Barons in the pros: MISL recap
Michael Todd wins MISL title with Baltimore
For the second year in a row, a former Ocean City Baron won a Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL) championship. The Baltimore Blast defeated Monterrey La Raza 14-11 in the MISL championship game to win their second title in the last three years, and the fourth in six years.
Michael Todd (Hofstra / Cleveland, ENG) played in 27 games for the Blast, scoring six goals and dishing out eight assists for 20 points. Brian Devlin (Penn State / Phila, PA) only played in three games for Baltimore before he was waived early on in the season but continued to train with the team throughout the campaign.
Two other MISL teams include former Barons. The expansion New Jersey Ironmen and the defending champion Philadelphia Kixx who narrowly missed out on the playoffs for only the second time in franchise history. Their 12-18 record left them in 7th place.
Tony Donatelli (Temple / Glenside, PA), who helped the Kixx win the 2006/07 league title, topped his All-Rookie season last year by finishing in the league’s Top 20 in scoring this year. His 20 goals (two 3-pointers) and 13 assists gave him 55 points, the second best total on the team behind player/coach Don D’Ambra.
Steve Wacker (Temple / Phila, PA) played in 10 games and only scored one goal, but it was a spectacular game-winner against the New Jersey Ironmen on December 14.
Two former Barons made solid MISL debuts with the Kixx in 2007/08. Chris Williams (Philadelphia Univ / Phila, PA) played 25 games, contributed a goal and an assist while making 18 blocks as a defender. Ryan Heins (Temple / Medford, NJ) got a little more involved in the offense in his rookie season, scoring 11 points (four goals, two assists) in 27 games.
Another pair of former Barons helped the Ironmen enjoy a successful inaugural season for the Newark-based expansion team. Matt Maher (Temple / Cape May, NJ), fought the injury bug and managed to play 13 games, scoring a goal and an assist as a defender. Tim O’Neill (St. John’s / Phila, PA) joined the team midway through the season and helped the club edge out the Kixx to qualify for the playoffs. O’Neill scored five goals and added one assist in half of a season’s worth of work.
