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2016–17 Baltimore Blast season

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Baltimore Blast
2016–17 MASL season
OwnerEdwin F. Hale, Sr.[1]
Head CoachDanny Kelly
ArenaRoyal Farms Arena
201 West Baltimore Street
Baltimore, Maryland 21201
Major Arena Soccer League1st, Eastern (regular season)
Ron Newman CupMASL Champion
Top goalscorerTony Donatelli (18 goals, 19 assists)
Highest home attendance9,722 (February 4 vs. Milwaukee Wave)
Lowest home attendance4,121 (November 18 vs. Florida Tropics SC)
Average home league attendance6,299 (10 games)[2]
← 2015-16 (MASL)
2017-18 (MASL) →

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

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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

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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

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  Win   Loss [15] [16]

Regular season

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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

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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

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Team roster

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

Staff

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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

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Top scorers

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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]

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References

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  1. ^ "Biography set to detail life of ex-banker ed Hale – including CIA stint".
  2. ^ "Stats - Major Arena Soccer League".
  3. ^ "City to vote on 'Royal Farms Arena'".
  4. ^ "Board approves changing Baltimore Arena's name to Royal Farms Arena".
  5. ^ "Blast double up Silver Knights to clinch playoff berth".
  6. ^ "Digest: Blast win in OT, clinch regular-season division championship".
  7. ^ Can soccer succeed in Baltimore?
  8. ^ "'Hale Storm' reveals prominent former banker's CIA ties, two failed marriages".
  9. ^ "Syracuse Silver Knights begin play in new MASL with opening match against old foe Baltimore". November 6, 2014.
  10. ^ Baltimore Blast joining with other teams to form new indoor soccer league Graham, Glenn, April 13, 2014, Baltamore Sun
  11. ^ "Blast among 24 teams to join new Major Arena Soccer League".
  12. ^ "MASL FINALIZES DIVISIONS AND CONFERENCES FOR 2016-17 SEASON - Major Arena Soccer League".
  13. ^ "Baltimore Blast owner ed Hale plans to remove team from MASL, form new league".
  14. ^ "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.
  15. ^ "Stats - Major Arena Soccer League".
  16. ^ "Stats - Major Arena Soccer League".
  17. ^ "Official Website of the Baltimore Blast: Roster". Archived from the original on September 15, 2013. Retrieved February 23, 2017.
  18. ^ "baltimoreblast.com: Front Office". Archived from the original on January 27, 2017. Retrieved February 23, 2017.
  19. ^ "Stats - Major Arena Soccer League".
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