Tacoma Stars

TACOMA, Wash. -- As Kenny Cooper's voice echoed loudly through the hall outside the Baltimore Blast locker room at the Tacoma Dome late Saturday night, it didn't seem as though the coach was considering the bright side of his team's 5-4 overtime loss to the Tacoma Stars.But after the door opened, Cooper was calm, almost analytical about the game, emphasizing his team's comeback from a 4-1 deficit in the last 17 minutes, not Nikki Ristic's goal at 8 minutes, 29 seconds of overtime that dropped the Blast (4-5)

The Baltimore Blast will trade a veteran player or two in the medium salary range early next week to make room for a highly regarded rookie draft choice and help the team meet the salary cap of $630,000, coach Kenny Cooper said yesterday.Cooper wouldn't say which players are being considered, but Freddie Thompson, Rusty Troy and Mike Reynolds could be primary candidates. All three are in the medium range of $30,000 a year.Cooper said the Blast probably would be receiving future considerations instead of another player in the deal because of roster limitations.

Arbitrator George Nicolau has asked attorneys for Major Soccer League forward Dale Mitchell and Kansas City Comets owner Chris Clouser to hit the law books.After listening to nine hours of testimony in a grievance suit brought by Mitchell, Nicolau said he would make a ruling within 48 hours of receiving the research information, due in his office by next Tuesday.Mitchell, who was traded by Kansas City to the Blast last month, is asking to be made a free agent. He is charging the Comets "fraudulently induced" him to sign and then traded him.Mitchell claims the Comets made promises "above the actual contract, knowing they could not be put in writing, knowing no other team would have a responsibility to abide by a verbal agreement."