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Newman Cup Championship Weekend Preview
Freeze Earn Last Ticket to Chicago; PASL-Premier Nationals Field Announced
3/11/14 - Allen Eller snuck behind the Detroit Waza Flo defense, took a long pass from Alex Bernot, chipped goalkeeper Joey Kapinos and gave the Cleveland Freeze a 6-5 win and a trip to Chicago for the Newman Cup Championship Weekend.
Eller's goal was the biggest one of the season for the first year Freeze and it came with 1:29 left in the game, breaking a 5-5 tie after Detroit had rallied from 5-2 down. The Waza Flo threw everything but the kitchen sink at the Cleveland defense and goalkeeper Michael Mason, who turned in perhaps his best performance of the season.
Cleveland will play the Chicago Mustangs in the second semifinal on March 15 at the Sears Centre, following the Las Vegas Legends and Hidalgo La Fiera game.
Two teams new to the final four - Cleveland and Chicago - join the two teams who lost in last year's semifinals - Las Vegas and Hidalgo, while the two teams who were finalists the last two seasons - Detroit and San Diego - were eliminated in the divisional rounds.
Here's a look at the four teams who will compete for the Ron Newman Cup March 15-16 in Chicago.
Chicago Mustangs
Record: 16-0
Home Record: 8-0
Playoff Record: 0-0 (the Mustangs had a bye to the semifinals)
Players to Watch: PASL MVP Efrain "Wilo" Martinez (league-leading 63 points, 40 goals), Bryan Moya (league leading 40 goals), Miguel Vaca (54 points), goalkeeper Jesus Flores (16-0 5.19 GAA)
Why They Could Win it All: The Mustangs are undefeated and have home-field advantage for the Semifinals and Final should they get past Cleveland. They set a PASL record with 202 goals and had an average margin of victory of over seven goals. The Mustangs have excellent chemistry and technical skill as well as youth and speed and looked like the PASL's version of the Harlem Globetrotters for most of the season. Chicago is 3-0 against their semifinal opponent Cleveland this year, winning by hefty 13-4, 20-11, and 15-10 margins.
Why They Might Not Win it All: The Mustangs have home field advantage, but are playing in the larger Sears Centre instead of their regular home arena. Chicago did not play any of the top five teams record-wise in the regular season. The Mustangs must keep their cool and stay out of the penalty box. Chicago hasn't played since February 22.
Hidalgo La Fiera
Record: 14-2
Road Record: 6-2
Playoff Record: 1-0 (Hidalgo beat Monterrey, 9-8)
Players to Watch: Carlos "Chile" Farias (49 points), Robson de Souza (44 points), Mark Ughy (22 points in 8 games after signing midseason), All-PASL First Team goalkeeper Juan Gamboa (14-2 3.85 GAA).
Why They Could Win it All: Outside the four games Hidalgo split with Monterrey, La Fiera have won 20 straight regular season games. Hidalgo had the best goal differential in the league at +120, and the best GAA, while still finishing second in goals scored. Hidalgo came up one goal short against the Detroit Waza in last year's semifinals and Head Coach Mariano Bollella brought his roster back nearly intact, but added Farias and Ughy. Hidalgo is battle tested, winning three of five grueling games against the Monterrey Flash this season.
Why They Might Not Win it All: Their remaining playoff road goes through Las Vegas (13-3) and possibly Chicago (16-0). Hidalgo is the most penalized of the final four teams.
Las Vegas Legends
Record: 13-3
Road Record: 6-2
Playoff Record: 1-0 (Las Vegas beat San Diego, 11-7)
Players to Watch: Enrique Tovar (62 points, league record 40 assists), Ivan Campos (53 points), Ricardo Sobreira (26 points in 13 games, but recovered from an elbow injury), goalkeeper Zeke Sanchez (9-1 5.48 GAA).
Why They Could Win it All: Las Vegas is a determined team and Head Coach Meir Cohen has pulled out all the stops and refined and improved his roster throughout the season. Tovar returned to Las Vegas this season with the goal of winning a championship. The Las Vegas roster features more star power than the team that lost to San Diego in last year's semifinals and the Legends beat the four-time-champion Sockers twice in a row this season.
Why They Might Not Win it All: Late additions Alencar Junior and Franck Tayou must gel with the rest of the team. Zeke Sanchez has to raise his game the way he did to win the PASL-Premier Summer Nationals with the Las Vegas Knights in 2012. Felipe Gonzalez, who led the league with 10 power play goals is out for the season. They have to get by the 14-2 La Fiera and possibly the 16-0 Mustangs.
Cleveland Freeze
Record: 10-6
Road Record: 4-4
Playoff Record: 2-0 (Cleveland beat Cincinnati 11-6 and Detroit 6-5)
Players to Watch: Allen Eller (62 points), Stefan Ostergren (46 points), rookie Josh Grossman (All-PASL Second Team defender)
Why They Could Win it All: What was supposed to be a weakness for the Freeze turned into a major strength as goalkeeper Michael Mason stood on his head and shut down Detroit. Head Coach Hector Marinaro knows what it takes to win indoor championships. The Freeze have enough fire power to compete.
Why They Might Not Win it All: The Freeze are widely considered the underdog and haven't fared well against Chicago this season. Veteran John Ball has been shut down for the playoffs by team decision. Mason was only 3-4 in the regular season and lost his starting job to Mirko Petkovic, who was 7-1 until he broke his finger. Cleveland was last in the PASL in penalty killing.
Eight Teams to Compete for PASL-Premier Winter Nationals
The Newman Cup won't be the only trophy up for grabs in Chicago. The Premier Arena Soccer League (PASL-Premier), the PASL's developmental league, will also hold its national finals on March 15-16 at both the Sears Centre and Grand Sports Arena.
The hometown Mustangs Premier who, like their parent club, went undefeated lead all eight teams with an 8-0 record. The River City Saints tied one game and finished 7-0-1 while the Tacoma Galaxy also went undefeated but tied two games to finish 6-0-2.
The Illinois Fire, Indiana Lions, and Springfield Demize were somewhat regional selections, while the Colorado Blizzard, Vitesse Dallas, and Tacoma will make the longest journeys in a bid for a national championship.
Tacoma (2004 Summer, 2009/10 Winter) and Dallas (Winter 2008/09) are the only returning champions in the tournament.
The Week Ahead
| Day |
Date |
Time |
Group |
Field |
Home |
Score |
Visitors |
| Saturday |
March 15th |
9:00AM |
A |
GS - 1 |
Mustangs Premier |
|
Illinois Fire |
| Saturday |
March 15th |
9:00AM |
A |
GS - 2 |
Tacoma Galaxy |
|
Vitesse Dallas |
| Saturday |
March 15th |
9:45AM |
B |
GS - 1 |
River City Saints |
|
Springfield Demize |
| Saturday |
March 15th |
9:45AM |
B |
GS - 2 |
Colorado Blizzard |
|
Indiana Lions |
| Saturday |
March 15th |
10:30AM |
A |
GS - 1 |
Illinois Fire |
|
Tacoma Galaxy |
| Saturday |
March 15th |
10:30AM |
A |
GS - 2 |
Vitesse Dallas |
|
Mustangs Premier |
| Saturday |
March 15th |
11:15AM |
B |
GS - 1 |
Springfield Demize |
|
Colorado Blizzard |
| Saturday |
March 15th |
11:15AM |
B |
GS - 2 |
Indiana Lions |
|
River City Saints |
| Saturday |
March 15th |
1:00PM |
A |
Sears |
Vitesse Dallas |
|
Illinois Fire |
| Saturday |
March 15th |
1:45PM |
A |
Sears |
Mustangs Premier |
|
Tacoma Galaxy |
| Saturday |
March 15th |
2:30PM |
B |
Sears |
Indiana Lions |
|
Springfield Demize |
| Saturday |
March 15th |
3:15PM |
B |
Sears |
River City Saints |
|
Colorado Blizzard |
| Saturday |
March 15th |
5:00PM |
Pro/Open Cup Semi |
Sears |
Hidalgo La Fiera |
|
Las Vegas Legends |
| Saturday |
March 15th |
7:30PM |
Pro - Semi |
Sears |
Chicago Mustangs |
|
Cleveland Freeze |
| Sunday |
March 16th |
11:00AM |
Semi - Premier |
Sears |
A-1 |
|
B-2 |
| Sunday |
March 16th |
12:00PM |
Semi - Premier |
Sears |
B-1 |
|
A-2 |
| Sunday |
March 16th |
1:15PM |
Premier Championship |
Sears |
Premier Championship |
|
Premier Championship |
| Sunday |
March 16th |
2:30PM |
3rd Place/Open Cup |
Sears |
3rd Place Game |
|
3rd Place Game |
| Sunday |
March 16th |
4:30PM |
Championship/Open Cup |
Sears |
Pro Championship |
All times Central
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