Examiner staff writer Sean Welsh has covered the defending Major Indoor Soccer League champion Baltimore Blast throughout the 2006-2007 season. He was on the Blast bus for the team?s Saturday road trip to Philadelphia, spending time with players and staff, and learning about life on the road in the six-team MISL. Here are some of his many observations:
QUOTABLES
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“I tried cooking ?”
? Rey Martinez, explaining a hand injury to teammates on the ride to Philadelphia
“If you weren?t trying to dive out of the way, you would have had it.”
? Giuliano Celenza, to midfielder Robbie Aristodemo, explaining Aristodemo?s effort on a late goal from Friday night in which Aristodemo was the team?s sixth attacker/goalkeeper.
“Friday the 13th.”
? Mark Stein, 13, son of Blast radio play-by-play man Gary Stein, exhibiting brilliance with a timely answer to the question of when the team?s first playoff game would be.
NEWS AND NOTES
» Philadelphia is second in attendance in the Major Indoor Soccer League. The Blast, which surpassed the 100,000-mark Friday night, averages 7,382 fans at 1st Mariner Arena. The KiXX average 6,368 fans at Wachovia Spectrum.
» Veteran forward Lee Tschantret, who spent part of the 1998-99 season with the KiXX, missed Saturday?s game after earning his third yellow card of the season in Friday night?s 12-4 loss to Chicago.
» The Blast has not scored indouble-figures in the past five games (since a 14-9 win over California on March 3) and are 1-4 in that stretch.
» The Blast plays at home Friday (7:35 p.m. vs. Philadelphia) and at Chicago on Saturday (2 p.m.) to round out the regular season schedule. There will be a halftime celebrity game during Friday?s regular season home finale.
