Baltimore Blast v. Mississauga MetroStars and Blast v. Utica City FC Game Previews
November 30, 2018 - Major Arena Soccer League (MASL)
Baltimore Blast News Release
Baltimore Blast vs. Mississauga MetroStars
Saturday, December 1st @ SECU Arena 6:00 p.m. EST
Baltimore Blast vs. Utica City FC
Sunday, December 2nd @ Adirondack Bank Center 2:00 p.m. EST
Setting the Tone: Baltimore Blast: 0-0 Tied for first place in the Eastern Division Previous Game: Defeated Monterrey Flash 4-3 in the 2018 MASL Championship Series Mississauga Metrostars: 0-0 Tied for first place in the Eastern Division Previous Game: N/A
Utica City FC: 0-0 Tied for first place in the Eastern Division Previous Game: N/A
Baltimore Players to Watch: The Blast will return many of their core players this season as they look to win another championship. Tony Donatelli returns after leading the Blast in points last season. Vini Dantas ranked 2nd in goals scored
for the Blast but is a player to watch towards the end of the game, as he accumulated 4 game-winning goals last season. William Vanzela, who led the league in save percentage last season and was the 2018 Championship Series MVP, returns as the Blast goalkeeper.
Midfielder Jonatas Melo will look to pull the strings in midfield while defender Adriano Dos Santos will anchor an impressive defense. Defender Marco Nasicmento will look to build upon his 2017-18 All-MASL Rookie Team campaign. Forward Lucas Roque has been ruled out of tonight's contest with a knee injury. Head coach Danny Kelly leads the Blast towards their 11th championship.
The Competition- Mississauga MetroStars The MetroStars will look to make their mark on the MASL in their first game in the league. Dwayne De Rosario, the Canadian Men's National Team all-time leading goal scorer, will lead the MetroStars attack. Former Toronto FC players Molham Babouli will look to assist De Rosario in spearheading the attack while Adrian Cann will lead a stalwart defense. The MetroStars are coached by Phil Ionadi.
The Competition- Utica City FC Utica City are looking to start their season with a win in their new home of Adirondack Bank Center. Formerly the Syracuse Silver Knights, Utica City will use many of last season's Syracuse players to challenge the rest of the league. The Utica City front-line is led by 2017-18 All-MASL 2nd team forward
Joey Tavernese, who led the Syracuse Silver Knights in goals, assists, and points in the 2017-2018 season. Alongside Tavernese will be Slavisa Ubiparipovic, who ranked 2nd on the Syracuse Silver Knights in goals, assists, and points.
The defense will be led by 2017-18 All-MASL 3rd team defender Darren Toby, who ranked 3rd in the league last year in blocked shots with 34. Defender Ben Ramin will provide points from defense as he ranked 1st among Syracuse defenders last year in points. Utica City FC is coached by Ryan Hall.
Upcoming Games:
December 2nd 2:00 p.m. EST Baltimore Blast @ Utica City FC
December 8th 6:00 p.m. EST Utica City FC @ Baltimore Blast
December 14th 7:35 p.m. EST Baltimore Blast @ Orlando SeaWolves
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- Baltimore Blast v. Mississauga MetroStars and Blast v. Utica City FC Game Previews - Baltimore Blast
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