Splash, Dallas to Wind Up Regular Season

ANAHEIM — Talk to most of the Splash players on the team last season, and they will say that the playoff atmosphere accompanying tonight’s game against Dallas is coming a year too late.

They will say the Splash and the Sidekicks--with the Continental Indoor Soccer League’s two best records--should have played for the CISL title a year ago.

Instead, the Splash lost to a red-hot Las Vegas team, and so did the Sidekicks.

But now, the Splash (16-11) can win the Southern Division title with a victory over Dallas (18-9) in the final game of the regular season (7:05 p.m.). The Splash has won six of its last seven. Dallas has won nine of 11.

Dallas has clinched the No. 4 seeding in the eight-team CISL playoffs. A Splash victory would give it the No. 3 seeding and home-field advantage in the first round. A loss, and the Splash open on the road against Mexico.

The Splash is only 7-6 at The Pond this season, but Coach George Fernandez said that record is deceiving because the team has won its last three home games during this streak.