lead at halftime was not indicative of how they dominated.

Shots on goal were the best indicator. The Sockers had 17, and the Sidekicks only six.

Wright opened the scoring by getting some help from Sidekicks defender Nick Stavrou, who went for a steal of Quinn’s pass in the penalty area, but missed the ball. That allowed Wright to sneak a shot past the charging Henry and just inside the far-right post.

The second goal came about as a Sockers penalty expired and Dougherty popped out of the penalty box just as Crow collected a loose ball in his defensive third.

Crow immediately sent a through pass to Dougherty, who received it near the Dallas red line where he pushed it ahead of the on-rushing Henry. Henry, knowing his only chance to stop Dougherty was to tackle him, did just that.

It didn’t work. The Sockers were awarded a shootout which Collins converted.