Indiana Blast
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| Indiana Blast | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Indiana Blast | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nickname(s) | The Blast | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Founded | 1997 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ground | Kuntz Memorial Stadium | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Capacity | 6,760 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| League | Premier Development League | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2004 | 9th, did not make playoffs | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Indiana Blast were an American soccer team, founded in 1997. The team was a member of the United Soccer Leagues, and played in the D-3 Pro League, the A-League and the Premier Development League (PDL), until folding at the end of the 2004 season. They played their home games at Kuntz Memorial Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana. The team's colors were white and blue for its last four years after four years with red and black as its colors.
[edit] History
Officially announced a press conference on September 30, 1996, the Blast signed its first player that November in goalkeeper Mile Milovac. The club played its first match at Kuntz Stadium on April 25, 1997, a 2-0 loss to eventual A-League champion Milwaukee Rampage in front of 2,886 fans. The team claimed its first victory on May 9, beating the Cincinnati Riverhawks 4-0.
By August, the team's original owner, businessman Ferid Poturkovic, had sold the club to MorSports, Inc. On the day the sale was announced, the Blast beat the Chicago Stingers 2-0 to clinch a playoff berth with their fifth consecutive victory to end the regular season. Two weeks later, the Blast came from 2-0 down to defeat the Cleveland Caps 3-2 and win a first-round playoff game. The Blast would then defeat Chicago 1-0 on August 22 to make it to the D3 Pro League quarterfinals, where they fell 6-0 to the Charlotte Eagles.
The 1998 season was the best in the club's history, as the Blast went 15-3 in league play (17-4 overall) and won the North Central Division's regular-season championship. The Chicago Stingers would extract their revenge for 1997's playoff defeat, though, as they would beat the Blast 3-0 on August 21, 1998 in a first-round playoff match. The year would end with the Blast winning "Organization of the Year" honors from the USISL and earning promotion to the A-League.
In its first A-League game, the Blast won away to Tennessee Rhythm 3-1, but would finish a mere point out of the playoff race with a 13-15 record, having lost the final postseason spot to the El Paso Patriots by virtue of a tiebreaker.
Though the Blast struggled to a 9-15-4 record in 2000, they qualified for the playoffs and absorbed a 7-0 pounding at the hands of the Minnesota Thunder in the first round. The club would never qualify for postseason play again.
Original coach Jimmy McDonald stepped down after the 2000 season and was replaced by Bret Hall, who had coached the Chicago Stingers and Sockers to three consecutive championships. For health reasons, Hall was forced to relinquish his duties before ever coaching a game and he was replaced by assistant Ian Martin, the former head coach at Butler University in Indianapolis. Martin's only season at the helm resulted in an 8-18-0 record in 2001.
Former French professional Eric Descombes took over as player-coach for the 2002 season, which saw the team go 6-18-4, including a stretch of 16 games over two months in which it won just one match. A highlight was a 2-2 draw against Rochester Raging Rhinos in a nationally-televised game on August 17 that drew a then-club-record 4,557 fans (a figure that would be topped on July 13, 2003 when 5,140 saw a 3-2 loss to the Pittsburgh Riverhounds).
McDonald returned to the sidelines for the 2003 season, but it would be the worst in the club's history, as they continued losing and controversy dogged the Blast from the season's start. McDonald resigned for the final time after a horrendous start and was replaced by assistant Mike Sanich. Before the 3-23-2 season was over, player Peter Baah had taken the reins. It would be the Blast's last season in the A-League.
A move to the Premier Development League for the 2004 season infused the club with young talent, but the results weren't much better as the Blast finished 5-12-1 under coach John Dolinsky (who was first replaced by player Mark Allen and then by Baah before the season's end). The team's final match ever was a 3-2 loss to the Kalamazoo Kingdom at home on July 17, 2004. The final victory in club history came the night before, a 7-3 home decision over the Kansas City Brass.
In its history, the Blast established quite a rivalry with the Cincinnati Riverhawks, as the teams met 25 times. Indiana won 12, Cincinnati 11 and there were 2 draws in the series. At the other end of the spectrum, Indiana went just 2-15-1 in 18 matches against the Minnesota Thunder. In eight seasons, the club won 67, lost 114 and tied 11 in league play.
[edit] Year-by-year
| Year | Division | League | Reg. Season | Playoffs | Open Cup |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 3 | USISL D3-Pro League | 2nd, North Central | Quarter Finals | Did not qualify |
| 1998 | 3 | USISL D3-Pro League | 1st, North Central | Division Finals | Did not qualify |
| 1999 | 2 | USL A-League | 4th, Central | Did not qualify | Did not qualify |
| 2000 | 2 | USL A-League | 3rd, Central | Conference Quarterfinals | Did not qualify |
| 2001 | 2 | USL A-League | 6th, Central | Did not qualify | Did not qualify |
| 2002 | 2 | USL A-League | 4th, Central | Did not qualify | Did not qualify |
| 2003 | 2 | USL A-League | 5th, Central | Did not qualify | Did not qualify |
| 2004 | "4" | USL PDL | 9th, Heartland | Did not qualify | Did not qualify |
