Ryerson Trying to End Trend : Socker Rookie Hopes He Adjusts to Indoor Game

SAN DIEGO â€”  At least the Sockers practice the indoor game on a field that is outdoors.

Otherwise, Rob Ryerson would really feel as if he has been playing a different sport this week.

Being able to look skyward while dribbling upfield has been one of the few sources of comfort for Ryerson, the Sockers’ top draft pick and another in a line of collegiate stars to be confused and humbled by the indoor game.

Why don’t the Sockers keep a draft choice?

“Sometimes I think we get more success out of players we pick up off the street,� Ron Newman, the Sockers’ coach, said.

But he added: “If you could play outdoor, you could play indoor. It just may take longer to learn.�

Learning takes time, a commodity most Major Indoor Soccer League teams don’t have, particularly the talent-deep Sockers.

Ryerson is just this season’s example of why the Sockers can’t or won’t wait for a player to develop. Even the 22-year-old forward, who was a two-time All-American at the University of Nevada Las Vegas, is willing to provide some of the answers.

“It’s taking longer than I thought to get used to this game,� Ryerson said. “Quickness, speed, decision-making all have to be quicker in the indoor game.

“I really haven’t gotten my rhythm yet. Here I’m thinking about everything I do. More than likely, I don’t know if what I’m doing is right or wrong.�

Is it any wonder that Ryerson, the 13th pick in the 1986 draft, is apprehensive about whether he will stick with the Sockers?

“After practice, I go back to the place where I’m staying in Old Town, shower, go to a movie and think about my performance at practice,� Ryerson said. “I think about the things I did on the field. There’s pressure because you want to do well. . . .

“I’ve heard rumors about how many new players they will keep. Sometimes I hear they have one or two spots.�

Socker Coach Ron Newman, who is trying to blend a few youngsters with his veteran team, said he may keep as many as three new players or as few as one.

It depends on the status of veteran Kaz Deyna, the recovery of defender Guy Newman and whether the Sockers go with a 19- or 20-player roster. The Sockers have had from 15 to 20 non-roster players in camp, depending on the day or practice.

That includes 10 free agents, four players from Tijuana who have been invited to camp and their four draft picks. In addition to Ryerson, they drafted forward Neil Swindells, a British striker out of Eastern Illinois; defender Oscar Padilla of Chico State, and midfielder Mike Nieto of Cal.

“At the moment, Rob (Ryerson) has not sprung out and demanded we find a place for him,� Newman said. “But then nobody else has either.�

Ryerson, who had only played in five indoor tournaments before this week, understands the other brand of soccer, the game he played at UNLV and with the San Diego Nomads of the Western Alliance League this past summer. There are no substitutions, fewer goals and more long crossing passes.

Ryerson decided during high school he wanted to play professional soccer. He wanted to play the game outdoors. That was when the North American Soccer League was flourishing, and Ryerson watched the Washington Diplomats play in front of large crowds at RFK Stadium.

“The NASL was the league I really wanted to play in,� Ryerson said. “No one really heard of the MISL much then.�

Ryerson became proficient at the outdoor game as a youngster in Laurel, Md. At UNLV, he set a school scoring record with 67 goals in 81 matches. Ryerson, Player of the Year in the Pacific Coast Athletic Assn. last season, had 21 goals and 7 assists.

“Last year I realized that if I wanted to play professional soccer it would have to be indoor,� Ryerson said.

Since the MISL doesn’t have a minor league system, players have to learn on the job.

Ryerson and several other college stars were invited to play in an indoor tournament in Cleveland in late May. The tournament, which is expected to become an annual event, allows MISL scouts and coaches to watch outdoor stars play the indoor game. For many players, it is the first time they’ve played the indoor game.

“Rob looks like a very useful player,� said Newman before training camp began. “His reputation is very good in outdoor, but outdoor is a different game.

UNLV Coach Barry Barto believes Ryerson will develop into a good indoor player.

“I think he has the intelligence to pick things up,� Barto said. “The easiest part should be learning the technical and tactical aspects . . .

“Fitness isn’t a factor in indoor because you can come off the field any time you want. If you have a good shot, that could make you a good indoor player without all the skills.�

But the odds have been against Ryerson from the start. Of all their draft choices through the years, the Sockers kept only one, defender Kevin Crow.

But Crow, a two-time All-American at San Diego State, had an advantage because he was signed when the team was still playing outdoors--in 1983 in the North American Soccer League.

“In order to get to the sophisticated level of play we’re at,� Johan Aarnio, the Sockers’ assistant coach, said, “it takes an investment of time. Wadd (Hirmez), Jim Gorsek, Raffaele (Ruotolo) all invested time to get there. They were able to invest time. That hasn’t been the case with a lot of draft choices.�

Gorsek, Hirmez and Ruotolo opted to stay in San Diego, get secondary jobs and practice with the Sockers in the hope that they would catch on as free agents.

They did.

Meanwhile, most Socker draft choices have come and gone.

Cle Kooiman of SDSU and Willie Molano, the Sockers’ first and third picks in the 1983 NASL draft, are playing with the Los Angeles Lazers. Two of the Sockers’ selections in the 1984 NASL draft are playing in the MISL. Midfielder Ali Kazemaini of the Cleveland Force was the MISL Rookie of the Year in 1984-85 and goalkeeper Tim Harris is with the Lazers. Caleb Suri is playing with the Louisville Thunder of the American Indoor Soccer Assn.

Dzung Tran, the Sockers’ lone pick from the 1985 MISL draft to catch on with another club, is with the Milwaukee Wave of the AISA.

“If a draft choice doesn’t improve quick enough,� Aarnio said, “we let him go.�

This isn’t like other professional sports where there are guaranteed contracts and signing bonuses. Newman would like to be able to keep a group of players who would form a second team, train regularly against his starters and be groomed for the future. But MISL economics in general and the $1.25 million salary cap per team specifically have killed that dream.

Therefore, the moment of truth comes quickly for young players in the MISL. It could come as early as Friday for Ryerson.

“We have things to teach him,� Newman said. “Do we have the time? By the end of the week, he (Rob) might have elevated himself. We’ll know if he can sign on or go to another club or find a job where he can earn money.�