A System Works for the Sockers : Aarnio, Taking Over for Newman, Lets Team Do Its Thing

SAN DIEGO — Johan Aarnio gets to conduct countless beach runs as Socker assistant coach, but it has been almost three years since he coached a team to victory.

With Socker Coach Ron Newman suspended for one game because he has four yellow cards so far this season, Aarnio was behind the bench in the Sockers’ 4-3 victory over the Tacoma Stars Friday night at the San Diego Sports Arena.

“It’s good fun,” said Aarnio, whose only other professional coaching victory game when the Sockers defeated the Cosmos, 7-3, to capture the North American Soccer League championship April 11, 1984.

Aarnio was wearing a tuxedo when he coached the Sockers to that title, Julie (he had an “e” in his name back then) Veee remarked: “That proves that even a penguin can coach us.”

Aarnio has been around long enough to know that when the Sockers play their game, the best thing a coach can do is watch and enjoy.

“We have a system here,” Aarnio said. “The key is not to veer away form our system. When we get our blend going, our system works. You want to keep the bench positive.”

Newman was sitting in the stands during the game, but he still had his share of postgame comments.

“The tickets are too cheap,” he said. “For a game like that. I’ll tell Bob (Bell) to raise the prices.”

Winning without Newman on the bench and beating former Socker Steve Zungul and first-place Tacoma just two days after beating the Eastern Division-leading Baltimore Blast moved the Sockers to within two games of Tacoma in the Western Division of the Major Indoor Soccer League.

And it was all done with an injury-riddled lineup. Branko Segota returned Friday, but Juli Veee, Hugo Perez, Brian Quinn and George Katakalidis remain on the injured list.

Just when Sockers were being doubted, they came through.

“It’s unbelievable for everybody,” said Socker defender Fernando Clavijo. “It’s great for the morale of the team. We miss some great players, but we have other guys who can do damage.”

Other guys like veterans Jean Willrich and Kevin Crow, rookie Paul Dougherty, who improves with each game, and defender Carlos Melian, who scored a key goal that tied the score with 43 seconds remaining in the first half.

And then there was newcomer Njego Pesa, whose first goal as a Socker was the game-winner Friday. With 4:57 left in the third quarter, Pesa lined a 20-footer from the right wing into the far corner.

“I haven’t been shooting enough,” Pesa said. “At that moment, I saw an opening and he (goalkeeper Joe Papaleo) was screened.”

The Sockers held on behind the support of a very spirited crowd of 11,071, which served as the team’s seventh man.

“The crowd won the game for San Diego,” said Stars Coach Alan Hinton.

Socker Notes Socker midfielder Branko Segota will have to sit out the Sockers’ next game, against Wichita Sunday, because he had already reached the maximum of 22 penalty minutes when he was called for unsportsmanlike conduct Friday.