Sockers Still Able to Beat Blast Crowd

It might be appropriate that the Baltimore Blast fell back in a defensive shell in Game 1 of their MSL semifinal series against the Sockers, because some Blast players--and even the coach--are saying they are only a shell of a team next to the Sockers.

“We have to try something,” forward Rod Castro said. “The last couple times we came here, they completely blew us out.”

The Sockers have enjoyed success at home against the Blast all season, sweeping three games here, 6-2, 6-3 and 8-1.

The difference between the teams became apparent in those games. The Sockers used plenty of speed and the Blast tried to catch up.

“They have very, very fast players,” Castro said. “And the more room you give them to sprint, the more room they’re going to create for open shots. By falling back, we’re taking those strengths away from them.”

And it worked early in Game 1 as the Blast took a three-goal lead before falling, 5-4. Game 2 of the seven-game series is at 7:30 tonight at the Sports Arena.

In one game, the series has become not so much a struggle between a team lacking speed and a team built on speed, but rather a clash between a very regimented, deliberate system and a free-flowing, ad-lib style.

The Blast move like pieces on a chessboard, manipulated by a pre-planned strategy; the Sockers run the field like soccer players.

How long can the Blast remain in their chess-like state? How long can soccer players repulse the instinct to go on offense and counterattack when the opportunity presents itself?

In Game 1, instead of going on the attack, the Blast simply booted the ball into their offensive end, let the Sockers chase it down and regrouped in front of their net.

Can they keep it up over a seven-game period?

Castro, who began his career with the Sockers and played his first two years in the Major Soccer League with them before moving on to Baltimore as a free agent this past summer, said there is no doubt they can.

“The question is mental toughness,” he said. “And I think we are mentally tough.”

Socker forward Thompson Usiyan agreed.

“They’ve always been known for (a regimented style),” Usiyan said. “They are a very, very disciplined team, and Kenny Cooper has picked out the players who will fit into his system. It takes a certain type of player to work within that system. Not everyone can do it, which is why Waad Hirmez, who could play free-flow soccer here, couldn’t make it in Baltimore.”

Hirmez spent seven seasons with the Sockers before signing with the Blast for the 1991-92 campaign. He became one of the Sockers’ scoring leaders in his last few seasons here. But he couldn’t find his place with the Blast and was cut after five games.

Baltimore will have to make some adjustments to its shell game if it hopes to keep the pea hidden from the Sockers. After all, the strategy only worked for three quarters of Game 1.

No one would divulge how they’re going to tinker with their game plan, but it’s obvious the Blast must find a way from kicking the ball into its own net. Three of the Sockers’ five goals Wednesday went in off Blast defenders.

“That’s a risk you take when you pack it in there,” Castro said.

Another inherent problem is the potential for panic. Coach Ron Newman told his team if it scored only once in Game 1, the Blast would begin second-guessing themselves and holes would develop in their armor.

He was right, and the same kind of doubt could sink in if the Blast do not manage to create a lead tonight.

“If they fall behind, then it’s a different story altogether,” Usiyan said. “It worked for them (Wednesday) night because they were up by two or three goals.”