Steamers Keep Success in 'Family'
By Arnold Irish (4/21/1984)St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Will success spoil the Steamers?
Let's hope not.
In the last few days they've earned a Major Indoor Soccer League playoff
berth. They've secured a home-field advantage, at least for the first-round. Looking back, what were the most gratifying aspects of the season? Some of the players were kicking that subject around, and nobody
mentioned a breakthrough to fatter contracts or a bridge to more lucrative endorsements. Not that such goodies aren't part of what pro sports is all about, mind you. Ty Keough sees the Steamers' season as a statement that a team composed mainly of American players can be successful at the pro
level. Sam Bick sees it as a triumph for unheralded players who were pressed
into service as replacements for injured superstars and performed surprisingly well. Ricky Davis sees it as the players' way of thanking their public. Davis, Bick and Keough aren't spear-carriers. They're role models. How they feel about soccer-related issues says a lot about where their
teammates stand, because in some respects the Steamers are reminiscent of a marching and chowder society. It's part of their charm. The Steamers may have family spats now and again. But the key word in that sentence is "family," not "spats." If you pick on one of the Steamers, you'd better be ready to
whip the 19 others. There is, in other words, a camaraderie within the team
that is refreshing because it is so alien to pro sports in the 1980s.
"We've had games where we just threw up our hands, but we never
pointed fingers," Keough said. "We've always been able to throw it back
together. And I've played for teams that couldn't.
"I was with the San Diego Sockers (North American Soccer League)
when they lost seven straight games, and things got ugly. Coaches
threatened players and brought in busloads of replacements. The
Steamers have never been like that. We've had mostly American guys who
knew each other, and the foreign guys who came in have been pretty decent
fellows.
"The fact that for five years we've been pretty much the same group -
that we've had a big carryover nucleus - has been a big plus."
In a league in which some teams' turnovers are so many and varied that
teammates sometimes aren't formally introduced - and invariably play like
it - Bick, Keough, Carl Rose, Tony Bellinger and Steve Pecher have been
with the Steamers from the franchise's birth five years ago. Don
Ebert, Tony Glavin and Slobo llijevski are in their fourth season with the
club. Jeff Cacciatore, Redmond Lane and Larry Hulcer are in their third.
"Credit for anything good we've done this season should go to the younger players," Bick said. "Doing well despite injuries would have been impossible without the young guys who normally don't play except in practice. They work hard and get no recognition. This season they were called upon, and they were ready. We feel good about that."
When Davis came to the Steamers last autumn, his reputation preceded him. After six years with the New York Cosmos, he was an established star.
"Whatever I've done has been a response to the tremendous support
I've received from the Steamers' fans," Davis said. "It's been a great
thrill coming into the league, even though I haven't set it on fire."
Ricky is too modest. He scored the game-winning goal and added four
assists in the Steamers' 6-5 overtime win Monday in Los Angeles. He has
scored 36 goals and 20 assists in 41 games.
"I hope I gave the fans something to cheer about, something enjoyable
to watch," Davis said. "I feel the Steamers are moving in a positive
direction and hope I'm a part of that. We've been successful in small ways.
Now let's win the big one. Let's give something hack to the people."
Will success spoil the Steamers? Again, let's hope not.
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