San Diego Fusion

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Fusion win seven in a row, prepare for cross-town rivals Pumitas

By Larry Knowles

June 26,  2006

San Diego--“It’s going to be a war,” says San Diego Fusion coach Alex Monnar of his team’s match against intra-city rivals San Diego Pumitas this Friday at Balboa Stadium. The Fusion, winners of seven straight matches, will be looking to avenge a 5-4 loss the last time the teams met, a match that Fusion players consider the low point of the season.

That game, on April 29, left the Fusion winless, in last place, and in disarray. Afterwards, morale tanked, especially since so many Fusion players had played against—and beaten—Pumitas as members of other local soccer clubs.

“Going into that game we thought, ‘We beat them before. We should have no problem winning,’” said Fusion player Miguel “Chiqui” Luna.

The Albuquerque game turned the Fusion's season around

After the loss, the Fusion players and coaching staff took stock of themselves and the team and determined that two things needed to improve: individual fitness and team chemistry. To that point in the season, several players hadn’t reached the level of fitness required to compete in an elite national soccer league.

Valid reasons contributed to why team fitness lagged. For example, the first-year club never held a preseason, some players found themselves unable to attend training sessions due to family and job commitments, and a few players were coming back from injury.

Luna, for one, missed the first four games of the season with a broken nose. When he did come back, he found the going difficult. “At first, I wasn’t enjoying myself,” Luna said, “because I was just trying to get fit.”

In the weeks after the loss to Pumitas, players regained their fitness. They also got to know each other better. The team played away games in Denver, Phoenix, and Albuquerque and the road trips enabled the players to spend time together off the field.

“When you can lounge around your hotel and have a beer after a match with other players, that helps you when you’re on the field,” Luna said.

As fitness and team chemistry improved, so did the Fusion’s record. The team notched its first victory a week after the loss to Pumitas, on May 6, and a second victory a week later.

The game that turned the season around, however, was the June 9 match against the Albuquerque Asylum, in which the team fought back from a late 2-1 deficit to take a thrilling 3-2 decision. Luna hit the game-winner with 30 seconds remaining in stoppage time.

“That win,” states Monnar, “showed the heart and character of this team.”

Since then, the team has run the table and morale is sky-high. Monnar says that his greatest satisfaction during the run is watching team comeraderie develop. He wonders, however, how the team will react when—and if—the streak ends. “It’s my biggest fear right now,” he concedes.

This weekend the team plays a home-and-home series with Pumitas. The first game takes place Friday at 7:30 at Balboa Park, and the second will be played at the Fusion’s new home grounds at Poinsettia Park in Carlsbad.

A win against Pumitas, aside from being sweet revenge, would virtually assure the Fusion a spot in the playoffs.

“This team has the heart of a lion,” adds Monnar. “If I had to write a book or do a movie, this would be a ‘True Story.’”