This Date in Sidekicks History June 13

Honor Roll

• 1985: Tatu named to MISL-Select 2nd Team

Record Book

• 1987: Kevin Smith scored the longest goal in Sidekicks history by launching a shot behind Tacoma 6th Attacker Ralph Black that rolled 150 feet into the goal.
• This record stood until Sagu threw the ball into the opposing net (bouning the ball inside the 'Kicks red line) from his own goal line in 2000.

Always Remember the First Time

• 1987: In the first ever Championship game ever hosted at Reunion Arena:
  • The Sidekicks beat Tacoma in the playoffs for the first time.
  • The Sidekicks scored their first "Super-Shorthanded" (4 field players vs 6) playoff goal.
  • Won their first nationally cablecast playoff game (ESPN).
  • Held Tacoma scoreless on the Powerplay for the first time in the series.
  • Recorded their first ever Championship Series Sell-Out (16,824; 2nd playoff sellout overall).

Youth vs Expirience

• 1996: Head Coach Gordon Jago attempted to divide the team into "older than 26" and "all the young kids" for the club's final Training Camp scrimage.
  • When 3/4 of the team lined up for the "Veterans" side, Coach Jago had to make some quick adjustments.

M*A*S*H*ed

• 1987: David Stride dislocated his shoulder during Game 3 of the MISL Championship Series

They Said It

• 1987:

Pardon the cliche, but the Sidekicks aren't going to go out lying down, if they go out at all. They aren't the Celtics. Reunion Arena isn't the Garden. But in a must-win game, as Game 3 on Saturday night is for Dallas, how do you go against a team whose leader and star player says he would trade his league MVP trophy for one victory, and have you believe him?

How you do give the Sideicks up for dead when Tatu looks at you with those wide, astonished brown eyes and blames himself for not having encouraged his teammates more in the two defeats? How do you close the book on a team as long as Tatu, always a scoring threat, is on the field, selling the game as no other player in the league can and providing the Sidekicks with the leadership the Cowboys wish they had? Hold the flowers.

--David Casstevens, in a front page column in the Dallas Morning News today.

 

 

MISL Championship Series Games

• 1987: Game 3: at Sidekicks 5 Tacoma Stars 3
  • Tacoma leads series Best of Seven series 2 games to 1
  • Click Here to read the game story.