Sunday, October 27, 2013

Del Mar Arena vs the Sports Arena

        Since joining the PASL in 2009, the San Diego Sockers have played in 2 different arenas.  The first three seasons were played at the Del Mar Arena at the Del Mar Fairgrounds and the last season was played at the Valley View Casino Center (VVCC), formerly the Sports Arena.  Each arena has it's benefits and drawbacks, and I have had memorable moments at both venues.  Yet which arena was the best venue for the San Diego Sockers?

         The Sports Arena.  Obviously.  The Sports Arena is the historic home of the Sockers and it's where the Sockers belong.  First of all, Del Mar was, like the Equine Arena where the Harrisburg Heat play, a venue for horse shows and is not an ideal setting for an indoor arena.  Harrisburg actually has the old boards from the Del Mar Arena at their arena.  Secondly, the Del Mar arena was not completely enclosed like the Sports Arena.  Despite what many people think, it does get cold in San Diego, and Del Mar was a place where you had to dress in your winter gear to watch most of the games.  Thirdly, Del Mar charged $9.00 a game for parking and VVCC does not, enough said.  Because of the history of the team playing at VVCC, the fact that it is an actual enclosed arena providing protection from the elements, and the fact that parking at the VVCC is free, the VVCC is the best place in San Diego for the San Diego Sockers to play.

          But...there were some things that the Del Mar Arena had that were pretty cool that the VVCC doesn't have.  First of all, the Del Mar Arena was not completely enclosed, so on many days we were able to enjoy beautiful San Diego nights and wear our hardly used coats and winter gear that we all have stashed away in boxes.  Also, because it was a horse arena, around the boards there was field level seating for like 200 people or something, and sitting down around the field was awesome.  Sitting there gave fans a close up view of the game along with access to the players, allowing for plenty of autographs, pictures, and a quick chat after the game before the players went to sign autographs or to the showers.  I was also able to go out on the field with my son before and after the game and kick some soccer balls around.  The seats at Del Mar were relatively comfortable chairs of the patio furniture variety, and there was plenty of room to stand up, which I usually did for the whole game.  There was also room for my wife and I to bring our stroller, park it, and let my son run around.  Sitting around the field also gave us fans a chance to walk around and talk with each other during the game.  Now at the VVCC I have to wait until half time to make the journey around the arena to talk to Dan Ryan, The Zellers, Eddie, and "Cowboy" Salazar.  Yet there are some things that carried over from Del Mar, like I still see the 7th man frequently during games at the bathroom or in line for a beer, Melissa Meehan is still hustling around behind the scenes, and the Sockers GM "Coach" John Kentera, who is often walking around shaking hands and kissing babies in the hallway, is always down for a quick chat.

        The Del Mar Arena also, in my opinion, had better food and drinks.  Hunter's Steak House brought their Southwestern Grill Cart and made one of the best tri-tip sandwiches in San Diego, the other tri-tip sandwich being the EL Toro from Phil's BBQ, which is conveniently located next to VVCC.  There was also funnel cakes, a sausage cart, kettle corn, and a coffee cart that, according to my Indoor Outhouse Food and Drink Analyst Austin, "has the best hot chocolate."  I liked the beer selection at Del Mar, and I remember in the first year when they had a selection of local craft beers, and you could purchase a 32oz bottle of beer for 5 bucks.  The VVCC has the Players Lounge, which has awesome historic photos of all of the great things that have happened at the arena, but the drinks are way over priced.  Last time I bought a round of drinks I had to take out a loan with some lenders at the Valley View Casino.  On a more personal note, Del Mar was closer, and the drive for my family was along the beautiful Del Dios highway.  Driving along Del Dios allowed for us to stop in at Hernandez Hideaway and have a drink and some appetizers at the bar.  I also remember some of the best games the Sockers had at the Del Mar Arena, like Susi's overtime goal to beat the California Cougars, or Farber's overtime goal to beat the Anaheim Bolts, along with the championship game in 2010 against La Raza when Sean Bowers high fived me right after the buzzer and then I kissed my wife, and the 2012 championship game against Waza Flo when the WAZA goalie put up the "O" hands after blocking a penalty kick, and then Susi responded by posted the "O" hands after scoring on the Detroit keeper.

          The Sports Arena (VVCC) is the perfect place for the Sockers to play their home games in San Diego, and I am pleased that the GM John Kentera and the Sockers ownership made the move to the historic arena.  If the Sockers are going to grow their fan base, the VVCC is the place to do it, but those of us who enjoyed the Sockers at the Del Mar Arena for those three seasons took part in a special part of San Diego Sockers history that will never be forgotten.

Friday, October 25, 2013

A quick look at each divisions schedule

        In the Eastern Division of the PASL Cincinnati, Cleveland, Detroit, and Harrisburg all play 4 divisional games against each other throughout the season, and Harrisburg is the only team to play an inter-divisional game, and that comes at the end of the season at Dallas.  If Detroit has the number of Cincinnati, Cleveland, and Harrisburg this season, they could easily win the division.  Illinois has two inter-divisional opponents with one game against Tulsa and four games against Wichita.  The Piasa also have the advantage of playing at home four out of the last five games of their season.  The Chicago Mustangs have the luxury of playing six of their first nine games at home. Chicago also has a total of five inter-divisional games, two against Tulsa and three against Harrisburg.

        In the Central division, things are a little more interesting.  Wichita and Monterrey only play 3 teams out of the seven team division.  In fact, only Tulsa and Hidalgo play all six other teams in the division.  The Central also plays a total of 20 inter-divisional games, the most out of all of the divisions.  Dallas, Tulsa, and Wichita all play each other four times.  Monterrey, Texas, Hidalgo, and Saltillo all play each other four times as well.  Dallas plays the most inter-divisional opponents at four with a game against Ontario and San Diego at the beginning of the season, and a game against Las Vegas and Harrisburg at the end of the season.  Monterrey has six games in twenty one days at the beginning of the season, having to travel to Saltillo, San Diego, Tijuana, and Beaumont for four of those games.  That kind of travel and that many games in so few days could pose health issues for the team.  Saltillo Rancho Seco plays five consecutive away games after their home opener against Monterrey, and then follow it up with six consecutive games at home.  If Saltillo is in good divisional standings by the time they start their run of home games, they could rack up enough wins to cruise into the playoffs.

        In the Pacific Division every team plays against each other at least once, with Ontario, San Diego, and Las Vegas getting the lions share of the inter-divisional games.  Turlock, Bay Area, and Sacramento play each other a bunch of times in their own little northern California rivalry.  Ontario, who plays San Diego four times, Las Vegas three times, and has a home opener against Dallas along with two consecutive away games at Saltillo and Monterrey, has in my opinion has one of the toughest schedules in the league along with Saltillo and Monterrey.   

Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Bernie's Breakout

        So far the month of October has been one of excitement and anticipation as teams announce who has signed to their squads in the run up to the beginning of the season.  At first I was impressed by the acquisitions of the Illinois Piasa, who signed a number of international and local players to their roster a few months before the season started.  The Piasa, who came into the league posting an impressive 9-3 record in the "Frontier Division" during the 2010-11 season, failed to find success the next two seasons finishing 6-10 and 4-11 respectively.  The initial additions that the Piasa made signaled that this year the team was looking to boost the roster by signing on experienced soccer players with impressive resumes' like Anel Ibricic, Cody Costakis, and Damir Kordic.  Piasa, who play in a division with teams like Chicago, Harrisburg, and Detroit, will need to learn early to win on the road given that seven of their first eleven games are on the road.  I think that the Piasa could have a shot at making the playoffs this year as long as they can hang in the mix of the Eastern Division until the last five regular season games in which the Piasa have 2 games against the B-52's and 4 home games.

       On the other side of the league, Bernie Lilavois is building what looks to be the best expansion team of the 2013-14 PASL season.  When I saw that the very first player signed by the Fury was veteran midfielder Majell Aterado I was highly impressed.  The signing of Majell, who sat out last season with an injury, was a strong signal broadcasted by the Fury Coach about what his intentions are moving forward as a club.  Let's just assume for the moment that, since they have won the last 4 championships, the San Diego Sockers are the best team in the PASL.  As the old adage goes "to be the best, you have to beat the best,"  and that is exactly what Bernie Lilavois plans on doing.  Aterado has played on four championship teams in the PASL, giving him the type of experience you want to build around.  Also,  as a former San Diego Sockers midfielder, Majell has first hand knowledge of what San Diego can do on the field and what, if any, weaknesses may give the Fury any advantage.  The Ontario Fury will have a difficult schedule this season with 4 games against San Diego, 3 games against Las Vegas, 2 games against Turlock and games against Dallas, Monterrey, and Saltillo.  Luckily for the Fury, five out their six first games of the season are played at home. Ontario, which is a two hour drive from San Diego, will get plenty of looks at the Sockers during the regular season, but the match against the Sockers that would be the most important is the one that could happen in the playoffs.
   
        In a strong division like the Pacific with teams like Las Vegas, Turlock, San Diego, and Tijuana, experience and depth go a long way, and Lilavois showed that with his subsequent Fury procurements.  In order to have a chance at competing in the PASL teams need to have experienced players with indoor knowledge and big game experience, and by big game experience I am referring to players with impressive collegiate and professional experience. The PASL is not a league where teams can hold tryouts, recruit local talent, and expect to win championships.  In my opinion, championship teams need to have veterans with championship experience.  So far the Fury have put together an impressive championship caliber line up, which includes Jeff Bader, a cornerstone defender from the Tacoma Stars,  Sanaldo, a solid former MISL goalie,  Tiguinho, "a proven indoor talent'" as Lilavois calls him,   Israel Sesay, a former member of the Los Angeles Galaxy,  Luis Henrique Pinto, an international futsal pro, Tino Nuñez, former Real Salt Lake and Baltimore Blast veteran, and Zach Bautista, Manabu “Manny” Kaji and Miguel Sanchez, all of them carry over players from Lilavois' last team, the Anaheim Bolts.  With ten days left until the beginning of the season, who knows who else the Fury will add to their squad.
     
        The experience that Bernie Lilavois had with the Anaheim Bolts will no doubt shape the direction of the Ontario Fury, and the mistakes with the Bolts will provide the Ontario Fury with a head start at the beginning of the 2013-14 season.  With all of the teams announcing who they have acquired for the upcoming PASL season, the Fury have led the way with signing big game experience and indoor prowess.  I remember going up to the last San Diego game in Anaheim and looking out over a small field with tattered carpet, no glass, and a majority Sockers fans crowd that was swallowed up by the sizable Anaheim Convention Center, and thinking to myself "this is terrible, this is not going to last."  I have a feeling that the Bernie Lilavois' Ontario Fury will not flame out like the Bolts, but will have a breakout season in the PASL, fill the arena with fans, and forge themselves a lasting position in the Ontario Community and with the ever improving PASL.    

      

Wednesday, October 2, 2013

The 6 must watch divisional games of November

        The first month of the 2013-2014 PASL season has 43 games, 9 inter-divisional games, and a game on a Thursday night.  19 of these games will be played at the home arenas of the 9 expansion teams (Tulsa, Hildago, Wichita, Monterrey, Saltillo, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Bay Area, and Ontario).  Out of the 3 divisions there are 5 games that have some divisional interest based on last years performances.

         The Eastern Division has 4 teams, Detroit, Illinois, Harrisburg, and Chicago, that are returning from last year's PASL season, and 2, Cincinnati and Cleveland, that are expansion teams.  Of the two returning teams, Chicago and Detroit had winning seasons last year, with Detroit making it to the finals.  Unfortunately, Detroit and Chicago don't play each other in the month of November, but Detroit and Harrisburg do play each other.  Twice.  On the 9th Harrisburg goes to the new home of the Waza Flo, Melvindale arena, and on the 16th Detroit makes the journey to the Equine Arena for a rematch.  Detroit, who had and impressive 14-2 season as well as a US Open Cup championship, will look to continue their success in the 2013-2014 season.  Harrisburg, who finished last season 6-10, will look to improve this season with returning Heat standouts midfielder Tyler Witmer and defender Zach Sell.  Last season Witmer had 20 goals with 30 total points and will be an important part of the Heat offense.  Detroit will look to continue their dominance of the east this year, but it will be interesting to see what additions, if any, the Waza Flo will make to a veteran team with a lot of history together.

        The Central Division has 2 teams, Dallas and Beaumont, that are returning from last years season, and 5 teams, Tulsa, Wichita, Hildago, Saltillo, and Monterrey, that are expansions.  It can be noted that the Monterrey team is made up of last years RGV Flash, who made it to the playoffs.  Even though the Dallas Sidekicks made an early exit from the playoffs last season, they are still my favorite choice to win the division.  The Games that I am interested in are the two games between the two Mexican teams in the division, Monterrey and Saltillo, on the 9th and the 21st.  Monterrey has a quality squad that will be returning from relative success last season, and I am interested in seeing how they fill the Monterrey Arena, which is the largest venue in the PASL with a seating capacity of more that 17,000.  Saltillo Rancho Seco, who are new to the PASL, but not as a team, had a strong season in the Liga Mexicana de Futbol Rapido, finishing out the season in second place.  I know that the Toros of Tijuana will have a strong team, but I am interested in the quality of the other Mexican teams.

        The Pacific division has 5 teams, Sacramento, Turlock, Las Vegas, Tijuana, and San Diego, that are returning from last season, and 2 teams, Ontario and Bay Area, that are expansion teams this season.  The two expansion teams do not play each other in the month of November, and neither do San Diego and Las Vegas, two teams that made it to the semi-finals last season.  Don't fret dear single reader, there are still two divisional games with some import.  Mexico travels to Las Vegas on the 10th for their first meeting of the season and I am personally interested how Las Vegas will do in their sophomore season in the PASL given that they lost their legendary coach Greg Howes, but also signed Turlock's offensive star Ivan Campos and standout midfielder Armando Martinez.  The Legend's signing of Campos and Martinez brings me to the next game, San Diego and Turlock on the 22nd.  I am interested in seeing how the team from Turlock responds to a new season without their leading scorer and amid unsubstantiated rumors of a Bronil Koochoie trade to Dallas.  Turlock should be able to pick up wins against Sacramento, Ontario, Bay Area, and Tijuana, but Vegas and San Diego will be the true litmus test of the Pacific Division.