THE BLAST: A SOCCER DYNASTY, A BALTIMORE TRADITION
by Rick Benson
One of the things that draws many fans (including myself) to Baltimore sports teams in their connection to the community. On-field success certainly helps, but there is something about a team that is weaved into the local fabric that plays extremely well in Charm City. From the glory days of the Baltimore Colts, who were out and about eating, drinking and living in the same neighborhoods as their fans to the Orioles Magic teams beginning in the mid-70s that made the city fall in love with its baseball team, Baltimore has had a special connection to its sports teams.
With no national and even limited local coverage, the Baltimore Blast are one of the city’s true treasures. An on-the-field dynasty; largely unknown, but a dynasty nonetheless with nine league championships. Eight of those championships have happened over the last 15 seasons and the Blast are going for third straight title this season. Baltimore has won their division seven straight seasons and eight of the last nine. The Blast, without question, is the premier indoor soccer team in the America.
For the few thousand faithful who attend the games and follow them, it is a love affair much like the ones that Baltimore fans enjoyed with their football and baseball teams. The players, many of whom are active on social media, consistently connect with their fans and frequently stay long after games are over to sign autographs and pose for pictures. Post-game parties at local watering holes provide more opportunity for the players and fans to interact. The Blast has an active fan club that sponsors road trips to games and an annual holiday party.
The Blast has hosted many summer soccer camps throughout the metro area with 15 schedules in 2018. The players are frequent visitors to area schools; teaching children about the importance of staying in school, anti-bullying, character building, positive self-esteem, avoiding negative influences, physical fitness, health and wellness, teamwork and working towards common goals. Some players also serve as coaches in the area for prep schools; such as goaltender William Vanzela who is the position coach at Johns Hopkins University. Vanzela also serves as the goalkeeper coach at McDonough, which won the 2015 MIAA A Championship, and the Baltimore Celtic Soccer Club. He coached at the Baltimore Bays Chelsea Academy for three seasons, and spent two years at Loyola Blakefield, which won the 2014 MIAA A Championship.
In alignment with their yearly soccer camps, Blast owner Ed Hale and team president Kevin Healey have made it a priority to sign local talent which adds to fan appeal. Recently Calvert Hall's Pat Healey (Kevin’s son) and Marco Mangione and Loyola Blakefield's Mike Lookingland and Mike Deasel, have added to the Blast's tradition of winning games and giving former local high school standouts a stage on which to play professional soccer. In addition to Healey, Mangione is also a second generation Blast player with his father Nick Mangione Jr, a Polytechnic graduate and one of the original Blast players during the 1980-81 season.
Post-game celebration with Elton de Oliveira, William Vanzela and Juan Pereira
Kevin Healey, an alumnus of Calvert Hall and Loyola College (now Loyola University), is one of the most influential members of the Baltimore soccer community.
"We always thought of ourselves as a soccer town," said Healey. "These kids are continuing that tradition. It is definitely part of our marketing strategy. We get players from all over the world, all over the country. But it's also part of our strategy to get the best players out of the Baltimore area. It gives the local kids a dream -- a realistic dream of being a professional soccer player, and to play for the Blast, their hometown team. (quote from pressboxonline.com)”
Poly's Mangione, Patterson's Sonny Askew and Calvert Hall's Tim Wittman were part of the team's first two years in Baltimore. Wittman, a high school All-American was drafted by the Tampa Bay Rowdies of the outdoor North American Soccer League in 1981. Despite being in their heyday, Wittman spurned the NASL for an opportunity to play for his hometown Blast and was one of the team’s first stars. Since then, the local players have kept on coming. Fallston's Joe Barger; Northern's John Abe; and Boys' Latin's Steve Nichols continued the local flavor during the early 1990s. Archbishop Curley's Jason Dieter and Barry Stitz and Calvert Hall's J.J. Kremer later passed the baton to Calvert Hall's P.J. Wakefield, Curley's Giuliano Celenza and Bel Air's Billy Nelson, who were key members of the Blast's championship teams in 2003, '04 '06, '08 and '09.
So yes, the Baltimore Blast is a special and unique sports fan connection and one that should continue for years to come; thanks to player, fan and local involvement alike. Blast scoring ace Tony Donatelli has summed up this relationship as well as anyone. “They (Blast fans) mean everything. They’re very welcoming. Before I played my first game, they dropped off a welcome basket at my apartment. They’re there every game. I call them family. I wouldn’t want to play in front of anyone else.”
