Sockers Go for Fourth in a Row

SAN DIEGO —  When the Sockers open the 1990-91 Major Soccer League season tonight in Kansas City, they will be seeking their fourth consecutive championship and ninth in 10 years.

Reminders of why the Sockers have dominated this little subculture arrived Wednesday with two prodigal sons.

Midfielder Paul Dougherty and forward Keder played previously in San Diego, having been recruited by Coach Ron Newman from their native countries, Dougherty from England, Keder from Yugoslavia.

For different reasons, both eventually left. They returned Wednesday, saying they longed to be a part of the Sockers’ system again. It’s a program that emphasizes midfield play and moving the ball forward with quick, short passes.

“That’s the type of soccer I like to play,” Dougherty said after signing a contract Wednesday. “It’s a much more skillful style than what we used in Baltimore last season.”

It also seems to be a style that bolsters offensive statistics.

In 1987-88, Dougherty was second on the Sockers in goals (40) and assists (24). Last year with the Baltimore Blast his numbers fell to 13 and 10.

So badly did Dougherty want to play in San Diego, he shunned offers of $5,000 more than his Socker salary from Dallas and Tacoma. He figures the missing numbers on his paycheck will show up on his statistics sheet.

Keder also played in Baltimore last year, albeit briefly. He was traded to Wichita midway through the season. He scored only nine goals all year, blaming his lack of production on unimaginative play in Baltimore and Wichita.

“It was so different than San Diego, where there’s a lot of one- and two-touch passing and so much ball movement,” he said.

In his only full season in San Diego, 1987-88, Keder scored 28 goals in 36 games.

So if the Sockers’ system gets these kind of glowing endorsements, why did the team have a losing record (25-27) last season?

First, Steve Zungul’s presence divided the team. Zungul is the league’s all-time leader in goals (649), assists (462) and three other offensive categories. But when last season began, Zungul was 35 and working with deteriorating arthritic hips. He could neither run as he once could nor play full time as he once had.

At least, that’s what some players and Newman believe. Other players disagreed, thereby causing the great controversy of 1989-90.

Included in the pro-Zungul camp was fellow Yugoslav Branko Segota, who wouldn’t say the Zungul controversy affected his play but conceded some shortcomings.

“Last year I was physically and mentally gone,” Segota said.

Although Segota led the team with 61 points, he had an off year. In fact, it was his lowest point total since his first season in 1978-79, when he had 47 points in 21 games.

“There were a lot of things going on and I let them get to me,” Segota said. “I don’t like to discuss it, but right now I’m squared away and that’s the key.”

Zungul is retired and gone, too, is the dissension.

“It’s a closer-knit team than I’ve experienced in all the time I’ve been here,” said Dougherty, who played for the Sockers three years before moving to Baltimore last season. “And that’s important, really. When everybody is willing to battle for the team, you get results.”

There was one other problem last year. With so much playoff experience, the Sockers realized that . . .

“It really doesn’t matter what you do during the season,” as Segota put it.

That might not be the prevailing attitude this year, however.

“At least I hope not,” said midfielder Brian Quinn, who also is an assistant coach for the Sockers. “I think all of us who have been here didn’t enjoy (losing) last year.”

There seems to be little debate that if losing does become a trend this season, defense will be the reason. It lost 196 blocked shots when George Fernandez (98), Ralph Black (57) and Cacho (41) defected to other teams during the off-season. And the top goalie, Zoltan Toth, accepted a more lucrative offer elsewhere.

The defensive replacements have no MSL experience: David Banks is a rookie from Philadelphia College of Textiles and Science, Alex Golovnia has played 10 years in the Soviet first and second divisions and Saeed Bakhtiari has played six years in the National Professional Soccer League.

Toth’s replacement still is being sought.

The rest of the team appears solid. In the midfield, the Sockers have Quinn, considered the league’s finest playmaker. Other playmaking midfielders include Dougherty, five-year veteran Jacques Ladouceur, six-year veteran Ben Collins and second-year player Thien Nguyen.

And there also appears to be plenty of scorers: Segota (the team’s all-time goal leader with 272 in 249 games), Waad Hirmez (who led the team with 29 goals last year) and Paul Wright (24 last year).

There also are others expected to defy opposing goalies.

As a rookie last year, Rod Castro, scored 22 goals. Another second-year player, Wes Wade, had nine goals in 46 regular-season games before scoring eight in 16 playoff games. And Eddie Henderson, a rookie from Washington, has been compared to Wright and Wade because of his speed.