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.
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. The Blast then clinched the regular-season Eastern Division championship after a 5-4 overtime win in Syracuse on February 24.
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.Can soccer succeed in Baltimore? Ed Hale, an owner of the original Blast, bought the Spirit in July 1998 and changed the name to Baltimore Blast. 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. 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.Baltimore Blast joining with other teams to form new indoor soccer league Graham, Glenn, April 13, 2014, Baltamore Sun 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.
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. The Blast, Heat and Ambush re-joined the MASL in August 2016, with the Tropics being considered an expansion franchise for the MASL.
Schedule
Regular season Game Day Date Kickoff Opponent Results Location Attendance Score Record 1 Saturday November 5 7:05pm Harrisburg Heat W 11–6 1–0 Farm Show Large Arena 1,627 2 Friday November 11 7:35pm Milwaukee Wave L 3–4 1–1 Royal Farms Arena 7,813 3 Friday November 18 7:35pm Florida Tropics W 7–1 2–1 Royal Farms Arena 4,121 4 Saturday December 3 7:05pm Florida Tropics W 5–1 3–1 Lakeland Center 2,134 5 Saturday December 10 7:35pm Florida Tropics W 7–0 4–1 Royal Farms Arena 7,450 6 Sunday December 11 5:05pm Kansas City Comets L 1–5 4–2 Silverstein Eye Centers Arena 3,118 7 Saturday December 17 7:05pm Dallas Sidekicks W 8–4 5–2 Allen Event Center 1,661 8 Thursday December 29 7:00pm Syracuse Silver Knights W 6–3 6–2 Oncenter War Memorial Arena 2,032 9 Friday December 30 7:35pm Harrisburg Heat L 4–7 6–3 Farm Show Large Arena 1,675 10 Saturday January 7 7:05pm Dallas Sidekicks W 7–2 7–3 Royal Farms Arena 7,230 11 Saturday January 14 7:05pm Harrisburg Heat W 5–2 8–3 Royal Farms Arena 5,102 12 Friday January 20 7:05pm Cedar Rapids Rampage L 3–5 8–4 U.S. Cellular Center 1,871 13 Saturday January 21 6:05pm Milwaukee Wave L 2–7 8–5 UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena 3,171 14 Sunday January 29 4:05pm St. Louis Ambush W 10–1 9–5 Royal Farms Arena 4,751 15 Saturday February 4 7:05pm Milwaukee Wave W 5–2 10–5 Royal Farms Arena 9,722 16 Friday February 17 7:35pm Syracuse Silver Knights W 8–4 11–5 Royal Farms Arena 6,131 17 Sunday February 19 4:05pm Syracuse Silver Knights L 2–7 11–6 Royal Farms Arena 4,524 18 Friday February 24 7:30pm Syracuse Silver Knights W 5–4 (OT) 12-6 Oncenter War Memorial Arena 2,949 19 Sunday February 26 3:05pm St. Louis Ambush W 3–1 13-6 Family Arena 3,378 20 Sunday March 5 4:05pm 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 7:05p.m. Harrisburg Heat L 4–5 0-1 Royal Farms Arena 4,214 Division Final #2 Wednesday March 15 7:35p.m. Harrisburg Heat W 7–4 1-1 Farm Show Large Arena 1,142 Division Final #3 Wednesday March 15 9:35p.m. Harrisburg Heat W 4–1 2-1 Farm Show Large Arena 1,142 Conference Final #1 Saturday March 18 7:05p.m. Milwaukee Wave W 8–7 (OT) 3-1 Royal Farms Arena 3,235 Conference Final #2 Tuesday March 21 6:35p.m. Milwaukee Wave L 4–8 3-2 UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena 2,218 Conference Final #3 Tuesday March 21 8:35p.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
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.
Statistics
Top scorers RankScorerGamesGoalsAssistsPoints1 Tony Donatelli201923422 Vini Dantas182011313 Andrew Hoxie19176234 Jonatas Melo20118195 Lucas Roque116713Last updated on March 5, 2017. Source:
External links Baltimore Blast official website Baltimore Blast at The Baltimore Sun
References