Fallout From Foul Has Players Seeing Red

After the Splash’s 8-7 loss Saturday in overtime, first-year player/coach Dale Ervine said actions such as those by Paul Agyeman wouldn’t be tolerated. Agyeman’s kick to Marco Coria’s groin drew a five-minute red-card penalty and ejection during the sudden-death overtime against Monterrey.

“A selfish act,” Ervine called it.

But even though Agyeman’s teammates didn’t defend his behavior, some thought that Ervine’s comments to the team blaming Agyeman for the loss were extreme. The action was indicative of Ervine’s fiery nature, the players said.

Monterrey’s game-winning goal came 3 minutes 38 seconds into the five-minute power play as the Splash lost its third consecutive game and fell to 12-11, 3 1/2 games behind first-place Seattle.

In the locker room afterward, Ervine first addressed Agyeman: “Aren’t you going to apologize to the team for making us lose?”

“Apologize?” Agyeman said. After a silence, Agyeman apologized, saying he should have known better.

One player who spoke on condition of anonymity, called Ervine’s accusations inappropriate. “Dale then gave a speech about being a team right after alienating one of us,” the player said. “He’s blaming the whole game on Agyeman, but then said we’re a team and we have to stick together. Maybe Dale [who was 1-for-6 shooting] could have scored two goals in regulation and we never would have gotten to overtime. You can never blame a whole game on one player. It was ridiculous. It’s not right. It’s disrespectful.”

And, after his speech, Ervine went to a separate locker room to dress. But another player, who said Ervine “went overboard,” defended that action: “He needed to go someplace to cool off.”

Ervine appeared to be angrier over Agyeman’s penalty than he was in 1995 when he was benched by then-coach George Fernandez--and eventually traded to Arizona for Agyeman.

Ervine felt just as strongly about his actions Sunday.

“He gave away a foul that’s inexcusable,” said Ervine, who served a two-minute penalty for misconduct during Monterrey’s four-goal third quarter. “He cost us a game because we had to kill a penalty for five minutes. . . . It was right [to confront him in front of the team]. It’s my decision. It’s none of your business whether it’s right or not.”

Agyeman likely faces an automatic one-game suspension from the Continental Indoor Soccer League. But Ervine refused to say what action the team might take.

Agyeman, who had only 24 penalty minutes in nearly four seasons before Sunday, has come on strong recently. He missed the season’s first seven games because of reconstructive surgery on his left knee--the one Coria kicked, spurning Agyeman to retaliate, he said. Through his first nine games, he took only four shots. In seven games since, he is 7-for-16 shooting (43.8%).

It could well be argued the Splash never would have been in overtime had it not been for Agyeman’s spectacular 180-degree bicycle kick in the second quarter--the type of play that earned him the nickname “Lightning in a Bottle.” Most players, including 12-year veteran Doug Neely, agreed it was the greatest indoor goal they had ever seen.

“To bring someone [like Agyeman] in who has the talent to create opportunities for himself and others adds to the problems of other teams; it means a lot to all of us to have him back,” Ervine said 12 days ago, comments he stood by Sunday.

“Overall it makes us a better team,” Ervine said.

As for the flare-up with Agyeman?

“As disappointed as we are, the teams that face adversity and stick with it and don’t give in, those are the ones that end up on top at the end of the season,” Ervine said. “And that’s where we plan on being.”

*

The Splash has fallen behind by three or more goals in seven of its last 10 games, leaving players perplexed.

“There’s no explanation for it,” defender John O’Brien said.

“No good one, anyway,” said Neely.

“It’s not like we’re getting outplayed,” defender Thor Lee said. “We turn around and we’re down.”

More incredibly, the Splash wiped out the deficit in each of those games, winning four. All three losses were in overtime or shootout.

“It’s an unfortunate run of bad luck,” O’Brien said. “Luck has something to do with everything in this game. But if it happens seven out of 10 times, obviously it’s something else.”

*

The Splash’s last four losses have been killers. Two have come in shootouts, the others in overtime. In one shootout loss, the Splash led by three goals with a minute left in the third quarter.

“We were that close to winning 11 in a row,” Ervine said. “There’s so much parity in this league, every single game is like a playoff game, especially now. Teams are trying to qualify for the playoffs and get themselves positioned.”

The Splash is tied for second place with Sacramento, which has lost eight in a row. If the playoffs began today, Seattle would host Portland in one Western Division semifinal and Sacramento (because of a tie-breaker) would host the Splash in the best two-of-three format, with the third game being a mini-game immediately following Game 2.

In the season series, the Splash (12-11) is 1-1 vs. Sacramento (12-11); 1-3 vs. Portland (10-14); 2-3 vs. Seattle (17-6). The Splash has two games remaining against both Sacramento and Arizona (7-13), which has won four in a row and beat the Splash in its last outing.