Chula Vista’s Norbert Stein will celebrate his 103rd birthday on Sunday. Coincidently, the San Diego Sockers will host a first-round Major Arena Soccer League playoff game on that same day. That only seems fitting since Stein is the team’s official all-time No. 1 fan.
“Stein is my name and soccer is my game,” he offers up freely with a chuckle.
The master of two-liners, Stein still attends home games and continues to shout the team’s virtues for anyone who is willing to listen.
Kraig Chiles, the team’s scoring leader and three-time league MVP, personally saluted Stein when he arrived for Sunday’s final regular season home game against the visiting Dallas Sidekicks. “Good to see you, Captain,” Chiles greeted Stein with a smile.
Stein’s smile was even wider.
If there is a category in the Guinness Book of World Records for oldest soccer fan to deliver a pregame pep talk in a professional sports team locker room, Stein would own that many times over.
“Can you keep a secret?” Stein quizzed Sockers players prior to Sunday’s game. When all the players answered in the affirmative, Stein quickly got to the punch line: “We’re going to win tonight!”
The previous home game, Stein even offered a bit of strategy. “Shoot goals in the beginning and you have a better chance of winning,” he implored the team
Stein drew his observations from recent matches. The Sockers built an early 3-0 lead en route to a 4-3 win over the Las Vegas Legends and led 5-1 over the Tacoma Stars before holding on for a 5-4 win.
Stein’s words of encourage worked like magic in an important Pacific Division match against the Turlock Express on Feb. 21. The Sockers shot to a 6-1 halftime lead to claim a 10-2 victory that clinched a playoff berth.
This past Sunday, the Sockers led 2-0 early on goals by Valhalla High School alumnus Anthony Medina and Chiles en route to capturing an 8-3 win that nailed down the No. 2 seed in the upcoming playoffs for the Sockers.
The Sidekicks have not been an easy team to solve during the two franchises’ longstanding rivalry. Dallas ended the Sockers’ consecutive United States professional sports team record winning streak at 48 games (stretching from Dec. 29, 2010, to Jan. 27, 2013), and have also proven the thorn in the side of previous editions of the Sockers.
The win over the Sidekicks was the first this season for the Sockers.
“I was happy because they were one of the teams we had not beaten this year,” Stein said.
The Sockers and Stars finished in a tie in the regular season standings with identical 13-7 records. The Sockers got the seeding nod by virtue of two wins in the three games between the teams and will host the second game in the teams’ home-and-home playoff series.
The teams faced off Wednesday in Washington, with the Sockers taking a 1-0 edge in the series on the strength of an 8-7 double overtime win.
Should the teams split the two games, a 15-minute mini-game will be played following Sunday’s match to determine which team advances to the Pacific Division Final against regular season division champion Soles de Sonora.
Sonora finished regular season play 17-3.
Making the playoffs wasn’t a given for the Sockers earlier in the season.
Living legend
Stein, a Chula Vista resident since 1958, estimates he came close to being killed in World War II four times. He came home with a Bronze Star medal after capturing three Japanese soldiers and bringing them back alive to his company headquarters.
He has enough life experiences to fill several lifetimes and make either a riveting motion picture or best-selling book. He has gained fame among the local soccer community.
“A lot of people come up to me at games,” Stein noted, obviously pleased by the notoriety.
One fan came up and shook his hand upon leaving Sunday’s game. The Captain remains an inspiration to many people.
Stein updates his business card on a yearly basis after each birthday. He’s already penned out the slogan for his next one. Like all his off-the-cuff poetry, it’s a winner.
“I’ve passed 103, next comes 104. If I’m still alive when I have number 105, we will all have a ball. God bless you all.”
Most inspirational
The Sockers were inspired more than just by Stein’s words in Sunday’s win. Present for the game, but not suited up, was Evan Mundine.
Mundine gained notoriety by signing a one-game contract with the Sockers and scoring a goal in a MASL game on Jan. 31 at the Valley View Casino Center. Mundine, now 18, suffers from a series of medical maladies that have made his life painful, and excruciatingly so. He suffers from a rare genetic disorder known as Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. He also suffers from Crohn’s disease and brittle bone disorder.
He required open-chest surgery at one point.
A native of Bastrop, Tx. (near Austin), Mundine has followed Farber’s soccer career for nearly a decade after the two met when Farber signed an autograph for Mundine while Farber was playing outdoor soccer for the Houston Dynamo of Major League Soccer.
The moment lit up Mundine’s life and he never forgot Farber’s generosity – and humanity. The two have since maintained a correspondence and, through Farber’s efforts, helped Mundine make a dream come true.
Mundine had played youth soccer until his medical condition worsened a couple years ago. The Sockers helped with travel and housing expenses to make Mundine’s first trip possible to San Diego..
Mundine, then 17, was aglow at the contract signing and jersey presentation. It was something he did not expect to happen … nor what came next: actually starting the game.
Farber took the kick-off, dribbled down the left side of the field and passed in front of the net to Mundine, who scored into an open corner on a left-footed shot.
The spotlight quickly enveloped the Texas teen as horns sounded and fans cheered just seven seconds into the match. Inspired by Mundine’s presence – and game-opening goal – the Sockers went on to post an eventual 13-4 win over Tacoma.
“It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, for sure,” Mundine said during a break in Sunday’s game.
It was such a good experience that Mundine and his mother Frieda ventured to San Diego a second time — this time to watch the Sockers in their final regular season game.
Mundine sat is a wheelchair behind one of the nets. He had the best seat in the house.
He termed it a “perfect experience.”
“It’s obviously a lot of fun to be back — the atmosphere is really good,” he said.
And he has gained inner strength from it.
“In some ways I think I’ve been through a lot but, you know, I’m stronger because of it,” he wrote in his online blog.
The Sockers are also playing for the memory of Abel “Shadow” Sebele, who died in a traffic accident on Jan. 7. Sebele, a native of Zimbabwe, had only joined the Sockers this season. He played in four games before his untimely death.
The Sockers greatly miss Sebele both on and off the field, according to team members.
Getting his kicks
Chiles passed Sockers legend Juli Veee on the team’s all-time scoring chart earlier this season. Veee accumulated 254 regular season goals in his illustrious indoor soccer career with the Sockers (1981-84, 85-88).
Chiles opened the 2015-16 MASL season trailing Veee by eight goals. The Poway High School and San Diego State University alumnus passed the Sockers’ first indoor soccer superstar on Dec. 10 when he tallied his 255th career goal in an 8-1 win over Athletico Baja. Medina drew the assist on Chiles’ history-making goal.
Chiles finished regular season play second in the MASL with 55 points on 28 goals and 27 assists. This marks the fifth consecutive season in which Chiles has surpassed the 50-point plateau.
Chiles has scored 274 career goals for the Sockers. He has scored more than 30 goals in five of his seven seasons with the team.
That leaves only Branko Segota (1984-91) in the club’s all-time scoring lead. Chiles could pass him to become the Sockers’ all-time scoring leader sometime during the 2016-17 season.
Chiles finished seven points behind 2015-16 MASL scoring champion Franck Tayou, who posted a stunning season for Soles de Sonora with 47 goals and 15 assists.
Celebrity game
Sunday’s Sockers-Sidekicks match featured a celebrity halftime game. Former Sockers player and current director of player personnel Aaron Susi scored both goals for the winning team, including the winner with five seconds to play that hit the top corner on a perfectly-place shot from near midfield.
Former San Diego Gulls fan favorite B.J. MacPherson was the winning goalkeeper in his indoor soccer debut. MacPherson, who suffered a career-ending neck injury during the third game of the 2001 Taylor Cup Finals in Boise, Idaho, made what proved to be a somewhat difficult game-saving stop just 10 seconds before Susi popped in the game-winning goal.
MacPherson was among several former Gulls who remained in San Diego following the team’s demise in 2006. He continues to live in Point Loma and now coaches his two daughters in youth baseball.
MacPherson, who played for the Gulls in the West Coast Hockey League from 1996-2001, watched his hockey teammates defeat the Idaho Steelheads, 4-1, in a climactic Game 7, from a wheelchair in the arena. He made a vow to return to play hockey and, though it took years, he did play in two Gulls alumni games and also in an adult ice hockey league.
Now he serves as the color analyst for radio broadcasts of the new San Diego Gulls franchise in the American Hockey League. Former Sockers broadcaster Craig Elsten now serves as the voice of the Gulls.
Elsten was the losing goalkeeper in the match-up of broadcasting partners in the 10-minute celebrity game.
But even few professional goalkeepers could have likely defended Susi’s well-place shot.
“It was fun, I wish we could do it every week,” MacPherson said after the celebrity game that also included Eastlake resident Dave Palet of radio’s “Dave and Jeff Show” that airs 8-10 a.m. weekdays on Sports XTRA 1360 Fox Sports San Diego.
“It was great,” MacPherson continued. “There was one guy who got past me and I made sure to grab his leg.”
The celebrity game also featured former Socker (and Grossmont High School alumnus) Paul Wright, now 46.
“It was a lot of fun — hopefully, we can do this again next year,” Wright said.
Elsten and MacPherson have had a lively time calling games for the AHL Gulls, who finished the month of February with an 8-2-1 record to move into sole possession of third place in the Pacific Division standings and solidify their chances of securing a berth for the upcoming Calder Cup playoffs.
The Gulls (27-20-1-2) have 57 points and a .570 points percentage through 50 games heading into this weekend’s back-to-back games against the visiting Stockton Heat The Gulls have 18 regular season games remaining on their schedule.
Playoff preview
The Sockers have some pay back to deliver to the Stars after coming up short, 8-7, on a goal just 1.9 seconds before the final buzzer in a game in Tacoma on Feb. 20.
The Sockers have since followed that heart-breaking loss with a pair of comprehensive, if not dominating, wins to set the stage for the playoffs. The Sockers defeated the visiting Turlock Express, 10-2, on Feb. 21 and concluded regular season play with an 8-3 victory against the Dallas Sidekicks before one of their largest and most vocal home crowds this season.
Team scoring leader Kraig Chiles had four goals and two assists while Farber recorded a hat trick and added two assists in the win over the Express.
Fellow Sockers veteran Anthony Medina got the scoring going in Sunday’s regular season finale by deftly redirecting a beautiful through pass from teammate Nick Perera. Chiles made it 2-0 on a similar one-touch goal just before the end of the first quarter.
Chiles, who ranks second in all-time Sockers scoring, finished the game with two goals and three assists.
Medina, a Valhalla High School alumnus, is playing in his seventh season with the team, matching Chiles.
Medina is an original member of the Sockers’ third incarnation team and has won four league championships with the team and eight championship trophies overall.
The six-foot-one, 185-pound attacking midfielder was in the line-up for all 48 games when the Sockers set a new United States professional team sports record for consecutive wins from Dec 29, 2010 to Jan. 27, 2013. The streak stretched over the course of three seasons and four calendar years and included two Professional Arena Soccer League championships, two U.S. Arena Soccer Open Cup championships and a FIFRA club championship title.
Farber, another veteran who was sidelined for much of the season with a leg injury, has energized the team since his return. The Sockers are 5-0 with him in the line-up.
Despite the two runaway wins in their final two games of regular season play, the Sockers have been involved in six one-goal games in their last nine outings.
Sockers press releases:
SOCKERS SHOOT DOWN STARS IN DOUBLE OT, WIN 8-7
KENT, WASH., March 2, 2016 — Anthony Medina’s header was the difference as the San Diego Sockers defeated the Tacoma Stars 8-7 in double overtime at the ShoWare Center.
Kraig Chiles broke down the left hand side and crossed for Erick Reveles Tovar. The Mexican’s volley went wide of the target but right to Chiles who headed it back across goal for Medina to prod home the winner with just under five minutes to play in the second extra period.
In the third straight one-goal game between the two clubs, the Sockers used two buzzer-beater goals at the end of the second and third quarter to keep Tacoma at arms length until midway through the final frame.
Under no pressure and with time running out in the first half, Corey Keitz senselessly smacked the ball out of bounds just inside the defense zone. With .9 seconds showing on the clock, Sockers keeper Chris Toth sneaked up and slotted the ball under his opposite number, Danny Waltman, after the kick-in had been swept across the arc. That gave the Sockers a 5-2 lead heading into the break.
San Diego stole the momentum again at the end of the third. With the clock running down, Medina would not give up on the ball in the far corner. The veteran picked the pocket of his defender and played it for Luan Sales Oliveira to smash his shot past Waltman with just a second remaining, restoring the Sockers three goal lead at 6-3.
Vince McCulskey kept Tacoma in touching distance as he pulled Tacoma back within two just 48 seconds into the final quarter. The 23-year-old caught Toth unawares at his near post with a toe poke.
The match looked to be over as a contest when Chiles completed his hat-trick off a feed from Medina to restore the Sockers three-goal lead once again, with just under 10 minutes to play.
Tacoma stepped into a higher gear, however, as Steve Mohn fired a rocket beyond Toth after the ball had bounced favorably to him off the boards at the 7:46 mark.
Michael Ramos then got in on the act with 4:51 remaining as he took a pass from Joseph Cairel and sped his shot past Toth.
The Sockers were called for a delay of game with 50 seconds left. With the ball at the top of the arc, Joey Gjertsen laid it off for Raphael Cox who buried his shot to Toth’s right to complete the comeback.
It was the third straight game in which the Stars had scored either a winner or an equalizer in the final minute.
San Diego took the initiative in overtime and created several good opportunities, but Waltman made save after save to keep Tacoma alive.
It looked like it was going to be the same story in the second extra-period as Waltman continued to frustrate the bast laid plans of the Sockers attack, but he could do nothing about Medina who was right on the doorstep to earn “hero status” in game one of the 2016 Ron Newman Cup Playoffs.
The Sockers now have a 1-0 lead as the tie shifts back to San Diego with game two set to take place on Sunday at 5:05pm PT at the Valley View Casino Center.
If the Sockers win, they will move on to face Soles de Sonora in the Pacific Division Final.
If the Stars grab victory in game two, there will be a 15 minute intermission followed by a 15 minute “mini-game” to determine the series winner.
If tonight was anything to go by, fans of both sides know that this series is far from over and the only thing to expect is the unexpected.
Another close battle in San Diego beckons.
Sockers-Stars Playoff Preview: Sockers take 1-0 series lead
The San Diego Sockers will look to close out the first round of the 2016 Ron Newman Cup playoffs against the Tacoma Stars on Sunday at the Valley View Casino Center. Kickoff is scheduled for 5:05 p.m. PT.
The Sockers take a 1-0 lead into the match after Wednesday’s wild 8-7 double overtime victory in Washington.
If the home side can complete the double over the Stars, then the Sockers will move on to face Soles de Sonora in the Pacific Division Final.
Should Tacoma prevail, there will be a 15-minute intermission after the match, followed by a 15- minute “mini-game” to determine the series winner.
During the break, each side can submit new rosters, meaning players who didn’t play in the regular match can be inserted into the line-up for the decider.
In the first game, San Diego had a 7-4 lead midway through the fourth quarter behind a hat trick from Kraig Chiles and goals right at the end of the second and third periods.
Sockers’ keeper Chris Toth scored his first career goal at the end of the first half when he came up with 0.9 seconds left to flick home Evan McNeley’s kick-in.
Luan Sales Olivera added a goal right before time expired in the third quarter after good work by Anthony Medina on the boards to win the ball back rather then let the clock run out.
Chiles’ hat trick and the two buzzer-beaters proved to be extremely crucial as San Diego surrendered its three-goal lead late on. Tacoma came back to tie the match at seven goals apeice with 50 seconds remaining on a goal by Raphael Cox.
San Diego attacked in waves during the first overtime, but Tacoma Stars goalkeeper Danny Waltman was sensational.
The trend continued into the second overtime, but there was nothing Waltman could do about Medina’s close range header to win the game for the Sockers at the 4:56 mark of the second overtime period.
General consensus among the Sockers’ players and staff is that a lack of keeping possession and self-inflicted mistakes allowed the Stars to force the extra period.
While San Diego feels that cleaning up mistakes will help, the 14-time indoor champions still have to be weary of the speed of Joseph Cairel and rookie sensation Michael Ramos, two players capable of leading blistering counter-attacks.
The Sockers must also continue to defend the strong targets in the likes of Tyrone Hall, Vince McCluskey and Steve Mohn, who looked just as comfortable playing out of the corners as they did receiving the ball at the top of the offensive zone.
Two players who did not feature for the Stars were defender Elliot Fauske and former Sockers’ defender- turned-forward Dan Antoniuk. There are rumblings that Antoniuk may return to face his old club on Sunday.
For the Sockers, Chiles continues to find the back of the net, while after a two-game drought towards the end of the season, Matt Clare is back firing on all cylinders.
Oliveira has long since justified his midseason acquisition from the Ontario Fury as three of his eight goals for San Diego have come against Tacoma.
The subtle difference for the Sockers is the constant hassling and hounding of Medina. The veteran’s work rate, combined with his offensive abilities, were a huge reason the Stars were ultimately put to the sword in the first match.
Eddie Velez also brings similar qualities to Medina’s, while having Jonatan Santos back after his four-game suspension proved to be a vital boost to the Sockers defense.
Another player who doesn’t always show up on the stat sheet, but brings a lot of energy combined with smart decision making is Jeff Hughes. The former PASL MVP did not feature in Washington, but may return to the fray as the tie shifts back to California.
After San Diego’s 8-2 blowout victory over Tacoma in January, the last three contests between the two sides have been decided by one goal.
On Feb. 11, the Sockers took a 5-1 lead into the fourth quarter but barely hung on for a 5-4 win.
Nine days later, Tacoma had a 7-4 advantage heading into the final period. San Diego was able to erase it, only to fall to a Ramos strike with 1.9 seconds left.
In game one of the playoffs it was Tacoma that erased the late 7-4 deficit, only to suffer a broken heart in double overtime.
If the season series that has now carried over into the playoffs have taught us anything, it’s that when these two teams meet, the match is never over until the final buzzer. No matter the score, players and fans will be punished if they turn away for even a second.
The Sockers have lost in the Pacific Division Final in each of the last two seasons. The motivation is to get back to that round and finally clear that hurdle on their way to a 15th championship. Everyone in the clubhouse knows, however, that they can’t look past a very dangerous and determined Tacoma side. For now, all the focus is on Sunday.
Sunday night at the Valley View Casino Center will be $2 beer night. Free Sockers’ clappers will also be given to fans while supplies last. Doors to the arena open at 3:45 p.m. and spectators are encouraged to arrive early.
Should the Sockers prove victorious on Sunday, game one of the Pacific Division Final against Soles de Sonora will take place on Thursday, March 10 at 7:05 p.m. PT at the Valley View Casino Center.
