The Province from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada • 73

Province Sports A73 Thursday, June 30, 1994 Today's Pages: A96-A73 Staff photo by Ues Bazso 21), as team readies for opener. Vancouver's Pat Onstad, who led the Winnipeg Fury to a shocking upset of the 86ers in the 1992 CSL final, joins the Rockets, along with Zico Doe, who had 12 goals for Ft. Lauderdale last season, Tony Noci-ta and Alekx Choulaev, a former Russian first division player. Carl Fletcher, Lucio Ianiero, Dino Lopez, Peter Sarantopolous are also there. President and head coach Alan Hinton, the former Vancouver Whitecaps player and coach, leads the upstart Sounders into their first season of play.

Twin brothers Jason and James Dunn, who were two-time all America selections at Seattle Pacific, and Jason Farrell, a member of the U.S. Olympic team in 1991, are a trio of the home-grown Seattle team. Former 86er Doug Morrill is also with the Sounders. Thomas Rongen starts his sixth season as coach of the Strikers, who finished sixth last season. The expansion Force are an unknown quantity playing at the Robertson Stadium.

Forward Tony McGinnis is the son of former NBA star George McGinnis of the Indiana Pacers. 86ers kick off season against champions By Jack Keating Sports Reporter It's hard going up against the glitz, glamour and spectacle of the world's greatest sporting event. But like it or not, the Vancouver 86ers open their second season in the American Professional Soccer League right smack in the middle of the World Cup. The APSL, which originally wasn't going to begin play until after conclusion of the World Cup on July 1 7, opens its season with games on Friday in Denver and Montreal. The 86ers, seeking to repeat as regular season APSL champions, open their season on Monday in Denver against the Colorado Foxes.

The good news for the 86ers is that they will play all but one of their home games after the World Cup. "Interest in the World Cup is really steamrolling. You can't really compete with the biggest sporting event in the world and we wouldn't try to," said 86ers player coach Carl Valentine, who'll be celebrating his 36th birthday at the season opener in Denver. "Hopefully, the fans will not have had enough of soccer after that and have become excited and want to see some live action and that's where we'll come in." Valentine, quite aware nine of the 86ers home games come after the World Cup, thinks fans will be in for a treat again this season at Swan-gard Stadium. "It's an enjoyable league," said Valentine.

"Most teams play attractive soccer. We had some great games with Colorado and Los Angeles last year and I don't see it changing." Valentine thinks the 86ers can repeat as regular season champions with the stiffest tests coming from Colorado and Los Angeles. Valentine also mentioned Montreal, but the Impact was thrown into disarray late on Wednesday with the unexpected announcement that longtime NASL bench boss Eddie Firmani was resigning as coach for personal reasons. The APSL is an eight-team league this season, one more than 1993, with the addition of the Seattle Sounders and Houston Force, and the departure of the Tampa Bay the Vancouver 86ers new playing July: 4 at Colorado; 6 at Houston; 8 at Fort Lauderdale; 15 vs. Seattle; 22 vs.

Los Angeles; 27 vs. Volorado; 30 at Seattle. August: 1 at Colorado; 7 vs. Seattle; 12 vs. Houston; 14 at Montreal; 1 7 at Toronto; 20 at Los Angeles; 26 vs.

Los Angeles. September: 2 vs. Toronto; 1 1 vs. Fort Lauderdale; 1 4 vs. Montreal; 1 7 at Los Angeles; 21 vs.

Colorado; 24 at Seattle. Home games: Weeknights: 7:35 p.m.; Sundays: 7:05. APSL chairman William de La Pena offers an optimistic outlook for the league despite the threat of the proposed Major Soccer League. "We feature the cream of the crop of the continent's finest young professional players," said de La Pena. Here's a look at the rest of the APSL teams: Foxes, who are playing in the Mile High Stadium this season, are seeking their third consecutive APSL championship after beating the Salsa 3-1 in OT in last year's final.

Former U.S. national teamers Ted Eck, Mark Santel, Chad Ashton and Bryan Haynes, as well as Scott Benedetti, are back on a team which recently thrashed Jamaica 6-0. Iain Fraser of Canada's national team is also back. Lome Donaldson, an assistant coach the last two seasons, replaces David Dir as coach. Showing the lads how to do it is Rowdies.

Toronto Rockets, with essentially the same management as the North York Rockets of the CSL, replace the folded Blizzard in the nation's biggest city. Teams will play a 20-game schedule with the top four teams qualifying for the two-game semifinals 1 vs. 4, 2 vs. 3 Oct. 1-3 with the winners in the one-game final the weekend of Oct.

15. "I think we've got a very strong squad," said Valentine of the 86ers, who finished five points above Colorado in '93. "I think the thing we have is that our team is so together. We really go out there and attack as a team and defend as a team. Valentine has a veteran-laden team led by Domenic Mobilio, John Catliff and Dale Mitchell.

The trio is backed by midfielders Ivor Evans, David Norman, Jim Easton, Scott Macey, Guito Titotto, defenders Doug Muirhead, Doug McKinty, Steve MacDonald, Rick Celebrini and Steve Millar and goalkeeper Paul Dolan. Carlo Corazzin, who played for England's Cambridge United this past season, is gone, as are Geoff Aunger and Mark Watson, both who left midway through last season. Two free agents, forward Sipho Sibiya and midfielder Marcos Tremarco, are newcomers with a shot of cracking the lineup. "Everyone gets on well here," continued Valentine. "Basically we're here because we love playing.

It makes a big difference that we have that team unity." head coach Carl Valentine (No. The APSL's top scoring tandem of league MVP Paulinho and all-star forward Paul Wright are back on the fourth place Salsa, who upset the 86ers in a shootout in the semifinal last season. The Salsa, who will also play in the Mexican first division this fall, beat Monterrey of Mexico 3-2 and Cameroon 2-1 in tuneup games for the APSL season. The Salsa, under the direction of former Cosmos player Rick Davis, have added defender Jeff Agood, a late cut from the U.S. '94 World Cup team and Michael N-Doumbe, a former Cameroon national team player.

Assistant coach Valerio Gazzola replaces the departed Firmani. Grant Needham is expected to be out for the season with a knee injury suffered with Canada's national team in May. Forwards Jean Harbor, the APSL's all-time leading scorer formerly with Tampa Bay, and Phillip Gyau, who played with Colorado and Los Angeles last season, are key additions along with goalie Paolo Ceccarelli. The Impact have three Canadian national team players midfielders Nick Dasovic, John Limniatis and defedner Rudy Doliscat. Defenders Patrick Diotte, Marco Rizi, Abdel Sahrane and goalie Pat Harrington have also been in the national pool..