Vini Dantas and Onua Obasi Named to MASL All Rookie Team
March 5, 2015 - Major Arena Soccer League (MASL)
Baltimore Blast News Release
Baltimore, MD- The Major Arena Soccer League has announced its first ever All-Rookie Team, made up of seven players from diverse backgrounds.
The MASL All-League voting took place last week. Each team and members of the MASL League office were provided one ballot for voting on All-League Teams, All-Rookie Teams, and the Regular Season Individual Awards. Players who received the most votes at each position were placed on the All-Rookie Team. Because of a tie in the voting, seven players qualified instead of six.
The All-Rookie forwards were Vini Dantas (Baltimore Blast), Gordy Gurson (St. Louis Ambush) and Lucas Totti (Oxford City FC of Texas). The Midfielder selected was Ney Almeida (San Diego Sockers). The defenders were Alain Matingou (Missouri Comets), Onua Obasi (Baltimore Blast), and the goalkeeper was Diego Reynoso (Monterrey Flash).
This year's rookie class represents a banner crop of new talent the likes of which indoor soccer has not seen in many years.
Blast Head Coach Danny Kelly said "I think it's well deserved. Both Vini and Onua had a major impact on our success in the regular season, and we want them to continue to have an impact in the playoffs. Vini's been a great addition at forward for us, scoring timely important goals as well as being a very good distributor of the ball. Onua has been part of a defense that has been playing consistently very well all season long. He also adds an attacking skill set out of the back that is difficult to deal with. They are both quality players who will only continue to get better."
MASL All-Rookie Team 2014-15
Pos. Player Team Highlights
GK Diego Reynoso Monterrey Reynoso took the reins and went 8-1 with a 2.88 GAA with Monterrey
D Alain Matingou Missouri Matingou was sixth in the league among defensemen with 33 pts in 20 games
D Onua Obasi Baltimore Obasi scored nine goals and 10 assists in 19 games
M Ney Almeida San Diego Ney finished tied for third on the Sockers in goals (16) and sixth in points (22)
F Vini Dantas Baltimore Dantas finished third on the Blast with 16 goals and sixth with 20 points
F Gordy Gurson St. Louis Gurson finished the season second in the MASL with 46 goals and 64 points
F Lucas Totti Texas - Oxford City FC Totti tallied 35 goals and 20 assists for 55 points, 6th best in the MASL
Vini Dantas finished third on the Blast with 16 goals and sixth in points with 20. Dantas said "I'm very glad I'm able to represent the Blast on the MASL Rookie Team of the year. I want to thank my teammates, coaches, and the fans for welcoming me, supporting me, and believing I can bring something to this team. I'm thankful for this opportunity and looking forward to the seasons to come. Thank you everyone."
Onua Obasi finished with 19 points on the season which included 9 goals and 10 assists. The defender used his physical frame and impressive foot skills to help contribute to a Blast defense that only allowed 69 goals all season. Obasi said" I am hoping to win the big prize: the Rookie of the Year, as I played a strong role in the best defense in the league. The Blast have a very team oriented style which is reflected in the stats (none of our players are in the top 30 points scorers in the league) so I am happy to be recognized as a new player who made an impact this season."
The league will announce the All-League Teams on March 9. The finalists for Most Valuable Player, Goalkeeper of the Year, Defender of the Year, Coach of the Year, and Rookie of the Year will be announced on March 12. The final award winners will be announced at a time and location during the week of the Ron Newman Cup Finals.
Major Arena Soccer League Stories from March 5, 2015
- Lancers Defeat Syracuse in Game One, 20-7 - Rochester Lancers
- Knights Downed in Game 1 - Syracuse Silver Knights
- Playoff Preview: Game 2 - Chicago Mustangs
- Sockers Midfielder Ney Named to MASL 2014/15 All-Rookie Team - San Diego Sockers
- Ambush Forward Gurson Named to MASL All-Rookie Team - St. Louis Ambush
- Vini Dantas and Onua Obasi Named to MASL All Rookie Team - Baltimore Blast
- MASL Announces 2014/15 All-Rookie Team - Kansas City Comets
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