The Baltimore Blast were a longtime member of the Major Indoor Soccer League. From 1978 to 1980, the team played as the

Houston Summit Houston Summit were a professional indoor soccer team that operated from 1978 to 1980. They played in the original Major Indoor Soccer League. In 1980, the franchise was moved to Baltimore to become the Baltimore Blast. Their roster mainly inclu ...

, but moved prior to the 1980–81 season. The team won the league's championship in the 1983–84 season. The team folded when the MISL ceased operation in the summer of 1992.

History

The aggressive promotion of the team by radio partner WFBR (then 1300 AM) was instrumental in the Blast's popularity. Art Sinclair and Charley Eckman handled the play-by-play. The team was owned by Bernie Rodin, who also owned the Rochester Lancers and the

New York Arrows The New York Arrows were an indoor soccer team that played in the original Major Indoor Soccer League (1978–1992), Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL) from 1978 to 1984. They were the MISL's first dynasty, winning the first four championships. H ...

. Mike Zolotorow was the long-time Equipment Manager for 20 years. In the 1983–84 playoffs, Baltimore advanced to the championship series by defeating the

3–1 in the quarterfinal best-of-five series, then beating the Cleveland Force 3–0 in the semifinal series. In the best-of-seven championship series, Baltimore defeated the St. Louis Steamers 4–1 to claim the 1984 MISL championship. In 1991, the Blast contested the Trans-Atlantic challenge, a one-off indoor soccer game at the

Sheffield Arena Sheffield Arena, known for sponsorship purposes as Utilita Arena Sheffield, is a multi-purpose arena located in Sheffield, England. It is situated near Meadowhall Centre, Meadowhall and lies between Sheffield city centre and Rotherham town centr ...

Sheffield Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, situated south of Leeds and east of Manchester. The city is the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire and some of its so ...

, England. They beat English

First Division 1st Division or First Division may refer to: Military Airborne divisions *1st Parachute Division (Germany) *1st Airborne Division (United Kingdom) * 1st Airmobile Division (Ukraine) * 1st Guards Airborne Division Armoured divisions *1st Armoure ...

team

Sheffield Wednesday Sheffield Wednesday Football Club is a professional association football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English football league system. Formed in 1867 as an off ...

to win the trophy. Wednesday had American international

John Harkes John Andrew Harkes (born March 8, 1967) is an American Association football, soccer coach and former professional player who last coached Greenville Triumph SC. A member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame, Harkes was the first American to pla ...

in their ranks. The game was the one and only occasion that

Eric Cantona Eric Daniel Pierre Cantona (; ; born 24 May 1966) is a French former professional footballer who is currently an actor. In his football career Eric Cantona was a physically strong, hard-working and tenacious player. He combined technical skill a ...

played for Sheffield Wednesday during his infamous trial.

Year-by-year

Personnel

Head coach

Kenny Cooper Kenneth Scott Cooper Jr. (born October 21, 1984) is an American former soccer player who played as a forward. He began his soccer career with Manchester United but failed to break through to the first team. He went on to play for clubs in Por ...

1980–1992

Players

* Robert Prentice 1981–1983

Retired numbers

* #3 Mike Reynolds

Arenas

Baltimore Arena CFG Bank Arena is a multipurpose arena in Baltimore, Maryland. This venue is located about one block away from the Baltimore Convention Center on the corner of Baltimore Street and Hopkins Place in downtown Baltimore. With a seating capacit ...

(1980–1992)

References

External links

Baltimore Blast historical rosters
via nasljerseys.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Baltimore Blast (1980-1992) Defunct indoor soccer clubs in the United States Major Indoor Soccer League (1978–1992) teams Soccer clubs in Baltimore Soccer clubs in Maryland 1980 establishments in Maryland 1992 disestablishments in Maryland