Chula Vista’s Norbert Stein, the San Diego Sockers’ most dedicated and oldest fan at 101 years young, has made a habit of presenting a crisp $100 bill to the Sockers player who scores the team’s first goal of the season.
Eddie Velez was the recipient of Stein’s latest generosity as the Sockers made their 2014-15 season debut in the new-look Major Arena Soccer League on Nov. 1. Velez scored the Sockers’ opening goal in what would turn out to be a dramatic 5-4 overtime win over the defending Pacific Division champion Las Vegas Legends.
“I couldn’t believe it,” the irrepressible Stein said. “We got fight in front of the goal and scored. These guys are runners. They’re hustlers. They never stop running the whole game. There is no quit in them. I think they might even be better than the old Sockers.”
New era, different league. But the current edition of the storied Sockers franchise continues to set the standard wherever it plays.
This year is no different.
The Sockers trailed the Legends by two goals on two occasions in the game — 3-1 and 4-2 — before sending the game into overtime on the strength of two goals scored in the final eight minutes of regulation play.
What Velez started, teammate Kraig Chiles finished when the three-time Professional Arena Soccer League MVP scored the game-winning goal with 6:03 remaining in the 10-minute sudden-victory OT period.
The Sockers improved to 3-0 on the young season after defeating the Ontario Fury, 7-2, Sunday at the Valley View Casino. Stein was present to pump up the team during a pregame locker room talk.
“How many 100-year-olds get to do that?” Stein asked.
Well, the Captain, as he is affectionately known, certainly is one of a kind.
Prior to the Las Vegas game, Stein read one of his off-the-cuff poems to the team.
“People lose money when they go to Las Vegas, even soccer players lose when they go to Las Vegas,” Stein sounded off with determination in his voice. “This time, it’s different. They’re coming to our door. Let them in, but don’t let them score, don’t let them score, don’t let them score.”
Sockers coach Phil Salvagio is a huge Stein fan after meeting the poet of Chula Vista during his playing tenure with the original Sockers in 1993.
“OK, just short,” Salvagio told Stein prior to Sunday’s pregame players’ meeting.
Stein, who uses a walker now, spoke to the team while Salvagio was still going over his game notes in the coaches’ office.
“These guys have camaraderie,” said Stein, who will turn 102 in March. “They always greet each other with (motioning, fist bumps). They like each other.”
That couldn’t always be said about the old Sockers.
New horizons
The MASL is in its inaugural season after the Sockers’ prior league, the PASL, merged with the now defunct Major Indoor Soccer League to form a national imprint league with the best teams from both leagues.
The expanded league features 23 teams, including six refugees from the third incarnation of the MISL.
The Sockers defeated the expansion Seattle Impact, 14-4, on Nov. 8 to improve to 2-0 on the season. Nick Perera had four goals in that game while Chiles, a former SDSU standout, scored three times.
Perera tallied three goals and one assist in Sunday’s entertaining win while Chiles scored twice.
The Sockers, winners of four consecutive PASL championships, are starting to become a draw once more at the box office as the caliber of play has continued to improve each season. The team attracted 3,816 fans to its home opener and drew a crowd of 2,913 to Sunday’s game despite going head-to-head with the Chargers-Raiders game.
The Sockers averaged 4,300 last season.
“They’re San Diego’s champion, and they’re my champion,” Stein offered, his eyes lighting up.
