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]
| 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 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
editLaunched 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
editIn 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
editRegular season
edit| 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
edit| 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 | 8:05 pm | Soles de Sonora | L 2–4 | 4-3 | Royal Farms Arena | 6,701 |
| Ron Newman Cup Final #2 | Sunday | April 9 | 9:05 pm | Soles de Sonora | W 9–8 (OT) | 5-3 | El Centro de Usos Múltiples | 8,000 |
| Ron Newman Cup Final #3 | Monday | April 10 | 12:05 am | Soles de Sonora | W 1–0 | 6-3 | El Centro de Usos Múltiples | 8,000 |
Personnel
editTeam roster
edit- As of January 13, 2017[17]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
|
|
Staff
editThe 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
editTop scorers
edit| Rank | Scorer | Games | Goals | Assists | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Tony Donatelli
|
20 | 19 | 23 | 42 |
| 2 |  Vini Dantas
|
18 | 20 | 11 | 31 |
| 3 | Andrew Hoxie
|
19 | 17 | 6 | 23 |
| 4 | Jonatas Melo
|
20 | 11 | 8 | 19 |
| 5 | Lucas Roque
|
11 | 6 | 7 | 13 |
Last updated on March 5, 2017. Source:[19]
External links
editReferences
edit- ^ "Biography set to detail life of ex-banker ed Hale – including CIA stint".
- ^ "Stats - Major Arena Soccer League".
- ^ "City to vote on 'Royal Farms Arena'".
- ^ "Board approves changing Baltimore Arena's name to Royal Farms Arena".
- ^ "Blast double up Silver Knights to clinch playoff berth".
- ^ "Digest: Blast win in OT, clinch regular-season division championship".
- ^ Can soccer succeed in Baltimore?
- ^ "'Hale Storm' reveals prominent former banker's CIA ties, two failed marriages".
- ^ "Syracuse Silver Knights begin play in new MASL with opening match against old foe Baltimore". November 6, 2014.
- ^ Baltimore Blast joining with other teams to form new indoor soccer league Graham, Glenn, April 13, 2014, Baltamore Sun
- ^ "Blast among 24 teams to join new Major Arena Soccer League".
- ^ "MASL FINALIZES DIVISIONS AND CONFERENCES FOR 2016-17 SEASON - Major Arena Soccer League".
- ^ "Baltimore Blast owner ed Hale plans to remove team from MASL, form new league".
- ^ "MAJOR ARENA SOCCER LEAGUE EXPANDS TO THE SUNSHINE STATE - Comets Indoor Soccer - Comets Indoor Soccer". Archived from the original on October 17, 2016. Retrieved February 23, 2017.
- ^ "Stats - Major Arena Soccer League".
- ^ "Stats - Major Arena Soccer League".
- ^ "Official Website of the Baltimore Blast: Roster". Archived from the original on September 15, 2013. Retrieved February 23, 2017.
- ^ "baltimoreblast.com: Front Office". Archived from the original on January 27, 2017. Retrieved February 23, 2017.
- ^ "Stats - Major Arena Soccer League".