He?s easy to spot on the floor, with his shiny bald head, styled facial hair and his intense playing style. And apparently, he?s easy to hate when he plays on the opposing team. But since coming to Baltimore in 2000, Lee Tschantret has brought nothing but smiles to the faces of Blast soccer fans.
And now, he?s close to reaching a career milestone while playing for the defending Major Indoor Soccer League champs. With an assist in Sunday?s 16-8 loss at Philadelphia, Tschantret, 37, is now just four points shy of 1,000 in his career. With the team?s next five games at 1st Mariner Arena, chances are good that Tschantret will reach the milestone at home.
“You know what? I just hope it gets over,” Tschantret said. “Right now, to be honest, it doesn?t mean much. Maybe at the end of the daywhen I?m done playing and making up stories to my kids about how good I was, maybe it?ll mean something. But for now, I just want to get it over with and get some W?s.”
Tschantret, a 15-year veteran who is with his seventh team, was a pesky thorn in the side of the club before he came to Baltimore.
“If he?s on your team, you love him. If you?re on the other team, you don?t like him so much,” said Blast coach Danny Kelly, who has played both with and against Tschantret before taking over as head coach this year.
This season, with a number of injuries, the 5-foot-8, 160-pound Tschantret has assumed the temporary role of captain while shifting into more of a defensive role.
“It doesn?t matter to me ? it?s soccer,” Tschantret said of playing defense. “I?ve played in the back, I?ve played midfield, and I?ve played up top.”
After signing as a free agent in 2000, he scored the game-winning goal in his first game for the Blast (5-7). His versatility was a key in the team?s pursuit of him.
“He has the ability to play multiple positions and has had an outstanding career, evident by his point production,” Blast president/general manager Kevin Healey said.
But Healey recalls the time when Tschantret was not exactly a fan favorite in Baltimore.
“The fan club did not like him at all and we were having a picnic to open the season, and they?d heard the rumor and were begging them not to bring him in,” Healey said. “But the move had been made, and we just hadn?t announced it yet.”
After originally referring to the veteran as “Beetlejuice,” fans finally accepted Tschantret. It might have something to do with his blue-collar attitude towards the game.
“He does all the little things, does all the dirty work, and he can score as well,” Kelly said.
THE TSCHANTRET FILE
» Age: 38
» College:Albany State
» MISL seasons: 15
» Did you know? Tschantret holds the MISL record for penalty minutes ? Entered the season ranked 15th on the league?s all-time scoring list ? Resides in Canton with his wife, Erin, and three children.
