2017–18 Baltimore Blast season
| 2017–18 MASL season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Edwin F. Hale, Sr.[1] |
| Head Coach | Danny Kelly |
| Arena | SECU Arena |
| Major Arena Soccer League | 1st, Eastern (regular season) |
| Ron Newman Cup | MASL Champion |
| Top goalscorer | Tony Donatelli (22 goals, 21 assists) |
| Highest home attendance | 3,800 (Twice; 2017-12-01 vs. Ontario Fury, and 2018-02-03 vs. Syracuse Silver Knights) |
| Lowest home attendance | 2,923 (2017-12-02 vs. St. Louis Ambush) |
| Average home league attendance | 3,491 (11 games)[2] |
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[edit]
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[edit]
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[edit]
Regular season[edit]
| 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[edit]
| 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[edit]
2017–18 roster[edit]
Active Players[edit]
- As of March 6, 2018[14]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
|
|
Inactive Players[edit]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
|
Staff[edit]
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[edit]
Top scorers[edit]
| Rank | Scorer | Games | Goals | Assists | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Tony Donatelli
|
20 | 22 | 21 | 43 |
| 2 |  Vini Dantas
|
17 | 20 | 15 | 35 |
| 3 | Andrew Hoxie
|
20 | 16 | 9 | 25 |
| 4 | Jonatas Melo
|
22 | 11 | 13 | 24 |
| 5 | Adriano Dos Santos
|
20 | 7 | 14 | 21 |
Last updated on March 6, 2018. Source:[16]
External links[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ "Biography set to detail life of ex-banker ed Hale – including CIA stint".
- ^ "Stats - Major Arena Soccer League".
- ^ a b "Blast find new home at Towson University's SECU Arena".
- ^ "Blast Defeat Wave 6-5; Clinch a Playoff Spot". February 10, 2018.
- ^ "Blast rally for 8-7 overtime win over Tropics to clinch top spot in Eastern Conference".
- ^ "Can soccer succeed in Baltimore? - Baltimore Business Journal". Archived from the original on September 23, 2008.
- ^ "'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.
- ^ Graham, Glenn (April 14, 2014). "Baltimore Blast joining with other teams to form new indoor soccer league". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved February 16, 2023.
- ^ "Blast among 24 teams to join new Major Arena Soccer League".
- ^ "MASL announces conference and division alignments for 2017-2018". Major Arena Soccer League.
- ^ "Stats - Major Arena Soccer League".
- ^ "Stats - Major Arena Soccer League".
- ^ "Stats - Major Arena Soccer League".
- ^ "Baltimoreblast.com: Front Office". Archived from the original on January 27, 2017. Retrieved March 6, 2018.
- ^ "Stats - Major Arena Soccer League".