Perez on U.S. Team, Won’t Rejoin Sockers

Steve Zungul could still join the Sockers this season, Coach Ron Newman said Thursday, but Hugo Perez will not return after it was announced that he has been named to the U.S. national team.

Newman, whose Sockers lost an exhibition to the Tacoma Stars, 8-3, in Tacoma Thursday night, met with Zungul for lunch Thursday afternoon and said that Zungul is still interested in joining the team.

Newman has said he would only pick up Zungul if there was an unexpected opening on the Sockers’ roster. With 10 days remaining before the regular-season opener Nov. 5 against Los Angeles, the Sockers have filled only 17 of their 18 spots.

Newman said he will be meeting with Socker President Ron Cady today. They won’t be talking about Perez, however.

Perez, most valuable player in the Major Indoor Soccer League Championship Series last summer, said he wouldn’t return. There was some hope he might change his mind after Newman tried talking him into it earlier this month, but U.S. national team rules prohibit players from participating in the MISL.

In the exhibition, which was delayed by a power outage, Ralph Wilhelms scored a shorthanded goal for the Sockers in the second period. In the fourth period, Alan Willey scored with Chris Chueden assisting, and with 6:59 left in the final period, Zoran Karic scored on a power play on an assist from Brian Quinn.

The Sockers ended the exhibition season 2-4.

COLLEGE SOCCER

The Masters defeated the Point Loma Nazarene College men’s team, 1-0, on Chris Palm’s goal 32 minutes into the first half. Point Loma is 8-9-1.

--Compiled by Chris Ello and Kim Q. Berkshire