2016–17 Baltimore Blast season

Baltimore Blast
2016–17 MASL season
Owner Edwin F. Hale, Sr.[1]
Head Coach Danny Kelly
Arena Royal Farms Arena
201 West Baltimore Street
Baltimore, Maryland 21201
Major Arena Soccer League 1st, Eastern (regular season)
Ron Newman Cup MASL Champion
Top goalscorer Tony Donatelli (18 goals, 19 assists)
Highest home attendance 9,722 (February 4 vs. Milwaukee Wave)
Lowest home attendance 4,121 (November 18 vs. Florida Tropics SC)
Average home league attendance 6,299 (10 games)[2]

The 2016–17 Baltimore Blast season is the twenty-fifth 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 Royal Farms Arena in downtown Baltimore, Maryland.[3][4]

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 2016. Following an 8-4 victory on February 17 over the Syracuse Silver Knights, Baltimore clinched a playoff berth in the Eastern Division for the 2017 Ron Newman Cup playoffs.[5] The Blast then clinched the regular-season Eastern Division championship after a 5-4 overtime win in Syracuse on February 24.[6]

The Blast finished the regular season 14-6 and defeated Harrisburg, Milwaukee and Sonora in the postseason, successfully defending their title en route to the team's ninth championship (including one won by the original Blast franchise). Vini Dantas received the MASL Finals 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.[7] Ed Hale, an owner of the original Blast, bought the Spirit in July 1998 and changed the name to Baltimore Blast.[8] 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.[9] 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.[10][11] With the Waza Flo folding and the launch of the Florida Tropics SC, the MASL Eastern Division for the 2016-17 season consists of the defending MASL Ron Newman Cup Champion Baltimore Blast, former MISL club Syracuse Silver Knights, former PASL club Harrisburg Heat, and the expansion Tropics.[12]

Off-field moves

In the offseason, the Baltimore Blast, Harrisburg Heat, and St. Louis Ambush left the MASL, and joined the expansion Florida Tropics SC to form the Indoor Professional League.[13] The Blast, Heat and Ambush re-joined the MASL in August 2016, with the Tropics being considered an expansion franchise for the MASL.[14]

Schedule

  Win   Loss [15] [16]

Regular season

Game Day Date Kickoff Opponent Results Location Attendance
Score Record
1 Saturday November 5 7:05 PM Harrisburg Heat W 11–6 1–0 Farm Show Large Arena 1,627
2 Friday November 11 7:35 PM Milwaukee Wave L 3–4 1–1 Royal Farms Arena 7,813
3 Friday November 18 7:35 PM Florida Tropics W 7–1 2–1 Royal Farms Arena 4,121
4 Saturday December 3 7:05 PM Florida Tropics W 5–1 3–1 Lakeland Center 2,134
5 Saturday December 10 7:35 PM Florida Tropics W 7–0 4–1 Royal Farms Arena 7,450
6 Sunday December 11 5:05 PM Kansas City Comets L 1–5 4–2 Silverstein Eye Centers Arena 3,118
7 Saturday December 17 7:05 PM Dallas Sidekicks W 8–4 5–2 Allen Event Center 1,661
8 Thursday December 29 7:00 PM Syracuse Silver Knights W 6–3 6–2 Oncenter War Memorial Arena 2,032
9 Friday December 30 7:35 PM Harrisburg Heat L 4–7 6–3 Farm Show Large Arena 1,675
10 Saturday January 7 7:05 PM Dallas Sidekicks W 7–2 7–3 Royal Farms Arena 7,230
11 Saturday January 14 7:05 PM Harrisburg Heat W 5–2 8–3 Royal Farms Arena 5,102
12 Friday January 20 7:05 PM Cedar Rapids Rampage L 3–5 8–4 U.S. Cellular Center 1,871
13 Saturday January 21 6:05 PM Milwaukee Wave L 2–7 8–5 UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena 3,171
14 Sunday January 29 4:05 PM St. Louis Ambush W 10–1 9–5 Royal Farms Arena 4,751
15 Saturday February 4 7:05 PM Milwaukee Wave W 5–2 10–5 Royal Farms Arena 9,722
16 Friday February 17 7:35 PM Syracuse Silver Knights W 8–4 11–5 Royal Farms Arena 6,131
17 Sunday February 19 4:05 PM Syracuse Silver Knights L 2–7 11–6 Royal Farms Arena 4,524
18 Friday February 24 7:30 PM Syracuse Silver Knights W 5–4 (OT) 12-6 Oncenter War Memorial Arena 2,949
19 Sunday February 26 3:05 PM St. Louis Ambush W 3–1 13-6 Family Arena 3,378
20 Sunday March 5 4:05 PM Harrisburg Heat W 11–3 14-6 Royal Farms Arena 6,152

Post-season

Game Day Date Kickoff Opponent Results Location Attendance
Score Record
Division Final #1 Saturday March 11 7:05 P.M. Harrisburg Heat L 4–5 0-1 Royal Farms Arena 4,214
Division Final #2 Wednesday March 15 7:35 P.M. Harrisburg Heat W 7–4 1-1 Farm Show Large Arena 1,142
Division Final #3 Wednesday March 15 9:35 P.M. Harrisburg Heat W 4–1 2-1 Farm Show Large Arena 1,142
Conference Final #1 Saturday March 18 7:05 P.M. Milwaukee Wave W 8–7 (OT) 3-1 Royal Farms Arena 3,235
Conference Final #2 Tuesday March 21 6:35 P.M. Milwaukee Wave L 4–8 3-2 UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena 2,218
Conference Final #3 Tuesday March 21 8:35 P.M. Milwaukee Wave W 2–1 4-2 UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena 2,218
Ron Newman Cup Final #1 Friday April 7 8:05pm Soles de Sonora L 2–4 4-3 Royal Farms Arena 6,701
Ron Newman Cup Final #2 Sunday April 9 9:05pm Soles de Sonora W 9–8 (OT) 5-3 El Centro de Usos Múltiples 8,000
Ron Newman Cup Final #3 Monday April 10 12:05am Soles de Sonora W 1–0 6-3 El Centro de Usos Múltiples 8,000

Personnel

Team roster

  • As of January 13, 2017[17]

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

No. Position Player
0 Italy GK William Vanzela
1 United States GK Chris Fenner
4 United States FW Andrew Hoxie
6 United States DF Josh Hughes
8 Brazil FW Lucas Roque
9 United States DF Pat Healey
11 United States FW Tony Donatelli
12 Brazil DF Adriano Dos Santos
13 United States DF Jereme Raley
17 United States DF Jamie Thomas
No. Position Player
18 United States MF Travis Pittman
21 Italy FW Daniel Peruzzi
22 Brazil MF Juan Pereira
23 Brazil MF Jonatas Melo
24 France FW Sofiane Tergou
26 Brazil DF Elton de Oliveria
28 Brazil FW Vini Dantas
32 United States DF Jordan Becker
78 United States DF Nelson Santana
80 United States MF Geaton Caltabiano

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, assistant general manager Mike Conway, and marketing coordinator Stephen Cooke.[18]

Statistics

Top scorers

Rank Scorer Games Goals Assists Points
1 United States Tony Donatelli 20 19 23 42
2 Brazil Vini Dantas 18 20 11 31
3 United States Andrew Hoxie 19 17 6 23
4 Brazil Jonatas Melo 20 11 8 19
5 Brazil Lucas Roque 11 6 7 13

Last updated on March 5, 2017. Source: [19]

References

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