Indiana Blast
 |
|
| Full name | Indiana Blast |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | The Blast |
| Founded | 1997 |
| Dissolved | 2004 |
| Ground | Kuntz Memorial Stadium |
| Capacity | 6,760 |
| Manager |
 Peter Baah
|
| League | USL Premier Development League |
| 2004 | 9th, Heartland Division |
Indiana Blast were an American soccer team, founded in 1997. The team was a member of the United Soccer Leagues, played in the USISL and A-League (1995–2004) until folding at the end of the 2004 season.
The Blast played their home games at Kuntz Memorial Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana. The team's colors were white and blue for its last four years after four years with red and black as its colors. Peter Baah and Larry Harmon served as general managers.
Officially announced a press conference on September 30, 1996, the Blast signed its first player that November in goalkeeper standout from Yugoslavia and of the MLS Mile Milovac and signed its second star player in Marc LeBere who came over on transfer from the Philadelphia Freedom after scoring 13 goals for Philadelphia, LeBere was a premier striker and expected to lead this new franchise in scoring. The club played its first match at Kuntz Stadium on April 25, 1997, a 2–0 loss to eventual A-League champion Milwaukee Rampage in front of 2,886 fans. The team claimed its first victory on May 9, beating the Cincinnati Riverhawks 4–0.
By August, the team's original owner, businessman Ferid Poturkovic, had sold the club to MorSports, Inc. On the day the sale was announced, the Blast beat the Chicago Stingers 2–0 to clinch a playoff berth with their fifth consecutive victory to end the regular season. Two weeks later, the Blast came from 2–0 down to defeat the Cleveland Caps 3–2 and win a first-round playoff game. The Blast would then defeat Chicago 1–0 on August 22 to make it to the D3 Pro League quarterfinals, where they fell 6–0 to the Charlotte Eagles.
The 1998 season was the best in the club's history, as the Blast went 15–3 in league play (17–4 overall) and won the North Central Division's regular-season championship. The Chicago Stingers would exact their revenge for 1997's playoff defeat, though, as they would beat the Blast 3–0 on August 21, 1998 in a first-round playoff match. The year would end with the Blast winning "Organization of the Year" honors from the USISL and earning promotion to the A-League.
...
Wikipedia