One Star Missing From League’s All-Star Game
The Continental Indoor Soccer League all-star game was played Thursday without Doug Neely, the Splash’s outstanding defender who began the season at midfield. Neely was voted to the team by the other players in the league but was a victim of a league rule prohibiting more than three players from a club.
Ruben Fernandez (goalkeeper) and Danny Barber (midfielder) were the leading vote-getters at their positions.
Forward Dale Ervine and Neely also had enough votes to make the team, but because a league rule provides for a maximum of three players (and minimum of one) on the team, the decision fell on Splash management.
Ervine had one more vote than Neely among CISL players. The Splash had planned to appeal to the league office but ultimately decided to live with the rule.
“When only one team has one player, or only one team has four players, it creates problems,” Don Shapero, league director of operations, said. “This number was worked out well in advance and the Splash knew that.
“We’d like to think we treat every team as evenly as possible. We don’t want any one team to get more exposure or less exposure than another. I think Anaheim understands that.”
Splash management might understand it, but Neely doesn’t.
“I think it’s ridiculous,” he said. “I want to play in the game, I’d love to play in the game, and it’s an honor to play in the game. . . . We [players] were given the right to vote, but if it doesn’t fit into what the governing body wants, they manipulate the voting process and take away the power of the people. It’s not a democracy.
“How can you have a guy without as many votes as me starting, or a guy who isn’t even in the league playing? Usually it’s a minimum you have to have on a team. Is there any other sport that does that?”
When all-star teams were announced, the Splash was 7-3 and in first place in the Western Division, and along with Sacramento (7-7) and Portland (6-6) had three players on the team. Fourth-place San Diego (4-6 at the time) and last-place Seattle (2-10) had two. Arizona, which doesn’t have a team this year but will next year, was the host site. Don Gaillard represented the Sandsharks in the game, though he isn’t playing for anyone.
Even more frustrating is that Ervine, Barber, Neely and Fernandez play different positions. It isn’t as though all are midfielders and they are comprising a Splash bloc.
With six teams and 14 spots available next year, the potential exists for the same disservice in 1997--likely to a player on the team that has the starting goalkeeper. This is the league’s second all-star game; Neely was voted onto last year’s team when coaches voted.
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Splash Coach Ian Fulton, with the best coaching record in the league on July 29, was the coach of the West all-stars.
The East all-stars won, 9-8. Ervine and Barber each scored a goal and had an assist, and Fernandez had six saves but allowed five goals.
“It’s just another game,” Fulton said. “Obviously, it’s an honor, but it’s a pain in the butt. We play a game [on Wednesday in Indianapolis], catch the red-eye [to Phoenix for Thursday’s game], then leave and coach another game [in Detroit today].
“But if it helps the league, it’s wonderful.”
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Fulton said he would be happy to go 3-3 on the team’s six-game trip. If that happened, the team would still be in first place in the Western Division. The team is currently 2-1.
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The Splash is averaging 5,819 in attendance, sixth best in the league; in 1995, that total would have been fifth highest through seven of its 14 home dates. Last year’s team averaged 8,165 through seven games.
