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2017–18 Baltimore Blast season

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Baltimore Blast
2017–18 MASL season
OwnerEdwin F. Hale, Sr.[1]
Head CoachDanny Kelly
ArenaSECU Arena
Major Arena Soccer League1st, Eastern (regular season)
Ron Newman CupMASL Champion
Top goalscorerTony Donatelli (22 goals, 21 assists)
Highest home attendance3,800 (Twice; 2017-12-01 vs. Ontario Fury, and 2018-02-03 vs. Syracuse Silver Knights)
Lowest home attendance2,923 (2017-12-02 vs. St. Louis Ambush)
Average home league attendance3,491 (11 games)[2]
← 2016-17 (MASL)
2018-19 (MASL) →

The 2017–18 Baltimore Blast season is the twenty-sixth season of the Baltimore Blast professional indoor soccer club. The Blast, an Eastern Division team in the Major Arena Soccer League, play their home games at SECU Arena in Towson, Maryland.[3]

The team is led by owner Edwin F. Hale, Sr. and head coach Danny Kelly. The Blast entered the season as defending champions as they defeated the Sonora Suns in the Ron Newman Cup finals in April 2017 for the second consecutive season.

Following a 6-5 victory on February 10 over the Milwaukee Wave, Baltimore clinched a playoff berth in the Eastern Division for the 2018 Ron Newman Cup playoffs.[4] The Blast then clinched the regular-season Eastern Division championship after an 8-7 overtime win over the Florida Tropics on February 24.[5] The Blast finished the regular season 17-5 and defeated Syracuse, Milwaukee and Monterrey in the postseason, successfully defending their title en route to the team's tenth championship (including one won by the original Blast franchise). William Vanzela received the MASL Final MVP.

History

Launched in July 1992 as the Baltimore Spirit, an expansion team in the second National Professional Soccer League for the 1992–93 season, the team replaced the original Baltimore Blast which folded earlier in 1992 when the first Major Indoor Soccer League shut down.[6] Ed Hale, an owner of the original Blast, bought the Spirit in July 1998 and changed the name to Baltimore Blast.[7] In 2001, the team was a founding member of the second MISL. When that league shut down in 2008, they co-founded the National Indoor Soccer League which, one season later, became the third MISL.

After the 2013-14 season, Baltimore was one of three teams that left the MISL, leading to the league's collapse.[8] Along with five other former MISL teams, the Blast joined the teams of the Professional Arena Soccer League, which was then rebranded as the Major Arena Soccer League.[9][10] The MASL Eastern Division for the 2017-18 season remains unchanged from the previous season, consisting of the defending MASL Ron Newman Cup Champion Baltimore Blast, former MISL club Syracuse Silver Knights, former PASL club Harrisburg Heat, and the Florida Tropics.[11]

Off-field moves

The Blast announced in August 2017 that they would move from the Royal Farms Arena to the SECU Arena on the campus of Towson University, beginning in the 2017-2018 MASL season.[3] The move will be the first time the Blast franchise will play home games in an arena other than the Royal Farms Arena.

Schedule

  Win   Loss [12] [13]

Regular season

Game Day Date Kickoff Opponent Results Location Attendance
Score Record
1 Friday November 10 7:35 PM Cedar Rapids Rampage W 8–7 1–0 SECU Arena 3,733
2 Friday November 17 7:35 PM Syracuse Silver Knights W 7–6 2–0 SECU Arena 3,521
3 Saturday November 18 7:35 PM Florida Tropics L 4–5 2–1 RP Funding Center 2,356
4 Friday December 1 7:35 PM Ontario Fury W 8–5 3–1 SECU Arena 3,800
5 Saturday December 2 6:05 PM St. Louis Ambush W 5–4 4–1 SECU Arena 2,923
6 Sunday December 10 3:05 PM Florida Tropics W 10–1 5–1 SECU Arena 3,429
7 Friday December 15 7:35 PM Florida Tropics W 7–6 6–1 RP Funding Center 1,741
8 Saturday December 16 7:05 PM Harrisburg Heat L 5–6 (SO) 6–2 Farm Show Large Arena 1,316
9 Saturday December 30 7:05 PM Kansas City Comets W 5–3 7–2 Silverstein Eye Centers Arena 4,009
10 Sunday December 31 3:05 PM Cedar Rapids Rampage W 3–2 8–2 U.S. Cellular Center 1,820
11 Saturday January 6 6:05 PM Harrisburg Heat W 4–3 (OT) 9–2 SECU Arena 3,725
12 Friday January 12 7:05 PM Syracuse Silver Knights W 5–4 (OT) 10–2 Oncenter War Memorial Arena 1,747
13 Friday January 19 7:35 PM Kansas City Comets W 15–8 11–2 SECU Arena 3,041
14 Saturday January 20 6:05 PM Harrisburg Heat W 12–5 12–2 SECU Arena 3,554
15 Friday January 26 7:35 PM Harrisburg Heat W 4–2 13–2 Farm Show Large Arena 1,439
16 Saturday February 3 6:05 PM Syracuse Silver Knights W 8–7 (OT) 14–2 SECU Arena 3,800
17 Saturday February 10 1:05 PM Milwaukee Wave W 6–5 15–2 UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena 3,476
18 Friday February 16 7:35 PM Cedar Rapids Rampage L 5–6 15–3 U.S. Cellular Center 1,826
19 Saturday February 17 7:05 PM Milwaukee Wave L 1–5 15–4 UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena 5,974
20 Friday February 23 7:35 PM Milwaukee Wave W 9–6 16–4 SECU Arena 3,242
21 Saturday February 24 6:05 PM Florida Tropics W 8–7 (OT) 17–4 SECU Arena 3,631
22 Sunday March 4 4:05 PM Syracuse Silver Knights L 4–6 17–5 Oncenter War Memorial Arena 3,007

Post-season

Game Day Date Kickoff Opponent Results Location Attendance
Score Record
Division Final #1 Thursday March 8 7:05 P.M. Syracuse Silver Knights W 7–6 1–0 Oncenter War Memorial Arena 1,653
Division Final #2 Sunday March 11 5:05 P.M. Syracuse Silver Knights W 5–4 2–0 SECU Arena 3,611
Conference Final Friday March 16 7:35 PM Milwaukee Wave W 10–6 3–0 SECU Arena 3,173
Final Sunday March 25 5:05 P.M. Monterrey Flash W 4–3 4–0 Arena Monterrey 8,220

Personnel

2017–18 roster

Active Players

  • As of March 6, 2018[14]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
0 GK Brazil BRA William Vanzela
4 FW United States USA Andrew Hoxie
8 FW Brazil BRA Lucas Roque
9 DF United States USA Pat Healey
11 MF United States USA Tony Donatelli
12 DF Brazil BRA Adriano Dos Santos
13 DF United States USA Jereme Raley
16 MF United States USA Nicholas Tait
17 FW United States USA Jamie Thomas
19 DF Brazil BRA Marco Nascimento
No. Pos. Nation Player
20 DF United States USA Mike Deasel
21 FW United States USA Jon Orlando
22 FW Brazil BRA Juan Pereira
23 MF Brazil BRA Jonatas Melo
25 FW Brazil BRA Daniel Peruzzi
26 DF Brazil BRA Elton de Oliveria
28 FW Brazil BRA Vini Dantas
78 FW United States USA Nelson Santana
82 DF South Africa RSA Jonathan Greenfield
99 GK United States USA Joey Kapinos

Inactive Players

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
7 MF United States USA Ricky Greensfelder

Staff

The team's coaching staff includes head coach Danny Kelly, assistant coach David Bascome, athletic trainer Heather Kohlbus, physical therapist Paul Ernst, team doctor Dr. Richard Levine, and equipment manager Mark Meszaros. The Blast front office includes owner Edwin F. Hale, Sr., team president and general manager Kevin Healey, and assistant general manager Mike Conway.[15]

Statistics

Top scorers

Rank Scorer Games Goals Assists Points
1 United States Tony Donatelli 20 22 21 43
2 Brazil Vini Dantas 17 20 15 35
3 United States Andrew Hoxie 20 16 9 25
4 Brazil Jonatas Melo 22 11 13 24
5 Brazil Adriano Dos Santos 20 7 14 21

Last updated on March 6, 2018. Source:[16]

References

  1. ^ "Biography set to detail life of ex-banker ed Hale – including CIA stint".
  2. ^ "Stats - Major Arena Soccer League".
  3. ^ a b "Blast find new home at Towson University's SECU Arena".
  4. ^ "Blast Defeat Wave 6-5; Clinch a Playoff Spot". February 10, 2018.
  5. ^ "Blast rally for 8-7 overtime win over Tropics to clinch top spot in Eastern Conference".
  6. ^ "Can soccer succeed in Baltimore? - Baltimore Business Journal". Archived from the original on September 23, 2008.
  7. ^ "'Hale Storm' reveals prominent former banker's CIA ties, two failed marriages".
  8. ^ "Syracuse Silver Knights begin play in new MASL with opening match against old foe Baltimore". November 6, 2014.
  9. ^ Graham, Glenn (April 14, 2014). "Baltimore Blast joining with other teams to form new indoor soccer league". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved February 16, 2023.
  10. ^ "Blast among 24 teams to join new Major Arena Soccer League".
  11. ^ "MASL announces conference and division alignments for 2017-2018". Major Arena Soccer League.
  12. ^ "Stats - Major Arena Soccer League".
  13. ^ "Stats - Major Arena Soccer League".
  14. ^ "Stats - Major Arena Soccer League".
  15. ^ "Baltimoreblast.com: Front Office". Archived from the original on January 27, 2017. Retrieved March 6, 2018.
  16. ^ "Stats - Major Arena Soccer League".
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