Legends coy about roster addition for PASL semis

Mystery. Intrigue. Suspense.

No, we’re not talking about David Copperfield keeping a new death-defying illusion under wraps. We’re talking about the Las Vegas Legends withholding the name of a player who will make his season debut in today’s Professional Arena Soccer League playoffs in San Diego.

We’re pretty sure David Beckham, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo won’t be suiting up for the expansion Legends, but Las Vegas hopes its secret weapon can be a difference maker against the three-time defending PASL champion San Diego Sockers in their Ron Newman Cup semifinal showdown at 6:30 p.m. at the Valley View Casino Center.

Legends coach Greg Howes said he would not disclose the name of the mystery player so the host Sockers (17-2) wouldn’t be able to game plan for him.

“We’ve strengthened our team,” was all Howes would say about Las Vegas’ recent acquisition.

The Legends (15-3), unbeaten on the road in their first PASL season, suffered a 6-5 loss to San Diego in the teams’ only other meeting Jan. 18 at Orleans Arena.

Las Vegas trailed for only the final 2.2 seconds as the Sockers rallied on a late header by Brian Farber to extend their U.S.’s professional team sports record winning streak to 47 games.

“That loss let us know we were as good as any team in this league,” Howes said.

San Diego extended its run to 48 straight wins before losing to Dallas, and also is coming off a 7-6 loss to the Detroit Waza in the title game of the U.S. Open Cup for Arena Soccer.

“Their untouchable status has all of a sudden come back down to earth,” Howes said. “They’ve had a great run, but we’ve seen them, we know what they have and we’re excited about the matchup. I like our chances.”

The winner of today’s West final will face the winner of today’s East final between Detroit (17-2) and Rio Grande Valley (14-4) in Monday’s 7 p.m. PASL final.

Las Vegas swept the Mexico Toros — 10-8, 10-4 — in their two-game playoff quarterfinal series, and San Diego swept the Turlock Express, 12-11 (OT), 13-4.

“We’re shutting teams down and putting points on the board,” Howes said. “Our confidence is high, we’re fit and we’re hungry. That’s a dangerous recipe.”

The Legends are led by Enrique Tovar, the team captain who was second in the league in scoring with 57 points — on 24 goals and a PASL-record 33 assists — en route to second-team all-league honors.

Eric Guzman, a Cheyenne High School graduate, was the league’s leading scorer among defenders with 32 points (14-18) and gained first-team All-PASL honors.

Ricardo Sobreira, known as Ricardinho, tied for fourth in the league in scoring with 50 points (22-28), and Howes said he should have been named all-league.

“He’s one of the most dynamic players in the league, as far as foot skills and offensive ability,” he said. “He’s been a dangerous threat for us all year.”

The Sockers are led by Kraig Chiles, who set league records for goals (56) and points (72) en route to his third straight PASL Most Valuable Player award.

Farber, a former PASL MVP, was named first-team all-league, and forward Aaron Susi was named to the second team.

Contact reporter Todd Dewey at tdewey@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0354.