Playoff picture in mind; Storm travel to New Jersey
March 14, 2008 - Major Indoor Soccer League 2 (MISL 2)
Chicago Storm News Release
HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. - The Chicago Storm travel to New Jersey to face the Ironmen at 6:30 p.m. (CST) Saturday at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. This is the team's first trip to the Prudential Center, but any thrill of playing in a new arena is lost with the magnitude of each regular-season match from here on out. With a victory, Chicago clinches a Major Indoor Soccer League playoff spot.
"Sure, there is a little bit of excitement. But what overshadows it is the time of the year and what's at stake," Storm head coach Steve Morris said of the team's one and only regular-season road game in New Jersey.
Three teams already have qualified for the postseason: Detroit, Milwaukee and Baltimore. The league's top six teams advance to the MISL playoffs. Only Orlando mathematically has been eliminated from postseason contention.
With California's loss to Monterrey on Thursday, the Cougars cannot make up enough ground to pass Chicago for playoff consideration. The Storm need to win one more match in order to garner a tiebreaker advantage against the Philadelphia KiXX.
The Storm are 14-11 this season and the Ironmen are 12-12. For live coverage of Saturday's Storm-Ironmen match, log on to SportsNetAmerica.com.
STORM UPDATE:
- Points leaders: Matthew Stewart leads the Storm with 51 points and 22 goals (all two-pointers), and his most recent goal against Monterrey on Saturday established a new regular-season points mark for one season. He scored 49 points last season. Stephen Armstrong has 45 points, and he is second in the league with eight three-point goals. Carlos "Chile" Farias ranks third on the Storm with 44 points, and he leads the team with 20 assists.
- Ironmen vs. Storm, head-to-head: Chicago and New Jersey have split their two matches this season. On Nov. 17, 2007, the expansion Ironmen handed the Storm their first loss of the season, an 18-16 overtime defeat at the Sears Centre. But on Feb. 2, the Storm routed the Ironmen, 15-4, at the Sears Centre. Saturday marks the Storm's first trip to the Prudential Center.
- Road/home tendencies: Chicago looks to improve its 6-6 road record after starting the season 5-0 away from home. The Storm are 8-5 at the Sears Centre. New Jersey is 6-5 at the Prudential Center and 6-7 on the road.
IRONMEN UPDATE:
- Chicago ties: New Jersey midfielder and defender Lazo Alavanja made his MISL debut with the Storm in 2004-05. He posted 33 blocks, 24 points and 13 assists that season. Alavanja had 45 points in 65 games for the Storm in two seasons. Alavanja has 47 points this season.
- Reunion: Ironmen goalkeeper Tony Meola and Storm midfielder Stephen Armstrong played together for Major League Soccer's Kansas City Wizards. Meola, a former U.S. National Team goalie, played for K.C. from 1999 to 2004. Armstrong was a part of the K.C. organization from 2002 to 2004.
- A different look: Since New Jersey's Nov. 17, 2007, match against the Storm, the Ironmen lineup looks vastly different heading into this weekend. Only nine players and New Jersey coach (now player/coach) Omid Namazi remain from the team's first meeting. Aside from attaining league approval for Namazi to become a player/coach, the Ironmen recently acquired midfielder Craig Scheer from the California Cougars and also signed forward Nebojsa Stamenkovic. Four Ironmen are out for this weekend: Juninho da Silva, Matt Maher, Kevin Sloan and Goran Vasic.
The Chicago Storm are members of the Major Indoor Soccer League. Storm offices are located at 5333 Prairie Stone Pkwy., in Hoffman Estates. For more information on all aspects of Storm soccer, including season tickets, group outings, birthday parties and more, call (866) STORM-81, or visit ChicagoStorm.net.
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Major Indoor Soccer League 2 Stories from March 14, 2008
- Ignition stun Sharks, 18-2, for first place in MISL - Detroit Ignition
- Playoff picture in mind; Storm travel to New Jersey - Chicago Storm
- La Raza slips past Cougars 13-10 in Monterrey, Mexico - California Cougars
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.
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