Lilavois Likes Direction This Team is Heading

Perhaps no one on the Splash is happier about the team’s management changes this season than Bernie Lilavois.

Lilavois may have gained the most by Steve Samaha replacing Don Ebert as general manager, and Dale Ervine replacing Ian Fulton as coach.

Ervine said he noticed Lilavois, in his fourth year, is more at peace.

“Bernie came in and with Don and Ian . . . it was almost like he needed to prove he was even in the league before,” Ervine said. “When players feel appreciated, and they feel their efforts are appreciated, they play better. A year ago, I just looked at him, you could tell it was a strain. Now he’s playing for someone who believes in him. He’s enjoying himself so much more.”

Whether Ebert or Fulton knew it, Lilavois, who has eight points and a team-high five goals, is one of the league’s most effective players. He ended last season as one of the best shooters in CISL history, making 76 of 232 career shots (.327). Those numbers were better than those put up by Dallas’ Tatu (.249) and David Doyle (.216), Seattle’s John Olu Molomo (.320), Detroit’s Andy Chapman (.214) and Ervine (.191).

Lilavois says more responsibility has been put on his shoulders this season--and he likes it.

“Last year, if we needed a big play, I’d be on the bench or they wouldn’t look at me,” Lilavois said. “Dale’s told me, ‘We need you, we need you,’ and is drawing plays for me. I feel more comfortable around him, and the players are looking at me more to come up with big plays. I’ve found my role on this team.

“The guys could believe in me all they wanted last year, but it wouldn’t necessarily come out that way--they were fearful of what would happen to them if they said anything. They had to watch their backs. They could tell me privately, but if they spoke publicly, who knows what would have happened to them--so they kept quiet. I did the same thing. We all did. This year, there’s none of that going on.”

Ervine said he hoped Lilavois was the rule rather than the exception to the changes.

“I’d like to think they’ve all blossomed from [playing in] an atmosphere they were all starving for last year,” Ervine said.

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Ervine will donate $25 for every goal he scores to his new Kicks for Kids Foundation, which will benefit the Orange County Chapter of the Special Olympics. He hopes other corporations will also see it as a worthwhile venture.

Ervine has scored three goals in four games. Last year, he scored 45 during the regular season. Individuals or companies wanting to pledge money for each goal should call (714) 752-9499.

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The Splash, in order to retain the rights to 6-foot-5 Steve Kuntz, put him on the suspended list. It was announced the day of the home opener against Portland. Kuntz, who works in marketing for Anheuser-Busch in St. Louis, had conflicts in 18 of 28 games. Kuntz scored 115 goals and had 64 assists in 126 professional games playing for St. Louis in the rival National Professional Soccer League.

“It was a personal decision,” Ervine said. “He was disappointed. We were disappointed. The timing wasn’t the most perfect--48 hours before the season opener.”

Ervine had toyed with the idea of having defender Paul McDonnell play midfield this season. That experiment lasted two games, then McDonnell sprained his ankle ligaments. He will be out another week or two.

Complicating matters, Kenny Hesse--who won a starting spot in the midfield--tore his anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments in the first quarter against Portland and is out for the season. It was the same injury that Paul Agyeman suffered in December; Agyeman should return later this month.

On top of that, midfielder Danny Barber pulled a hamstring in the first quarter of a 7-3 loss in Indianapolis on the recent trip. All that is in addition to losing midfielders Sam George, who is playing in MLS, and Raffaele Ruotolo, who didn’t re-sign.

To compensate, Ervine moved Doug Neely from defender to midfield and replaced him with rookie Matt West; rookie Brian Irvin and Mathew Davis, who played one game last season, got full shifts in midfield.

And most impressively, the Splash won the second game of the trip, 7-5, over Detroit.

“You sign 20 players for a reason,” Ervine said. “It’s not just to fill a roster. You see ability and hope when their chance comes, they take advantage of it. And they all did.”

The decisive fourth-quarter goals against Detroit came from defenders Thor Lee and John O’Brien--who scored their first goals of the year.

“That was an example of what this team’s about,” Ervine said. “Everyone is on the same page working together. We had seven different people score goals. Even against Indiana, we put ourselves in position to win. We had opportunities, they just didn’t go in. And if you give yourselves opportunities on the road, you’re going to win your share.”

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July 29 is the all-star game in Sacramento, and it also begins the working relationship between the CISL and Fox Sports Net, a 14-game package beginning with the tape-delayed all-star broadcast Aug. 2.