Collins to Call Police if MSL Folds : Soccer: Current Socker is tired of all the financial problems surrounding the league. He would seek a career in law enforcement if the Socker franchise dies.

The MSL’s latest flirtation with extinction left Socker player Ben Collins thinking about a career change.

“Every year it’s the same thing. You’re never sure what your future is,” Collins said. “I don’t like depending on other people to determine my life.”

For Collins, 31, the topsy-turvy world of professional indoor soccer has left him with little choice.

“I’m not going to put up with (the instability) any longer,” he said.

If Collins follows through and leaves indoor soccer, his departure would create a void in the Sockers’ defense.

In 1990-91, his first year as a defender in the MSL, Collins anchored an inexperienced defense that ended the season ranked first in the league.

Collins, a native of Liberia, capped that season by winning the 1991 Championship Series MVP. His clutch performance in the finals against Cleveland, played no small part in the Sockers’ ninth league championship.

Today, his need for a stable job might lead him to a career in law enforcement, he said.

“I took the test at the police academy, and next I take the physical,” Collins said.

Collins, whose 1992 season was hampered by a knee injury, said that his doctor told him that he could play soccer for two more years.

If he had to choose between returning to the Sockers next year or entering the police academy, Collins said, “I would definitely go to the academy.”

When the five team owners decided to keep the league running for at least another 10 days, some players and coaches viewed it optimistically.

“Most of the players are used to this every summer, teams folding and things in chaos,” said John Kerr, 27, another Socker player. “Usually something positive comes out of it.”

No matter what happens to the MSL, Kerr said, there will still be soccer to play.

“Even if the league folds, I know there will always be something that will come up. Soccer will never lose interest,” he said.

Both Kerr and Socker Coach Ron Newman agreed that Oscar Ancira, Socker managing general partner, and the other remaining team owners have shown great commitment so far.

“They’re dedicated people who want to see soccer progress in America,” Kerr said.

Newman said the easiest thing for an owner to do is to call it quits.

The strong five-team nucleus of the MSL is an encouraging sign, Newman said.

“They want to keep it alive. We hope that they have the right ideas to make it work,” Newman said.