The Baltimore Blast are an American professional indoor soccer team based in Baltimore, Maryland, that competes in the Major Arena Soccer League (MASL).
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| Full name | Baltimore Blast | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Blast | ||
| Founded | 1992 (as Baltimore Spirit) | ||
| Stadium | SECU Arena[1] | ||
| Capacity | 3,580 | ||
| Chairman | Edwin F. Hale, Sr.[2] | ||
| Coach | David Bascome | ||
| League | Major Arena Soccer League | ||
| 2023–24 | 5th, Eastern Division Playoffs: DNQ | ||
| Website | https://baltimoreblast.com/ | ||
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Including one championship victory as the original Baltimore Blast, the team has won 10 championships since its founding in 1980. Beginning with the 2017-2018 season, home games have been played at Towson University's SECU Arena. The Blast previously played at Royal Farms Arena in downtown Baltimore. Team colors are red and gold. Their current head coach is David Bascome, who took over from Danny Kelly who held the position for 15 years.[3]
History
editNPSL, MISL II and MISL III years
editThe team was founded by North Carolina–based software executive Bill Stealey as the Baltimore Spirit at the end of July 1992 and joined the National Professional Soccer League. The team replaced the earlier Baltimore Blast, who folded along with the original Major Indoor Soccer League.[4] When the team was purchased by Ed Hale, a former owner of the original team, the Spirit were renamed the Blast on July 10, 1998[5] (Hale had the rights to the Blast name, hence the reason why the team decided to change its name) and joined the new MISL II in 2001. After the MISL II folded in 2008, the team announced it would be joining the new National Indoor Soccer League, which would later acquire the rights to, and became, the third version of the MISL.
Shift to MASL
editOne day after the 2013–2014 MISL Championship final, USL President Tim Holt announced a number of teams would not be returning to the MISL the following year.[6] The franchise announced on April 2, 2014, that it would not return to the Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL) after its contract with the United Soccer Leagues (USL), owners of the circuit, expired following the 2013–14 season.[7] It was officially announced the Blast would be one of six teams joining the Professional Arena Soccer League (later renamed the Major Arena Soccer League) in the 2014–2015 season.[8][9]
In their first two seasons as a member of MASL, the Blast would win 33 out of 39 games. They placed first in the Eastern Division in both the 2014-2015 and 2015-2016 seasons, played in the 2015 and 2016 championship series and won the 2016 series over Soles de Sonora two games to none. The Blast repeated as Newman Cup Champions in 2017, again winning the final series over Soles de Sonora two games to one. In 2018, the Blast won their third straight championship, defeating the Monterrey Flash 4-3 in the final.
Attempted launch of the IPL
editOn February 18, 2016, Blast owner Ed Hale announced his intentions to leave the Major Arena Soccer League and form a new league.[10]
On May 3, 2016, the expansion franchise Florida Tropics SC held a press conference stating they would be joining the IPL. At the press conference, Ed Hale was announced as the chairman of the league, and Sam Fantauzzo, former owner of the Rochester Lancers, was announced as the first commissioner of the league. It was announced that the St. Louis Ambush, Baltimore Blast, and Harrisburg Heat had "resigned" from the MASL.[11][12]
On August 29, 2016, the Blast, Heat, Ambush re-entered the MASL with the expansion Tropics joining.[13] The move effectively folded the IPL as no teams remained in the league.
After rejoining the MASL, the Blast would go on to win their second Eastern Division championship and MASL championship over Soles de Sonora for the second year in a row.
Move to SECU Arena
editThe 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.[1] The move was the first time the Blast franchise played home games in an arena other than the Royal Farms Arena. In June 2021 the Blast announced an affiliation partnership with Baltimore Kings, who will be playing their first arena soccer season in MASL 3 in January 2022.[14] In March 2023, the Blast announced that the Rochester Lancers would be their affiliate in MASL 2[15]
Players
edit2023–24 roster
editActive players
editNote: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Inactive players
editNote: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Staff
edit
David Bascome – Head coach, (2020–present)[16]
Adauto Neto – Assistant coach - Sergio Moura – Assistant coach
Retired numbers
edit| Player | Number |
|---|---|
| Stan Stamenkovic | #10 |
Hall of Fame
edit| Position | Person | Inducted |
|---|---|---|
| Coach |  Kenny Cooper
|
2004 |
| FW |  Stan Stamenkovic
|
2004 |
| DF | Mike Stankovic
|
2004 |
| DF |  Bruce Savage
|
2005 |
| N/A | Earl Foreman
|
2005 |
| FW | Tim Wittman
|
2005 |
| FW | Joey Fink
|
2006 |
| FW | Dave MacWilliams
|
2006 |
| FW |  Heinz Wirtz
|
2007 |
| FW |  Domenic Mobilio
|
2008 |
| GK | Keith Van Eron
|
2008 |
| FW | Billy Ronson
|
2009 |
| DF |  Richard Chinapoo
|
2009 |
| FW | Pat Ercoli
|
2010 |
| GK |  Cris Vaccaro
|
2010 |
| DF | Doug Neely
|
2011 |
| FW | Dan Counce
|
2012 |
| DF | Rusty Troy
|
2012 |
| FW | Tarik Walker
|
2013 |
| MF | Denison Cabral
|
2014 |
| DF | Lance Johnson
|
2015 |
| MF/Coach | Danny Kelly
|
2017 |
| GK | Sagu
|
2018 |
| DF | PJ Wakefield
|
2019 |
| FW | Giuliano Celenza
|
2019 |
| MF | Lee Tschantret
|
2020 |
| FW/Coach | David Bascome
|
2020 |
| Trainer | Marty McGinty
|
2020 |
Notable former players
edit
Year-by-year
edit| Year | League | GP | W | L | Win% | GF | GA | GF/G | GA/G | Finish | Playoffs | GP | W | L | Win% | Avg. attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992–93 | NPSL II | 40 | 27 | 13 | .675 | 309 | 256 | 7.73 | 6.40 | 1st American | Quarterfinal | 2 | 0 | 2 | .000 | 5,444 |
| 1993–94 | NPSL II | 40 | 26 | 14 | .650 | 322 | 293 | 8.05 | 7.33 | 1st American | First Round | 2 | 0 | 2 | .000 | 6,471 |
| 1994–95 | NPSL II | 40 | 23 | 17 | .575 | 317 | 307 | 7.93 | 7.68 | 3rd American | First Round | 3 | 1 | 2 | .333 | 5,733 |
| 1995–96 | NPSL II | 40 | 25 | 15 | .625 | 306 | 258 | 7.65 | 6.45 | 2nd American | Division Semifinal | 6 | 3 | 3 | .500 | 5,037 |
| 1996–97 | NPSL II | 40 | 20 | 20 | .500 | 260 | 258 | 6.50 | 6.45 | 2nd East | Conference Semifinal | 5 | 3 | 2 | .600 | 4,760 |
| 1997–98 | NPSL II | 40 | 12 | 28 | .300 | 250 | 300 | 6.25 | 7.50 | 3rd East | DNQ | — | — | — | — | 5,001 |
| 1998–99 | NPSL II | 40 | 19 | 21 | .475 | 271 | 290 | 6.78 | 7.25 | 3rd East | DNQ | — | — | — | — | 4,795 |
| 1999–2000 | NPSL II | 44 | 26 | 18 | .591 | 339 | 275 | 7.70 | 6.25 | 1st East | Conference Final | 4 | 2 | 2 | .500 | 5,445 |
| 2000–01 | NPSL II | 40 | 22 | 18 | .550 | 300 | 260 | 7.50 | 6.50 | 3rd American | Conference Final | 5 | 3 | 2 | .600 | 5,376 |
| 2001–02 | MISL II | 44 | 18 | 26 | .409 | 265 | 274 | 6.02 | 6.23 | 4th MISL | Semifinal | 1 | 0 | 1 | .000 | 4,998 |
| 2002–03 | MISL II | 36 | 18 | 18 | .500 | 189 | 182 | 5.25 | 5.06 | 3rd Eastern | Champions | 5 | 4 | 1 | .800 | 5,559 |
| 2003–04 | MISL II | 36 | 25 | 11 | .694 | 241 | 192 | 6.69 | 5.33 | 1st Eastern | Champions | 4 | 4 | 0 | 1.000 | 6,330 |
| 2004–05 | MISL II | 39 | 15 | 24 | .385 | 205 | 238 | 5.26 | 6.10 | 7th MISL | DNQ | — | — | — | — | 5,752 |
| 2005–06 | MISL II | 30 | 17 | 13 | .567 | 184 | 168 | 6.13 | 5.60 | 2nd MISL | Champions | 6 | 4 | 2 | .667 | 7,005 |
| 2006–07 | MISL II | 30 | 15 | 15 | .500 | 154 | 150 | 5.13 | 5.00 | 5th MISL | DNQ | — | — | — | — | 7,449 |
| 2007–08 | MISL II | 30 | 19 | 11 | .633 | 186 | 135 | 6.20 | 4.50 | 3rd MISL | Champions | 5 | 5 | 0 | 1.000 | 7,230 |
| 2008–09 | NISL | 18 | 14 | 4 | .778 | 132 | 66 | 7.33 | 3.67 | 1st NISL | Champions | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | 7,534 |
| 2009–10 | MISL III | 20 | 11 | 9 | .550 | 105 | 97 | 5.25 | 4.85 | 2nd MISL | Semifinal | 2 | 0 | 2 | .000 | 6,259 |
| 2010–11 | MISL III | 20 | 15 | 5 | .750 | 131 | 93 | 6.55 | 4.65 | 1st MISL | Runner-up | 1 | 0 | 1 | .000 | 6,933 |
| 2011–12 | MISL III | 24 | 18 | 6 | .750 | 165 | 108 | 6.88 | 4.50 | 1st Eastern | Runner-up | 4 | 2 | 2 | .500 | 5,961 |
| 2012–13 | MISL III | 26 | 21 | 5 | .808 | 181 | 108 | 6.96 | 4.15 | 1st MISL | Champions | 4 | 4 | 0 | 1.000 | 5,544 |
| 2013–14 | MISL III | 20 | 17 | 3 | .850 | 147 | 46 | 7.35 | 2.30 | 1st MISL | Runner-up | 6 | 3 | 3 | .500 | 6,123 |
| 2014–15 | MASL | 20 | 18 | 2 | .900 | 167 | 69 | 8.35 | 3.45 | 1st Eastern | Runner-up | 6 | 4 | 2 | .667 | 6,201 |
| 2015–16 | MASL | 19 | 15 | 4 | .789 | 129 | 57 | 6.79 | 3.00 | 1st Eastern | Champions | 6 | 6 | 0 | 1.000 | 6,102 |
| 2016–17 | MASL | 20 | 14 | 6 | .700 | 113 | 69 | 5.65 | 3.45 | 1st Eastern | Champions | 9 | 6 | 3 | .667 | 6,299 |
| 2017–18 | MASL | 22 | 17 | 5 | .773 | 143 | 108 | 6.50 | 4.91 | 1st Eastern | Champions | 4 | 4 | 0 | 1.000 | 3,491 |
| 2018–19 | MASL | 24 | 17 | 7 | .708 | 144 | 103 | 6.00 | 4.29 | 2nd Eastern | Semifinal | 4 | 2 | 2 | .500 | 3,317 |
| 2019–20 | MASL | 23 | 15 | 8 | .652 | 175 | 104 | 7.61 | 4.52 | 4th Eastern | Play-off cancelled | — | — | — | — | 2,641 |
| 2021 | MASL | did not participate | ||||||||||||||
| 2021–22 | MASL | 21 | 12 | 9 | .571 | 142 | 111 | 6.76 | 5.29 | 2nd Eastern | Quarterfinal | 3 | 1 | 2 | .333 | 2,183 |
| 2022–23 | MASL | 24 | 13 | 11 | .542 | 141 | 101 | 5.88 | 4.21 | 2nd Eastern | Runner-up | 7 | 4 | 3 | .571 | 2,778* |
| 2023–24 | MASL | 24 | 11 | 13 | .458 | 140 | 154 | 5.83 | 6.42 | 5th Eastern | DNQ | — | — | — | — | 1,780 |
| Total | 934 | 555 | 379 | .863 | 6,253 | 5,230 | 6.70 | 5.60 | 9 Championships | 105 | 66 | 39 | .629 | – | ||
| *Attendance average excludes one 15 minute mini match played directly after their quarter-final matchup. | ||||||||||||||||
Records
editStatistics below show the all-time regular-season club leaders and include player statistics from the original Baltimore Blast which competed in the Major Indoor Soccer League (1978–1992).[18][19] Bold indicates active Blast players.
| Category | Record holder | Total |
|---|---|---|
| Games | Tim Wittman |
441 |
| Goals | Denison Cabral |
445 |
| Assists | Srboljub Stamenković |
199 |
| Game-winning goals | Denison Cabral |
32 |
| Blocks | Lance Johnson |
694 |
| Shutouts | William Vanzela |
11 |
| Wins | William Vanzela |
105 |
Head coaches
edit- Kenny Cooper Sr. (1992–1994)
- Dave MacWilliams (1994–1996)
- Mike Stankovic (1996–1998)
- Kevin Healey (1998–2002)
- Sean Bowers (2002)
- Bobby McAvan (2002–2003)
- Tim Wittman (2003–2006)
- Danny Kelly (2006–2020)
- David Bascome (2020–present)[20]
Arenas
edit- Royal Farms Arena; Baltimore, Maryland (1992–2017) (previously known as Baltimore Civic Center, Baltimore Arena, 1st Mariner Arena)
- SECU Arena; Towson, Maryland (2017–present)
References
edit
- ^ a b "Blast find new home at Towson University's SECU Arena". 30 August 2017.
- ^ Wells, Carrie (November 8, 2014). "'Hale Storm' reveals prominent former banker's CIA ties, two failed marriages". The Baltimore Sun. Baltimore, MD: Tribune Publishing. Retrieved November 9, 2014.
- ^ "Blast replace head coach Danny Kelly with assistant David Bascome. Kelly departs after 15 years, six championships". Baltimore Sun. 28 May 2020.
- ^ Ey, Craig S. (August 11, 1997). "Can soccer succeed in Baltimore?". Baltimore Business Journal. Baltimore, MD: Advance Publications. Retrieved December 9, 2014.
- ^ "Sidekicks Opponents: Baltimore Blast (New-MISL)".
- ^ "Video: MISL Statement ~ Frequency". Archived from the original on 2014-04-15. Retrieved 2014-04-14.
- ^ Graham, Glenn (April 3, 2014). "Seeking to become 'more relevant,' Blast breaks away from MISL". The Baltimore Sun.
- ^ Graham, Glenn (November 7, 2014). "A look at the Blast's new league, the MASL". The Baltimore Sun. Baltimore, MD: Tribune Publishing. Retrieved November 9, 2014.
- ^ "Ed Hale moves Baltimore Blast to Professional Arena Soccer League - Baltimore Business Journal". Archived from the original on 2014-04-17.
- ^ Graham, Glenn (February 18, 2016). "Baltimore Blast owner Ed Hale plans to remove team from MASL, form new league". The Baltimore Sun. Baltimore, MD: Tribune Publishing. Retrieved February 29, 2016.
- ^ "Press Conference | By Florida Tropics SC | Facebook". www.facebook.com.
- ^ "Blast owner ed Hale launches Indoor Professional League; eight to 10 teams to start play in November". 3 May 2016.
- ^ "MAJOR ARENA SOCCER LEAGUE EXPANDS TO THE SUNSHINE STATE". Major Arena Soccer League. Archived from the original on 2016-09-02. Retrieved 30 August 2016.
- ^ Graham, Glenn (30 June 2021). "Blast welcome the Baltimore Kings, who will serve as farm team in Major Arena Soccer League's third division". baltimoresun.com. Retrieved 2021-12-30.
- ^ Lewis, Michael (March 17, 2023). "THEY'LL BE HAVING A BLAST: Lancers announce affiliation with Baltimore". Front Row Soccer.
- ^ a b "Roster". MASL. Retrieved 1 April 2024.
- ^ "ROSTER". MASL. Retrieved 1 April 2024.
- ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-04-26. Retrieved 2017-02-28.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "All-Time Roster". Baltimore Blast. Retrieved 8 September 2022.
- ^ "Baltimore Blast Announces New Coach". The Baltimore Blast. 28 May 2020. Retrieved 2 April 2024.