2012-13 MISL Season Preview
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Arguably the most memorable moment of the Rochester Lancers’ inaugural season in the MISL came in just their second game. A long pass off the end wall came to Mauricio Salles, who controlled and fired home a bicycle kick into the top-left corner of the net.
“I cannot say it was something that was going through my mind,” Salles said recently, recalling the goal. “It was just improvisation, it came off the boards to my chest, and the ball, when I controlled it on my chest, went high, and I did it. It wasn’t the first time I did it, I used to do it when I first came into camp. I don’t do it for beauty, I do it because I can do it and hit it hard with direction.”
The Lancers fell to the Missouri Comets in that contest, but the goal provided a spark for a Lancers side that was looking for something to build around as it found its feet in the league. In Salles, who scored 81 points and was named to the All-League First Team, they found it, with the Brazilian consistently providing inspiration throughout the season.
“He’s a big figure,” new Lancers head coach Jim Hesch said. An assistant in the team’s first season, Hesch saw up close the effect that Salles had on his teammates, and they on him.
“His persona, his abilities, it’s something people are drawn to and he just fed off that. I think he enjoys that, he wants that spotlight, he wants that recognition, so we try to cater to both worlds. He wants to be that guy, and when we put him out there we try to focus free kicks, focus power plays, focus special teams things on him, and of course last year he produced.”
A veteran of the outdoor game, Salles’ tall frame and fierce left foot allowed him to be the centerpiece for the Lancers’ attack. Teaming with Doug Miller, the 34-year-old proved as dangerous from distance as in tight spaces, with his eight three-point goals leading the league. According to Hesch, that success came as much from Salles’ attitude as his ability as he led the young squad by example on a daily basis.
“His day-in, day-out routine is as a professional,” Hesch said. “He comes every morning ready for work, does his job, he stays late, he studies film, he helps the young guys, so his overall professionalism you don’t see on the field. You see him score the goals, things like that, but I feel his overall professionalism is top notch.”
That professionalism provided a model for some of the younger players that were with the Lancers a season ago, some of whom were not just playing their first season in the MISL, but their first professional season overall. As the team grew during the season, it was able to post enough positive results to earn a place in the playoffs.
There, though, the season came to an end at the hands of the Baltimore Blast, a side it was also unable to defeat in the regular season, going 0-4. Salles believes finding a way past the Blast, and in turn building the team’s confidence that it can beat other top teams consistently, will be the key to the Lancers making not only a return trip to the playoffs, but also challenging for a title.
“I think [the key] will be to beat the strong teams, Baltimore and Milwaukee,” Salles said. “We couldn’t beat them last year, and that made all the difference for the playoffs. Before the playoffs, of course, we need to win every game, and I think it will come down to defense. We scored a lot of goals, but we also allowed too many goals, so it’s going to come down to a team-defense mentality.”
With that to focus on for the new season, Salles is excited to be back in Rochester. After spending the summer in USL PRO with the Charlotte Eagles, where he scored three goals and added four assists, he is ready to try and lead the Lancers even further than a season ago.
“I feel like I’m a partner in this team, and I’m glad to come back,” he said. “First of all, to play soccer, I love to do it, and every time it’s a new season, it renews my excitement. There’s nothing better than to start from zero again, and after the good season we had we have a lot of expectations and excitement here.”