Bret Hall Joins Former Rival Blast

by USL Press Release
Published on November 7, 2000 under USL First Division (USL-1)

USL Press Release

Hall's defense has won three straight USL titles

TAMPA, Fla. (Tuesday, November 7, 2000) – The days of the Indiana Blast not being a contender in the A-League may be over with the club's recent hiring of three-time USL champion Coach Bret Hall.

Hall joins the Blast after three consecutive championship seasons with the Chicago Sockers (1999 & 2000) of the Premier Development League and the Chicago Stingers (1998) of the D3 Pro League and is looking to take Indiana, which reached the postseason in 2000, further.

Hall's track record on defense has been superb over the past four seasons. His defensive units have allowed just five goals over 14 postseason games and has finished first or second in the league in goals-against each year. Indiana, on the other hand, have finished 21st and 22nd in goals-against in their last two A-League seasons.

Indiana compiled a 24-30-4 mark over its first two A-League seasons under former coach Jimmy McDonald, who was 47-43-4 overall including the team's initial two seasons in the D3 Pro League.

Hall, who turned the Stingers around from a 5-13 1996 season, is familiar with Indiana and his predecessor. In 1997, the Stingers fell to the Blast in the North Central Division Final, 1-0. Since then Hall has been perfect in the postseason with a current 13-game winning streak. The following season he led Chicago to its second straight 13-5 season and the D3 Pro League title, blitzing Indiana, 3-0, in a division final rematch.

Indiana moved onward to the A-League and Hall became the skipper of the new PDL Sockers in 1999. He picked up right where he left off, leading Chicago (12-4) to second in the division behind the powerhouse Mid Michigan Bucks (14-2). He continued his postseason run with four more victories to claim his first of two straight PDL titles, establishing a defensive unit that allowed just two goals in the playoffs.

Chicago claimed the Heartland Division title in 2000 and finished five points behind the Bucks for the regular season championship. Again, Chicago which won four straight games without giving up a single goal, nipped the Bucks, 1-0, in Saginaw, Mich.

The club's second straight title may not have been the biggest highlight of its season, however. Chicago stunned the nation in the second round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup when it knocked out Major League Soccer's first-place and eventual MLS Cup Champion Kansas City Wizards in penalty kicks after finishing tied, 0-0. The Sockers nearly repeated the feat the following round against their Windy City brethren Fire of MLS. Despite being outshot 12-4 by the Fire, the Sockers held on for a narrow 1-0 loss. Hall led the Stingers in an Open Cup run in 1997, defeating the A-League's Orlando Sundogs, 3-0, and MLS' Colorado Rapids, 2-1, before falling to eventual champion Dallas Burn, 4-1 in the quarterfinals.

A-LEAGUE NEWS BRIEFS

CALGARY TO JOIN A-LEAGUE IN 2000 – United Soccer Leagues will branch into its fourth Canadian province as it has announced that an A-League franchise has been awarded to a group in Calgary, Alberta for the 2002 season. The group is headed by Calgary businessman Michael Vandale and Thomas Niendorf, a former youth coach with Dynamo Berlin who operates a youth soccer academy in Calgary. Vandale and Niendorf will place a team in the Premier Development League for the 2001 season that will compete in the Northwest Division. Included in the group's plans are a 7,000-10,000 seat stadium at a location to be determined. Professional outdoor soccer last existed in Calgary in 1989 when the Calgary Strikers were a member of the Canadian Soccer League. USL President Francisco Marcos was involved in the city's first foray into professional soccer in 1980, when he was a major factor in bringing the Calgary Boomers into the North American Soccer League. Marcos was the executive vice-president of soccer operations for the team, which reached the playoffs in its only season before folding due to Owner Nelson Skalbania's major business troubles. The franchise will announce its name and logo at a press conference on Thursday, Nov. 30.

DUGAN HIRED BY ATLANTA – The Atlanta Silverbacks have announced that the club has signed former Raleigh Capital Express Coach John Dugan for the 2001 season. Dugan assumed control of the 7-14 Express midseason in 1999 and led the team to a 4-3 run to finish the year. The following year the Virginia Commonwealth graduate led the franchise to its first playoff appearance since the 1995 Flyers with a 12-12-4 record. Dugan's professional playing experience includes stints with the Richmond Kickers Hampton Roads Mariners and Raleigh Capital Express and an appearance in the 1994 USISL All-Star Game.

FORMER TIMBER NAMED ASSISTANT COACH – The Portland Timbers have named former player, captain and coach Jimmy Conway as assistant coach to Bobby Howe. Through an agreement between the Timbers and Oregon Youth Soccer Association (OYSA), Conway will continue to serve in his current role as OYSA's director of coaching, a position he has held since 1982. Prior to coaching, Conway had an outstanding career, collecting 20 caps for the Republic of Ireland from 1966-77 and making more than 300 appearances and scoring 66 goals for Fulham in England's First Division. He joined the Timbers in 1978 and was named captain the following year. He retired from the professional game in 1982.

BATTERY SIGNS FORMER CAPITAL EXPRESS MVP FARRIS – Matt Farris, the Most Valuable Player of the Raleigh Capital Express last season, has agreed to a two-year contract with the Charleston Battery. The 24-year-old Tulsa, Okla. native led the Express in assists and minutes played during the 2000 season. Farris is a ball-winning midfielder with an eye for the net. Against the Battery late in the 2000 season he scored a 30-yard sudden-death overtime goal. Prior to joining the Express, Farris attended UNC-Greensboro where he ranks eighth all-time in goals scored and third all-time in assists. The Battery also announced that Nicky Spooner, the team's captain for the last two seasons, has signed a deal which will keep him with the Atlantic Division champions for an additional two years. Spooner started 25 games in 2000 accruing an impressive 2,227 minutes of playing time. The Battery has also signed a major European player for the upcoming 2001 season. Last year's Atlantic Division champions have agreed to terms with Jukka Rantala of Finnish Champion F.C. Haka. The 25-year-old midfielder has extensive playing experience in Europe, not only in the domestic Finnish league, but also in the UEFA Cup. Rantala is a defensive midfielder known for his ball-winning skills and solid tackles.

BULLDOGS RETURN TO EL SALVADOR ON LOAN – Elias Montes and William Renderos returned to their native El Salvador last week on offseason loans to Alianza F.C. and Luis Angel Firpo, respectively. Renderos made his debut with the storied Firpo side Friday, helping the club nip Major League Soccer's D.C. United, 2-1, in its El Salvadoran tour. The loan agreements will keep the pair in El Salvador until the championships at the end of December.

WAVES INTRODUCE JOURNALISM PROGRAM – The Orange County Waves recently acquired the services of A Perfect Impage PR Firm, which also works with the San Diego Flash and Riverside County Elite, and has announced it will incorporate the Flash's new Scholastic Sports Beat Writers Program. The program will provide Orange County high school journalism students with an opportunity to work in a professional setting and gain some sports writing experience.

D3 PRO LEAGUE NEWS BRIEFS

WRONA SACKED BY PIONEERS, GM RETIRES – Leszek Wrona, who led the Western Mass Pioneers to the D3 Pro League National Championship in 1999, has been fired by the Division III club. The Ludlow-based club cited philosophical and style differences in letting go of Wrona, who was 32-20-2 as coach of the Pioneers. In 2000, the native of Poland led the team into the playoffs in the last weekend of the season, then took it on a run to the semi-finals where it lost to eventual champion Charlotte. Bruce Repko, a board member and director of public relations, said the team is looking for a coach locally and current goalkeeper John Voight is one of the favorites for the job. Voight was the Most Valuable Player of the '99 championship match and has been with the club since its inception in 1998. General Manager Rick Andre also announced his retirement. Andre's resignation, reluctantly accepted by the club's board of directors, will allow him to spend more time with his family and electrical business.

FORMER COACH RETURNS TO CRUISERS – The Stanislaus United Cruisers announced that former coach Manuel Pires is returning after a two-year absence. Pires, who led the Cruisers to the club's best record (13-5) in 1998, will take over for Hervi Rualo, who resigned due to business constraints.

MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER NEWS BRIEFS

TORONTO'S SERIOUX STARTS FOR UNITED – Toronto Lynx defender Adrian Serioux started and played the full 90 minutes for D.C. United in a 2-1 victory over C.D. Aguila. The match, played at Estadio Juan Francisco Barraza was United's first of a three-game tour of El Salvador. El Salvador native Raul Diaz Arce scored both goals for D.C., striking in the 12th and 36th minutes, while goalkeeper Tom Presthus saved Waldir Guerra's bid to equalize in the 80th minute after Kilmar Jimenez had cut the United lead to one in the 73rd minute. Boston Bulldog midfielder Sam Franklin also saw action in the match, entering in the 72nd minute for Richie Williams (Richmond Kickers).

ARMAS PICKED UP BY MUTINY – Midfielder Steve Armas was claimed by the Tampa Bay Mutiny Friday in the 2000 MLS Waiver Draft. Armas made four appearances for the Columbus Crew in 2000 and also spent time with the A-League's Cincinnati Riverhawks. He spent the 1999 season in the A-League with the Maryland Mania, appearing in 20 games and registering three points on a goal and an assist. The Potomac, Md. native is a former member of the U20 and U17 National Teams.

DODD RETIRES AFTER 11-YEAR PRO CAREER – Goalkeeper Mark Dodd, an original member of the Dallas Burn and a former member of the Colorado Foxes, announced his retirement Wednesday. Dodd was a two-time MLS All-Star and won the Pepsi Goalkeeper of the Year award in 1996. He was named Goalkeeper of the Year twice in the American Professional Soccer League and was the Western Soccer League's Most Valuable Player in 1990. He collected 15 caps as a member of the U.S. National Team, while collegiately, he helped Duke win a National Championship. The 35-year-old ‘keeper suffered through back-to-back injury-riddled seasons, playing in only six games in 1999 and missing the entire 2000 season with a hand injury.

JEFFRIES TABBED AS CANDIDATE FOR BURN JOB – Former New Orleans Riverboat Gamblers Coach Mike Jeffries has been named as a candidate for the vacant Dallas Burn coaching position. Jeffries, who joined the expansion Chicago Fire as an assistant to Bob Bradley in 1998, compiled a 37-29 record in three years with New Orleans. While with the Fire, Jeffries has assisted Bradley in building a team that has won three championships, including the 2000 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup title, in three seasons. Former Burn Coach Dave Dir was let go following the 2000 season after the club was eliminated by the New York/New Jersey MetroStars in the first round of the playoffs.

USL First Division Stories from November 7, 2000

• Bret Hall Joins Former Rival Blast - OSC Original by USL Press Release

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