Sidekicks Ready for Comets, Wave
Published on March 13, 2003 under Major Indoor Soccer League 2 (MISL 2)
Dallas Sidekicks News Release
The Dallas Sidekicks (7-25) travel to Kansas City to play the Comets (17-15) for the final time this season. Home turf seems to be a disadvantage in this series with the traveling team winning every game. In the last meeting, Kansas City defeated the Sidekicks in Dallas, 16-14 in overtime.
David Doyle is a combination of three goals and/or assists to reach 1000 total for his career. He would be the tenth player in indoor soccer history to that level. Tatu is the all-time leader in power play goals with 112. He has 97 with the Sidekicks and could be the first player to 100 with a single franchise. Steve Zungul is second with 89 total.
The Dallas Sidekicks will miss the playoffs for the first time since the 1990-91 MISL season. This is the third time in franchise history the team has missed the postseason. The others were the inaugural 1984-85 season when Dallas went 12-36 and finished last in the seven-team Western Division and the 1990-91 season when the Sidekicks finished 20-32 and in last of the four-team Western Division.
NEXT GAMES: The Sidekicks finish their back-to-back tomorrow, Saturday, March 15, as they travel to Milwaukee to take on the Wave for a 1:05 PM afternoon game.
TATU'S FINAL GAMES: Tatu will play the final two games of his 21-year career when the Sidekicks host San Diego Saturday March 22 at 7:05 p.m. and host Baltimore Sunday March 23 at 6:05 p.m.
RADIO: All Sidekicks games are on Fox Sports 1190 AM. They are also available on the internet at www.dallassidekicks.com. All broadcasts begin five minutes prior to listed kickoff and will last three hours. Pete Stein calls the action and John Clemens hosts the halftime and post-game shows.
PLAYER/HEAD COACH TATU: Tatu is in his 18th season as a player for the Dallas Sidekicks, his fifth as head coach. Tatu led the Sidekicks to the World Indoor Soccer League finals all four years as head coach, winning the 1998 and 2001 titles. In 1998, Tatu replaced Gordon Jago, who retired, as head coach. He has a 61-51 (.545) regular season record, and 7-3 (.700) postseason record. PLAYER: Tatu is in his 21st season in indoor soccer, his 18th with the Sidekicks. Tatu enters the season near the top of the career list in several categories. He is second with 21 seasons played (Victor Nogueira of Milwaukee - 23), seventh with 629 games played (Michael King of Milwaukee - 646), second for goals with 854 (Hector Marinaro - 1201), second in assists with 725 (Zoran Karic of Cleveland - 821), second in points with 1579 (Marinaro - 1886), second in shots with 4378 (Marinaro - 4869), tied for second in game-winning goals with 77 (Marinaro - 99, Steve Zungul - 77), and first with 112 power play goals. He has been part of all four Sidekicks' championship teams, winning titles in 1987, 1993, 1998, and 2001. Tatu is a six-time MVP, 11-time scoring champion, 12-time all-star, and three-time championship series MVP. He also hold Sidekicks franchise records for seasons - 18, games - 553, goals - 733, assists - 669, points - 1402, shots - 4164, power play goals - 97, game-winning goals - 68, and overtime goals - 7.
DAVID DOYLE: Doyle is in his 18th indoor season and 11th with the Sidekicks. Doyle is in the top-20 on the career list of almost every offensive category. He is tied for 11th with 18 seasons, eighth in goals with 607 (Michael King of Milwaukee - 644), 16th in assists with 390 (Goran Hunjak of Kansas City - 437, Kim Roentved - 437), tenth in points with 997 (Michael King of Milwaukee - 1009), fourth in power play goals with 83 (Kia - 84), tied for 18th in shorthanded goals with 7, and fourth in game-winning goals with 65 (Tatu - 77, Zungul - 77). He is a seven-time All-Star and has been on three Sidekicks' championship teams, winning titles in 1993, 1998, and 2001. Doyle is near the top of the Sidekicks record book in several categories. He is fifth in games with 286 (Wes McLeod - 321), second in goals with 380 (Tatu - 733), third in assists with 280 (Tatu - 669, Kevin Smith - 299), second in points with 660 (Tatu - 1402), second in shots with 1943 (Tatu - 4164), fourth in blocks with 332 (Smith - 387), second in power play goals with 57 (Tatu - 97), second in game-winning goals with 42 (Tatu - 68), and tied for third in overtime goals with 4 (Mark Karpun - 5, Doc Lawson - 4).
SERIES HISTORY vs. KANSAS CITY: This is the sixth and final meeting between these two teams this season. They played one preseason game at the Western Conference Preseason Tournament. Game 31 - March 1 vs. Kansas City: The Dallas Sidekicks fell 16-14 in overtime to the Kansas City Comets at Reunion Arena Saturday evening. It was the third consecutive game in which the Sidekicks have lost in overtime. Nino DaSilva scored the winner for Kansas City (16-15) 1:33 into overtime. Jake Dancy fed the ball from near midfield and DaSilva split two defenders from 20 feet. The Sidekicks (7-24) forced overtime after Armando Valdivia tied the game with a three-pointer at 11:40 of the fourth quarter with David Doyle assisting. It was Doyle's 388th assist, tying him with Kevin Smith for 16th all-time. The teams alternated goals in the fourth with Wes Wade scoring first at 3:48 of the period. That extended the Comets edge to 12-9. Patrick Shamu matched for Dallas at 7:24. Dino Delevski gave Kansas City its largest lead at 14-11 when he found the net at 8:26. Valdivia then tied the game with his three-pointer at 11:40. The Sidekicks haled a 7-2 edge at halftime before Kansas City rallied in the third. Dancy scored the first two goals of the third to pull the Comets within 7-6. Giampaulo Pedroso responded for Dallas with a tally at 10:54 of the third and a 9-6 lead. Kansas City then scored two more times ion the quarter as Dino Delevski and Miodrag Djerisilo found the net at 11:54 and 12:57, respectively. Dallas built an early 7-2 on goals from Antonio Sutton, Nick Stavrou and Doyle. Sutton scored at 12:48 of the first and Stavrou followed at 2:51 of the second period. Delevski then put the Comets on the board at 8:57. Doyle scored the final goal of the half when he hit a three-pointer on a Stavrou assist at 10:53. The Sidekicks host Cleveland Force Tuesday March 4 at 7:05 p.m. for the make-up game from February 16. The team then has the All-Star break. David Doyle and Tatu will play in the game at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee March 9. Game 26 - February 7 at Kansas City: The Dallas Sidekicks defeated the Kansas City Comets 16-13 at Kemper Arena Friday night. The win ends an eight-game losing streak for the Sidekicks. The Sidekicks (7-19) sealed the game when Antonio Sutton scored an empty-net goal with 3 seconds left in the game. David Doyle gave the Sidekicks the lead for good with his diving header at 6:39 in the third. Dallas went on an 8-0 run in the second and third quarters to make the score 14-6 with goals from Armando Valdivia from David Doyle at 10:45 in the second, David Doyle at 11:20 in the second, and Giampaulo Pedroso (power-play goal) at 1:49 in the third. The Comets (12-13) answered with a 7-0 run in the third and fourth quarters with goals from Brian Soell at 10:24 in the third, Jeff Davis at 8:29 in the fourth and Nino DaSilva at 1:29 in the fourth to pull within one. Nick Stavrou started the scoring at 0:21 of the first quarter. David Doyle's assist to Armando Valdivia at 10:45 in the second quarter gave him 385 career assists to pass Preki for 17th all-time. He also got assist 386 and is now two behind long time Sidekick Kevin Smith (388) for 16th. The Sidekicks were without player/head coach Tatu tonight due to a stomach virus. This is the first game Tatu has missed as head coach since taking over in 1998. Rookie Goalkeeper Jesse Llamas earned his first career win after replacing Sagu at 2:46 in the first quarter due to an ankle injury. Game 17 - December 21 at Kansas City: The Dallas Sidekicks defeated the Kansas City Comets 13-8 at Kemper Arena Saturday. It was the Sidekicks first road victory of the season and its first against a western conference opponent. The win also gave the Sidekicks their first three game winning streak of the season. Patrick Shamu scored the game-winning goal at 13:47 of the fourth quarter to drop Kansas City to 0-5 at Kemper Arena. Antonio Sutton scored a three-point empty-net goal to end the scoring for Dallas (6-11). It was a comeback win for the Sidekicks. Dallas trailed the entire game until Jeff Betts dribbled around Comets forward Wes Wade and scored his second goal of the game at 10:30 of the fourth to tie the game at 8-8. Dino Delevski of the Comets scored his 19th goal of the season by catching Dallas goalkeeper Sagu out of his net at 5:07 of the third period. Nikola Corneli also scored his second goal of the game later in the third quarter as the Comets pushed the lead to 8-2. Jeff Betts responded for Dallas by scoring his second goal of the season on a Frank Filo assist at 9:25 of the third period. Filo then pulled the Sidekicks within two by scoring his seventh goal of the season immediately after his boarding penalty expired. Kansas City gave the Sidekicks a chance to get on the board by earning an intentional handball penalty at 1:55 of the second period. David Doyle converted the awarded penalty kick, his 17th goal of the season, to cut the Comets lead to 4-2 at halftime. The score gave Doyle 83 career power play goals, bringing him within one of Kia for third all time. Nino DaSilva opened the scoring with a power play goal at 13:11 of the first period. The penalty had been on Filo of the Sidekicks for holding. Corneli scored 58 seconds later on an assist from Paolo Ceccarelli to give Kansas City a 4-0 lead after one period. Game 12 - November 29 vs. Kansas City: Kansas City forward Goran Hunjak scored the game-winner with 1:46 to play as the Comets defeated the Dallas Sidekicks 12-7 at Reunion Arena. The game was tied at seven when Hunjak scored the go-ahead power play goal after Wes Wade deflected a rebound his way 15-feet from the front of the goal. The power play came on a Sidekicks' team penalty for too many men at 12:53 of the fourth. Wade added an empty-net three-point goal at the buzzer for the final margin. The Sidekicks (3-9) had rallied from a 7-0 deficit to tie the game on a David Doyle three-point power-play goal at 8:02 of the fourth. The first two Sidekicks' scores came in the second when Antonio Sutton scored at 11:15 and Nick Stavrou found the net at 14:19. Kansas City (5-5) gained the early advantage with first quarter goals by Nino DaSilva at 2:41 and a three-pointer by Vlatko Andonovski at 6:08. Chad James added two-points at 9:55 of the second for the 7-0 Comets lead. Game 8 - November 6 vs. Kansas City: The Dallas Sidekicks allowed nine points in the third quarter en route to an 18-12 loss to the Kansas City Comets at Reunion Arena Wednesday afternoon. The Sidekicks (2-6) led 8-6 at halftime before the Kansas City rally. The Comets (2-5) scored nine points on four goals in seven minutes during the third quarter. The onslaught started with a two-point goal by Brian Soell at 4:24 and ended on a two-pointer by Vlatko Andonovski at 11:12 of the third. Jeff Davis added a three-pointer at 6:10 and Dino Delevski found the net at 8:33. The Sidekicks trailed 15-10 when they went to a sixth attacker at 10:50 of the fourth quarter. Nate Houser killed the Sidekicks comeback try with a three-point empty-net goal at 12:03. The Sidekicks added a late goal by Tatu for the final margin. Dallas had closed the gap to 15-10 on a two-point goal by midfielder Nick Stavrou at 2:31 of the fourth quarter. Tatu led Dallas with four points on a two-point goal and two assists. He now has 706 career assists and is 11 behind Pato Margetic for second all-time. Tatu now has 21 points and is sixth in the MISL. Patrick Shamu continues to shine at home, scoring two goals on the day. He now has seven goals in five home games this season. Forward David Doyle also added one goal and one assist. Sagu had 12 saves and now has 1005 as a Sidekick. He is the third player to reach the millennium mark. Preseason Game 1 - September 14, 2002 vs. Kansas City: The Kansas City Comets defeated the Dallas Sidekicks 15-4 on the first day of the Major Indoor Soccer League Western Conference Preseason Tournament at Inwood Soccer Center. Kansas City won with 10 unanswered points from the 6:49 mark of the second quarter until the end of the game. Dallas had rallied from a 5-0 deficit to within 5-4 before Kansas City took control. The Comets jumped out to a 5-0 lead on two power play goals in the first 10 minutes. Vlatko Andonovski scored a two-point power play goal at 3:34 of the first quarter. Dino Delevski, the 2001-02 MISL scoring champion, followed with a three-point power play goal at 9:29 of the first. The Sidekicks responded at 10:47 as Tatu scored on a penalty kick after being tripped from behind in the penalty box by Nate Houser. David Doyle pulled Dallas within 5-4 with a two-point goal at 14:31 of the first. Doyle scored on his second shot as Comets' goalkeeper Brian Bowes stuffed the first attempt, but couldn't control the ball. Kansas City finished with a pair of two-point goals from both Nino Dasilva and Miodrag Djerisilo. Eric Kuster also contributed a two-point goal.
SERIES HISTORY vs. MILWAUKEE: This is the sixth and final meeting of the teams during the regular season. They played one preseason game at the Western Conference Preseason Tournament. Both franchises have been cornerstones for their respective leagues and have been instrumental players in the history and development of indoor soccer. Below are some of the all-time rankings of the Sidekicks and Wave in major categories. Game 24 - January 25 vs. Milwaukee: The Dallas Sidekicks fell 8-6 to the Milwaukee Wave in overtime at Reunion Arena Saturday night in front of 8,124 fans. Milwaukee's Gregory Howes scored the game-winner 2:50 into overtime. Howes found the top of the net after forcing his way by Sidekicks' midfielder Armando Valdivia. Milwaukee (18-5) forced overtime after Sipho Sibiya scored at 4:22 of the fourth to tie the game at 6-6. It was Sibiya's second goal of the game. Dallas had rallied from a 4-2 halftime deficit with two goals early in the third quarter. Antonio Sutton scored at 1:52 and Jeff Betts followed at 2:23 to give the Sidekicks a 6-4 advantage. The Wave built the 4-2 advantage on goals by Pat White at 7:11 of the first quarter and Sibiya found the net at 5:45 of the second. Dallas (6-18) scored first when Michael Curtis assisted Larry Dube at 6:55 of the first. The assist marked the first point for Curtis, a fourth-season defender. Game 19 - December 31 at Milwaukee: The Dallas Sidekicks fell behind the Milwaukee Wave 9-0 in the first 16 minutes en route to a 19-8 loss at the Bradley Center Tuesday afternoon. Milwaukee scored seven points in the first quarter on goals from Greg Howes at 4:21, Todd Dusosky at 13:17, and Matt Schmidt (3PG) at 14:57. The seven points is the most Dallas had allowed in the first period. The Wave added two points on a Leighton O'Brien goal 43 seconds into the second quarter. Trailing 9-0, Tatu pulled Sidekicks starting keeper Sagu for backup Jesse Llamas four minutes into the second period. The Sidekicks and Wave played scoreless soccer for the rest of the half and the first 10:03 of the third stanza. That's when Milwaukee made it 11-0 on Carl Schmitt's goal assisted by Michael King. The Sidekicks (6-13) started to fight back when Nick Stavrou scored off a Tatu pass at 10:43 of the third. The assist was Tatu 716th and moves him one behind Pato Magetic for second all-time. Tatu then scored twice before the end of the period with goals at 12:53 and 14:52. The Tatu tallies were split by O'Brien's second goal of the game for Milwaukee at 13:08 and Dallas had pulled within seven points with one quarter to play. The Wave (12-4) put the Sidekicks come back hopes away on Howes second score of the game at 2:38 of the fourth. Patrick Shamu added a Sidekicks goal at 6:35. Milwaukee stretched the final margin to 19-8, adding goals from Marcelo Fontana at 7:29 and an empty-net score from Brian Loftin with a minute to play. Game 14 - December 8 at Milwaukee: The Dallas Sidekicks fell to 3-11 on the season with a 17-6 loss to the Milwaukee Wave at the Bradley Center Sunday. David Doyle provided the highlight of the afternoon for rom Wave goalkeeper Victor Noguiera. The Sidekicks (3-10) had rallied from an 8-4 deficit on two goals from Tatu in the fourth quarter. Tatu found the net at 5:54 and 11:19 of the fourth. Nick Stavrou assisted the first goal and David Doyle the second. The first came 28 seconds after Troy Dusosky gave Milwaukee the 8-4 lead on a power play goal. Dallas drew first with an opening quaretr goal by Patrick Shamu at 4:13. The Wave (9-2) then evened the game at 7:38 of the first when Gregory Howes found the back of the net. Joe Reiniger the gave Milwaukee its first lead with a two-pointer at 10:08 of the first. After a scoreless second, Dallas tied the game on a Doyle goal at 5:05 of the third. Game 6 - October 27, 2002 vs. Milwaukee: The Dallas Sidekicks lost 10-9 to the Milwaukee Wave Sunday at Reunion Arena. The Wave (6-0) remain the last unbeaten team in the Major Indoor Soccer League. The Sidekicks (2-4) have lost three straight by a total of seven points. Milwaukee trailed 7-4 before taking control of the game with three unanswered goals from 9:36 of the third quarter until 10:57 of the fourth. Marcello Fontana started the run and Joe Reiniger scored the next two goals. Reiniger's game-winner was a power play goal. It was the sixth power play goal against the Sidekicks this season in 13 attempts for the opponent. Sidekicks' forward Patrick Shamu scored two goals for Dallas, numbers 87 and 88 of his career. That moves him into a tie with Beto for seventh in Sidekicks history. Antonio Sutton and Brad Flanagan also scored. Flanagan scored his first career three-point goal at 11:49 of the second quarter that gave Dallas a 5-2 halftime lead. Nick Stavrou assisted Flanagan to bring his total to 298 career blocks. Preseason Game 2 - September 15, 2002 vs. Milwaukee: The Dallas Sidekicks defeated the Milwaukee Wave 18-16 in overtime on the second day of the Major Indoor Soccer League Western Conference Preseason Tournament at Inwood Soccer Center Sunday. Sidekicks' rookie midfielder Jamie Harrigan scored the winner 2:11 into overtime. Harrigan took the pass from Sidekicks goalkeeper, Sagu, and pushed his way through the left side of the defense until he was clear and fired it by Milwaukee keeper, Victor Nogueira. The game was close down the stretch as Milwaukee rallied to tie the game twice in the fourth quarter. With the Sidekicks leading 14-11, Michael King hit a three-point goal for the Wave at 5:14 of the fourth to tie the game. Frank Filo gave the lead back to Dallas 22 seconds later with a diving header on his own rebound. Joe Reiniger found the net for Milwaukee at 7:45 to tie the game at 16-16 and send it to overtime. The Sidekicks came from an 11-4 deficit in the first half, by scoring 10 unanswered points from the 7:56 mark of the second quarter until King's goal in the fourth. The momentum swung on the third goal of the run. Dallas trailed 11-8 as the first half cam to a close. Antonio Sutton was looking to give the Sidekicks the last shot and dribbled to the left corner. He then tried to center to a pair of cutting players, but Matt Johnson of the Wave got a foot on it and deflected it in the goal as the buzzer sounded to pull the Sidekicks within one at the half.
Major Indoor Soccer League 2 Stories from March 13, 2003
- Slaon, Nogueira Honored for Play - MISL 2
- MISL Injury Report - MISL 2
- Sidekicks Ready for Comets, Wave - Dallas Sidekicks
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