Buffalo Blizzard

Opponent: Buffalo BlizzardSite: Memorial Auditorium, Buffalo, N.Y.Time: 7:35Radio: WWLG (1360 AM), WAMD (970 AM)Outlook: U.S. World Cup goalkeeper Tony Meola is expected to start for Buffalo, marking his first appearance against the Spirit. His record is 1-2. Veteran defender Mike Stankovic, 38, will make his season debut for the Spirit. He played in 20 games the past two seasons, but also was the assistant coach. Tim Wittman will miss the game after being suspended for at least two weeks by coach Dave MacWilliams for insubordination.

The first time Dave MacWilliams saw Brad Smith play soccer, it was almost as if he were looking at himself in an old game film."Brad reminds me of myself when I was playing," said MacWilliams, the Spirit's coach.Intense. Vocal. Works feverishly. Mentally and physically into the game. Sturdy. Unafraid of contact. Can't be intimidated.That is what MacWilliams sees in Smith, the 5-foot-9, 176-pound forward purchased Nov. 1 from the Dayton Dynamo.After 15 games with the Spirit, Smith is providing the physical play that MacWilliams wanted, and ranks fourth on the team in points with 30."

Twenty-four hours after the worst drubbing in club history, Spirit coach Dave MacWilliams was "looking for a reaction" by the team.He got one."I'm looking for the guys to be teed off," MacWilliams said before the game. "I'm looking for them to work their tails off, like it's their last game. If they play like they did Friday night, it will be the last game for some guys. This is character time, a gut check."The Spirit checked out fairly well. After surrendering a Baltimore Arena-record 30 points to the Buffalo Blizzard on Friday night, the Spirit allowed a season-low six last night in defeating the Detroit Rockers, 11-6, before 4,119.

No sooner had the game ended than Spirit coach Kenny Cooper strode onto the field and grabbed a microphone."I apologize for our performance tonight," Cooper said to the fans. "Thanks for coming out."The rare act by a coach was triggered by the Spirit's uninspired play in a 15-5 loss to the Harrisburg Heat last night at the Baltimore Arena before 9,122, the third-largest crowd of the season and fourth-largest in club history."It was fan appreciation night, and our fans deserved an apology," Cooper said later.

The Spirit's approach to tonight's meeting with the Buffalo Blizzard at Baltimore Arena will be unlike that for any other game this season.With its second straight NPSL American Division title clinched, the Spirit, for the first time, isn't playing for a title or home field in the playoffs. However, coach Kenny Cooper doesn't want anyone to consider taking a night off."Guys have bumps, bruises and strains, so some won't play as much as if it were a playoff game," Cooper said. "But we can't relax; we want to be competitive.

Taking its cue from major-league baseball and hockey, the NPSL plans to create a farm system.The network will have about 40 low-budget teams, or franchises, that will play a schedule of perhaps 20 weekend games, according to Spirit owner Bill Stealey. Most of the players will be recent college graduates with full-time jobs.The Spirit's reserve teams might play out of Richmond, Va., Washington or Northern Virginia and Baltimore. Stealey might own and operate one or more of the teams. The NPSL plans for play to begin next season.

Rookies are making ever-increasing contributions as the Spirit continues its drive toward the NPSL's American Division championship.Tarik Walker is an offensive force, Lance Johnson is a regular starter, Rob Ukrop is coming back strong following an injury, Ricky Bush is playing in place of injured Tim Wittman and Shawn Boehmcke is tightening his grip on the No. 2 goalie job.Because of nagging injuries and a demanding schedule calling for 11 away games in...

The Spirit's Cris Vaccaro, Paul Wright and Doug Neely are on the American Division squad that will play in the NPSL All-Star Game Feb. 22 in St. Louis.Vaccaro, the league's top-rated goalie, and Wright, No. 7 in the NPSL scoring race with 87 points, were named yesterday to the first team in the voting by coaches and players. Neely, the Spirit's leading defender, is on the second team.The Spirit, the Buffalo Blizzard and the Cleveland Crunch each had the maximum three players named to the squad.

It's all so different on the road. The food. The hotel. The arena size. The hostile crowd. The general surroundings."You wake up in your own bed at home and fix your own meals," Spirit captain Rusty Troy said. "The sights and the arena are familiar. On the road, the drain on you is more mental than physical."After playing 14 of its first 20 games at Baltimore Arena, the Spirit plays 14 of its last 20 on the road. The second half began with three away games; the third is tonight against the Buffalo Blizzard, where the Spirit is winless in four tries.

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- You couldn't blame the Spirit for dreading last night's trip to Buffalo.Winless in its two visits here last season and fresh off its first loss of the season Friday night, the Spirit fell behind 7-0 in the first half and wound up losing to the Buffalo Blizzard, 9-4, before 6,409 at Memorial Auditorium.Spirit coach Kenny Cooper attributed the loss to the Blizzard's tenacious play early in the game."They came out flying," Cooper said. "They lost 17-3 in Baltimore and had something to prove.