INDOOR HALL OF FAME CLASS INCLUDES 2 WINGS LEGENDS
The Indoor Soccer Hall of Fame announced its fifth class of inductees today, an announcement that was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic. For the first time, all six selections were offensive players.
Chico Borja, Andy Chapman, Jan Goossens, Fred Grgurev, Michael King, and David Doyle were the latest indoor soccer greats to be inducted. The six players combined for 3,131 goals in careers that spanned from 1978 to 2008.
Chico Borja, who passed away on January 25, 2021 at the age of 61, was best know for his exuberant style and two stints with the Wichita Wings that accounted for eight of his 12 indoor seasons. The naturalized American citizen from Ecuador scored 368 goals, but his playmaking ability resulted in 464 assists, including an MISL-leading 53 assists in 1988-89. His overtime goal in the 1991 MSL All-Star Game earned him the game's MVP Award. He retired from playing after the 1993-94 season and coached the CISL's Houston Hotshots for one campaign. Borja was eighth on the MISL's all-time points board with 612.
Few players straddled the MISL and NPSL eras like Andy Chapman. Like Borja, Chapman spent eight seasons with the Wings, but the Londoner's 19 season career dominated the '80s and '90s. After starring in the MISL for 12 seasons, Chapman signed with the NPSL (nee AISA) and reignited his career, winning the 1990-91 NPSL MVP Award before leading the Detroit Rockers to a championship the following season. Chapman was considered a sex symbol in his MISL playing days, but he let his game do the talking with 667 goals in 670 career regular season games. Chapman recently narrated the Wichita Wings documentary God Save the Wings, which also featured Borja.
Jan Goossens won a championship with the Edmonton Drillers before breaking into the MISL with the Golden Bay Earthquakes. After two deep playoff runs with the Minnesota Strikers, he moved on to Kansas City, where he did his best work, racking up four 90-point seasons in five years with the Comets. Goossens played his final season with the Dallas Sidekicks after setting Comets franchise records in goals, assists, and points. The five time All-League forward tallied 801 career points in 439 games. Goossens finished sixth all-time in MISL points with 682, one fewer than fifth place Kai Haaskivi.
Fred Grgurev was the MISL's first scoring champion, leading the league with 74 points in their inaugural 1978-79 season. The three-time All-Star won a championship with the New York Arrows in 1980-81 and finished ninth all-time in MISL history with 544 points.
Michael King scored an extraordinary 709 goals in 22 seasons, the final 15 of which were spent with the Milwaukee Wave, where he won four championships. The nine-time All-Star had nine career 40 goals seasons, including two with the MISL's Cleveland Crunch. In the 1996-97 season, King scored a career-high 72 goals and 116 points.
David Doyle got his start with the Kansas City Comets and was the MISL's Rookie of the Year in 1987-88. He got his first of five straight 50-goal seasons in 1991-92 with the Dallas Sidekicks and was one of the few players who were able to play year round in the summer CISL and winter NPSL. Doyle won three championships with the Sidekicks and appeared in five other finals with the Sidekicks and St. Louis Ambush. In total he scored 637 goals in 526 career games, was selected to the All-Star team seven times, was All-League First Team six times, and was the 1999 WISL Most Valuable Player.