With their first game a day away, the Utah Freezz have already experienced a minor setback.
Matt Hein, Utah's first-round draft pick, quit the team on Wednesday, and he did it much the same way you'd expect a junior high school boy to break up with his girlfriend — he left a note.
The native Nebraskan simply sent a letter to Freezz general manager Ted Roberts stating that the scenario just wasn't working. Nobody has heard from him since.
"That was a huge surprise," said first-year player-coach Jeff Betts. "No one saw it coming."
A dozen or so of Hein's friends and family were planning on flying in for Saturday night's 7:05 exhibition game against Holland, making his disappearing act even more bizarre.
For the Freezz's sake, hopefully the early setback isn't an omen. The franchise is expecting good things as it prepares for its second season in the World Indoor Soccer League.
"We're a much better team than last year," said defender Brian Alba. "We've filled in a few positions that we were weak in, and having a year's experience will help."
Betts is the man generating the enthusiasm. He starred for Portland last year while establishing himself as one of the game's elite forwards. Portland's franchise folded, however, leaving Betts without a job.
At the same time, Utah opted not to renew the contract of coach Dave Poggi, so when Betts inquired about being the Freezz's player-coach, Roberts jumped at the chance to hire him.
While there were definitely problems with Poggi last year, he did guide Utah to the playoffs in its first year of existence, and for that, the player's are grateful. At the same time, they don't miss him.
"It's a dramatic change," said Beau Brown, Utah's leading scorer last year. "Not to bad mouth (Poggi), but he'd never played indoor before. But Jeff understands what players are thinking and what they need to do."
That's why he's shaking everything up. Instead of scrimmaging during most of practice, players are actually running drills, doing sprints, discussing tactics, things that were all too often neglected under Poggi last year.
"This team last year got by on hard work," said Betts, whose Portland club played Utah numerous times last year. "They had really no intent or strategy. They'd just run around and work hard."
Already the players can notice a change. "The difference is there's a lot more organization and structure, and not just in practice," said Alba. "We know our roles on the team and what we're supposed to do."
Alba's role is defense. He and Matt Johnson are the two returning defenders from a year ago. They'll be joined in the back by newcomers Rob Baarts and Craig Rhodis, who played with Betts in Portland last season.
As far as starters are concerned, it's irrelevant in Betts' eyes. He plays 11 guys in regular shifts, and whether they're on the first line or second line, it doesn't matter. He's just looking for players who complement each other on the field.
The lone regular on the field will be keeper Stuart Dobson, who already has two exhibition matches under his belt. He played with a team from England, his native country, which came to the United States to play in a couple of exhibition games against WISL teams.
England lost both games in which Dobson played, but, "I played with some unbelievable players, but they had never played indoor before. It was nice to play because I got my cobwebs out. Usually you're not sharp in your first couple of games."
As far as cohesion goes, midfield should be the Freezz's strength with four returning contributors. Joining Brown in the middle will be Myles Stoddard, Sterling Wescott and Wes Sechrist. Scott Jones, a 1998 graduate of Alta High School, is also expected to see a lot more playing time than he did a year ago.
Up top Utah will shuffle between Betts and Justin Labrum, the 1999 WISL Rookie of the Year.
"Things are right on schedule," said Betts. "What's impressed me the most is the work ethic on the team. The players are doing whatever it takes."
After its match with Holland, Utah hits the road for three matches, including a game with Sacramento, the team that bounced the Freezz out of last year's playoffs. Utah's first regular season home game is Aug. 19 against La Raza de Monterrey.
E-MAIL: jedward@desnews.com