2014–15 Seattle Impact season explained

Club:Seattle Impact
Season:2014–15 MASL
Chrtitle:Owner
Chairman:Dion Earl
Mgrtitle:Head Coach
Manager:Dion Earl (games 1–13)
Stdtitle:Arena
Stadium:ShoWare Center
625 West James Street
Kent, Washington 98032
League:Major Arena Soccer League
League Topscorer:Gordy Gurson (36 goals, 12 assists)
Highest Attendance:1,348 (November 8 vs. San Diego Sockers)
Lowest Attendance:204 (November 28 vs. Turlock Express)
Average Attendance:717 (7 games)
Club:Tacoma Stars
Season:2014–15 MASL
Chrtitle:Owner
Chairman:Lane Smith
Mgrtitle:Head Coach
Manager:Darren Sawatzky (games 14–20)
Stdtitle:Arena
Stadium:ShoWare Center
625 West James Street
Kent, Washington 98032
League:Major Arena Soccer League
League Result:5th, Pacific (regular season)
League Topscorer:Derek Johnson (9 goals, 2 assists)
Highest Attendance:1,123 (February 8 vs. Turlock Express)
Lowest Attendance:885 (January 16 vs. San Diego Sockers)
Average Attendance:1,038 (3 games)
Prevseason:2012–13 (PASL)
Nextseason:2015–16

The 2014–15 Seattle Impact season was the only season of the Seattle Impact professional indoor soccer club. The Impact, a Pacific Division team in the Major Arena Soccer League, played their home games in the ShoWare Center in the Seattle suburb of Kent, Washington. The Impact were led by owner, player, and head coach Dion Earl.

After struggles on and off the field, the team's assets were sold to Lane Smith and his Tacoma Stars completed the Impact's schedule. The Stars were led by general manager John Crouch and head coach Darren Sawatzky. Their season was completed with a combined 4–16 record and 5th place in the MASL's Pacific Division.

Season summary

On the field, the Impact lost their first two games then won their next three in a row. These would prove the last wins for the Seattle franchise as they were followed by 8 consecutive losses amid growing turmoil off the field surrounding the team's owner, Dion Earl, as well as its financial struggles. In mid-January, the Impact folded and their position in the MASL was purchased by Lane Smith who used his own Tacoma Stars to fill out the season. While undefeated in their Western Indoor Soccer League, the Stars lost 4 straight in MASL play before beating the Turlock Express in February. Two more losses on the road gave the team a combined 4–16 record and 5th place in the Pacific Division. They did not qualify for the playoffs.

Off-field moves

In May 2014, the Professional Arena Soccer League added six teams from the failed third incarnation of the Major Indoor Soccer League and reorganized as the Major Arena Soccer League. With the league expansion and reorganization, the other Pacific teams for 2014–15 are California-based Ontario Fury, Sacramento Surge, San Diego Sockers, and Turlock Express plus the Las Vegas Legends.

Personnel issues

The planned "Ladies with Impact" dance team disbanded when several members resigned after alleging that Impact owner Dion Earl made sexual advances on them. The dancers also claimed that the team had not paid them for their work. The dance team's former co-captain obtained a sexual harassment protection order against Earl from King County Superior Court Judge Chad Allred on October 22. Earl denies the claims and says the dance team was going to be disbanded for financial reasons. As of late December 2014, no criminal charges had been filed but the King County Prosecuting Attorney's office was reviewing the case. A civil suit against Earl, the team, and several other parties was filed on November 6, 2014.

Just before the regular season started, head coach Jason Dunn and assistant coach Todd Haley left the team. They asserted that the Impact failed to make contractual payments due on October 25. Impact owner Dion Earl announced that he would serve as head coach as well as continue his role as a player.

On November 21, the Kent Reporter revealed that 22 Seattle Impact players (Ian Weinberg, Taylor Jackson, Brayton Knapp, Steve Mohn, Jeff Bader, Micah Wenzel, Eli Gordley, Mark Lee, Kellan Brown, Kaymran Tairov, Collin Rolfe, Nathan Salveson, Michal Mravec, Marshall Reese, Derek Johnson, Gustovo Bermundez, Francisco Cisnernos, Vince McCluskey, Evan Denmark, Jameal Cox, Tyler Bjork, and Craig Thomlinson) had "left the team in protest of [owner Dion] Earl's conduct". The players wrote a mass resignation letter to the MASL, protesting that "with the daily chaos, firing of our coaches, firing of staff, release of the dance team, poor treatment of players and the polluted media surrounding Dion's sexual assault, bullying, and harassment charges, our reputations are being tarnished and compromised." MASL Commissioner Kevin Milliken declined to comment as the issue was "above my paygrade". Top scorer Gordy Gurson remained with the team, telling the press, "Whatever people want to say, they can say. Right now to me, it's all a bunch of he said-she said."

Sale to Lane Smith

On January 12, 2015, The Seattle Times revealed that Impact owner Dion Earl was negotiating to sell the struggling franchise to Lane Smith, owner of the Tacoma Stars of the semi-pro Western Indoor Soccer League. The sale was completed on January 14 followed by a press conference on January 15 featuring Smith and MASL commissioner Kevin Milliken. The Tacoma Stars purchased the team's assets but did not retain the Impact's staff or players. They completed the Impact's remaining schedule and remained at the ShoWare Center through the end of the season. In May 2015, the team announced it would return to the ShoWare Center for the 2015–16 season.[1]

Schedule

Regular season

Seattle Impact

GameDayDateKickoffOpponentResultsLocationAttendance
ScoreRecord
1SaturdayNovember 87:30pmSan Diego SockersL 4–140–1ShoWare Center1,348
2FridayNovember 147:35pmat Turlock ExpressL 5–110–2Turlock Indoor Soccer569
3SaturdayNovember 157:05pmat Sacramento SurgeW 12–81–2McClellan Park363
4FridayNovember 287:30pmTurlock ExpressW 8–32–2ShoWare Center204
5SundayDecember 74:00pmSacramento SurgeW 6–53–2ShoWare Center867
6SaturdayDecember 137:05pmat San Diego SockersL 10–173–3Valley View Casino Center2,837
7SundayDecember 143:05pmat Ontario FuryL 10–133–4Citizens Business Bank Arena1,572
8ThursdayDecember 187:30pmOntario FuryL 9–113–5ShoWare Center365
9FridayDecember 267:30pmSacramento SurgeL 7–8 (OT)3–6ShoWare Center911
10SaturdayJanuary 37:30pmWichita B-52sL 4–123–7ShoWare Center723
11SundayJanuary 44:00pmWichita B-52sL 5–103–8ShoWare Center604
12FridayJanuary 97:35pmat Turlock ExpressL 5–163–9Turlock Indoor Soccer492
13SaturdayJanuary 107:05pmat Sacramento SurgeL 7–103–10McClellan Park435

Tacoma Stars

GameDayDateKickoffOpponentResultsLocationAttendance
ScoreRecord
14FridayJanuary 167:30pmSan Diego SockersL 3–83–11ShoWare Center885
15SundayJanuary 254:00pmLas Vegas LegendsL 3–133–12ShoWare Center1,015
16FridayJanuary 307:35pmat Las Vegas LegendsL 2–113–13Las Vegas Sports Park 675
17SaturdayJanuary 317:05pmat San Diego SockersL 4–133–14Valley View Casino Center7,311
18SundayFebruary 84:00pmTurlock ExpressW 12–24–14ShoWare Center1,123
19SaturdayFebruary 217:35pmat St. Louis AmbushL 3–134–15Family Arena7,056
20SundayFebruary 225:05pmat Missouri CometsL 1–174–16Independence Events Center4,843
Game originally scheduled to be played at Orleans Arena.

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: . . Tacoma Stars Set To Relaunch in 2015 . May 19, 2015 . May 20, 2015.