PASL-Pro Weekly - Week 9
January 7, 2010 - Professional Arena Soccer League (PASL) News Release
Eastern Division Race Tightens Up
1/6/10 - The Eastern Division of the PASL-Pro has become a very interesting place to be. Thanks to a recent stretch of games, only two games now separates last place Ohio with first place Cincinnati with Louisville, Detroit, and St. Louis knocking on the door.
Cincinnati has never known anything other than first place. The 1790 Express went wire-to-wire last year taking an 8-0 start all the way to a 13-3 finish. Now at 5-3 they look more vulnerable than ever.
Cincinnati (5-3) The Express has suffered from injuries and the retirement of playmaker Craig Rhodis, but Kevin Noschang and John Mellencamp are emerging as key contributors. The schedule works in their favor with six of their last eight games at home, including the next five straight. Cincinnati is 10-0 lifetime at Game Time Training Center.
St. Louis (4-2) The Illusion have played well of late, winning three in a row, but they have often been hampered by injuries and an inconsistent lineup and seven of their last 10 games are on the road.
Detroit (4-3) This time last year the Waza were 1-6 and now they have a chance to be dangerous, It will take a total team effort to challenge for the division.
Louisville (3-2) The Lightning have been a surprisingly strong expansion club, despite a roster that featured only one player with professional indoor experience. Now behind Safet Kovacevic, Glenn Volk, and Frank Peabody Louisville looks like a team that can trade goals with anyone or defend when the flow of a game dictates. Not resting on their laurels they just signed John Michael Hayden who was chosen by Houston in the first round of the 2007 MLS Superdraft.
Ohio (2-4) The Vortex have won two of three, but they have the biggest hill to climb. Despite improving every game they have the daunting task of embarking on a season-ending seven game road trip.
PASL-Pro Game Action
Goal scoring was on the rise as five of the weekend's eight games saw the winning team score 11 or more goals.
Saskatoon and Edmonton split a home and home with Edmonton winning 13-2 at home and Saskatoon returning the favor the next night 12-2. California lost a heartbreaker in San Diego and a head scratcher in Tijuana.
Winnipeg used a long drive to Detroit and back home from Canton as a team building experience The CMISL Alliance were dormant last year and they opened this season with two road games against PASL-Pro teams. The trip was about 24 hours each way, but had to feel longer after a 6-5 OT loss to the Waza and a 13-8 defeat at the hands of the Vortex.
KICK STARTERS - Conversations you should be having about the PASL-Pro
Border Wars: US vs. Mexico
Things heated up in San Diego following the Sockers 13-6 win over Revolucion Tijuana when team officials accused the Sockers fans of racist taunts and accused Sockers Head Coach Phil Salvagio directly of sending out players with the intention of hurting Tijuana players. The Sockers shot back denouncing the allegations. But it was California who had to be escorted out of Furati in Tijuana as a safeguard against some overenthusiastic fans.
Border Wars II: US vs. Canada
Last year the CMISL got the better of the PASL-Pro in interleague play. This year the first round went to the US and without and of the heated rhetoric described above. One notable date to mark on your calendar is February 25 when the Drillers return to Stockton Arena for a rematch with the Cougars. Last year's playoff game that saw the Sockers win 10-9 in overtime was an instant classic.
John Michael Hayden, Louisville Lightning
The Lightning made news this week with a press conference announcing their new signing. Hayden, 25, spent two years with the Houston Dynamo Reserves and most recently played for the Cleveland City Stars. Aside from his pedigree that includes a standout college career at Indiana, Hayden is a native of Louisville. In his first pro game on Saturday he scored back-to-back goals helping the Lightning to an 11-9 win over Ohio.
California Cougars/San Diego Sockers II
The Cougars went down to San Diego for the second time and lost in overtime for the second time. The highlight of the Cougars weekend was Vicente Figueroa's miracle game-tying shot with three seconds left. But former Cougar Aaron Susi gave the Sockers an 8-7 win with his game-winning free kick in overtime. The Cougars led Tijuana 2-1 at halftime the next day, but collapsed in the second half and took a painful 9-3 loss. The Sockers matched Cincinnati's league record with their 8th straight win.
US Open Update
The Sockers went a perfect 4-0 last week with all four games coming at home. They beat the Fusion 10-6 and the Estadio Azteca All-Stars 11-5 to become the first team to advance to the Semifinals of the US Open where they will meet the winner of Denver and Vitesse Dallas.
The Week Ahead
Fri, January 8, 2010
7:30 pm Louisville Lightning vs Ohio Vortex Mockingbird Valley Soccer Club
Sat, January 9, 2010
2:00 pm Prince George Fury vs Tacoma Stars CN Centre
3:00 pm Detroit Waza vs US Open High Velocity Sports
7:00 pm Ohio Vortex vs St. Louis Illusion Canton Civic Center
7:00 pm Winnipeg Alliance vs Saskatoon Accelerators Garden City Soccer Complex
7:00 pm Calgary United vs San Diego Sockers Subway Soccer Centre
6:30 pm Denver Dynamite vs California Cougars Westridge Community Center
7:30 pm Prince George Fury vs Tacoma Stars CN Centre
8:00 pm 1790 Cincinnati Express vs Louisville Lightning Game Time Training Center
Sun, January 10, 2010
1:00 pm Winnipeg Alliance vs Saskatoon Accelerators Garden City Soccer Complex
4:30 pm Detroit Waza vs St. Louis Illusion Taylor Sportsplex
5:00 pm Texas Outlaws vs California Cougars TCG Arena at NYTEX Sports Centre
7:30 pm Edmonton Drillers vs San Diego Sockers Edmonton Soccer Centre South
About Professional Arena Soccer League
The PASL-Pro is a professional league which began play on October 25, 2008 when the Stockton Cougars defeated the Colorado Lightning 10-5 at Stockton Arena. The 2008-09 season concluded with the North American Championships March 13-15 at Stockton Arena. The Stockton Cougars defeated 1790 Cincinnati 13-5 to win the inaugural PASL-Pro Championship. The PASL-Pro consists of nine US teams, the CMISL (Canada), and LMFR (Mexico). The San Diego Sockers, Louisville Lightning, and Ohio Vortex have been added for the 2009/10 season. PASL-Premier is in its 12th season as the nation's top amateur arena soccer league. PASL-Pro and PASL-Premier are members of Federacion Internacional de Futbol Rapido (FIFRA).
Professional Arena Soccer League Stories from January 7, 2010
- PASL-Pro Weekly - Week 9 - PASL
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
