San Diego Fusion

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Lights go out literally, then figuratively, on Fusion

By Larry Knowles

May 15,  2006

San Diego--The lights went out on the San Diego Fusion literally, then figuratively, during a 4-2 home loss to the Phoenix Banat Storm Friday night.

First, twenty minutes into the game, the stadium lights on the Storm’s side of the pitch flicked off. After a two minute break, the game resumed, with half the action being played in the twilight and half under the stadium lights. (The lights came back on seven minutes later.)

The Fusion seemed to have everything they needed to knock off the Storm: former Kansas City Wizards forward Paul Wright, home field advantage, and a tandem of world-class hecklers who ripped anything and everything that opposed the Fusion. What more could an NPSL expansion team ask for?

Wright did his part, pressuring Storm defenders, beating midfielders to loose balls, and feeding balls out to the wing (though the timing was a bit off on many of the passes). The crowd, a cozy group of thirty-or-so Fusion fans, followed the game intently and stayed with the boys till the very end.

Then there were the hecklers, a pair of jackals sitting in different sections of the stands, hurling epithets and abuse over a dozen patrons, ten to fifteen empty rows of seats, and on to the pitch. The two guys didn’t appear acquainted with one another, but they united in a common goal: voice dissent early and often.

When a penalty kick was awarded to Banat on a hand ball midway through the first half, the jackals went berserk. “Worst call of the decade, ref!” one cried. “We’re here to watch them play soccer, not you blow your whistle!”

Chris Marshburn coolly converted the kick to give the Storm a 1-0 lead.

Five minutes later San Diego equalized on a magnificent direct kick from Miguel Luna, who curled a shot into the upper right corner of the net from twenty-five yards out.

Early in the second half, Phoenix took the lead on a magnificent header by Jason Martin. The goal stunned the Fusion and threw the team off its rhythm for the ensuing twenty minutes, a critical period in the match. Instead of answering, as the team had done with the first Storm goal, The Fusion sat back on defense and tried to recoup.

Martin, however, took advantage of the Fusion lull, and served as the catalyst for the Storm’s third goal twelve minutes later. The Storm midfielder darted and juked through a dispirited Fusion midfield, surged unopposed toward Fusion fullbacks, and threaded a pass to Louis Araujo, who stood with a teammate at the edge of the box. Araujo easily slotted a shot past keeper Louis Trejo to make the score 3-1.

The jackals were off their game in the second half as well. While one turned on a Fusion player, calling out how he was “killing us,” the other watched the game silently from the concession stand beyond the bleachers.

The Fusion (as well as fans and hecklers) briefly came to life when Kraig Chiles scored on a loose ball after a corner kick to bring the Fusion within a goal.

But the lights went out on the Fusion for good just before full time. With the home side switching to four attackers, the defense was left exposed on the flanks. The Storm’s Araujo took advantage of the space, streaking down the wing undefended before firing a shot far post to seal the victory.

“In the first half, I thought we were playing much better soccer than them,” said Fusion coach Waad Hirme. “In the second half, they slipped by and scored that second goal and that’s the one that hurt us.”

For Phoenix, which lost two games in Albuqueque last weekend, the trip to America’s Finest City has so far proven to be very pleasant. “We Arizonans enjoy San Diego,” remarked Storm coach Jon Ruzan. “It’s our second home.”

The Banat Storm occupy second place in the Southwest Conference with a 6-4-0 record, while the Fusion occupy fifth place with a 1-4-4 record.

The Fusion’s next match is at Denver on May 27.