The 2013–14 Wichita B-52s season was the first

season A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and po ...

of the

Wichita B-52s The Wichita B-52s was an American professional indoor soccer team based in Wichita, Kansas. Founded in July 2013, the team made its debut in the Professional Arena Soccer League with the 2013–14 season under head coach Larry Inlow. After begi ...

professional

indoor soccer Indoor soccer or arena soccer (known internationally as indoor football, fast football, or showball) is five-a-side version of minifootball, derived from association football and adapted to be played in walled hardcourt indoor arena. Indoor so ...

club. The Wichita B-52s, a Central Division team in the

Professional Arena Soccer League A professional is a member of a profession or any person who works in a specified professional activity. The term also describes the standards of education and training that prepare members of the profession with the particular knowledge and skil ...

, played their home games in the

Hartman Arena Hartman Arena is a privately managed 5,000-seat multi-purpose arena in Park City, Kansas, United States. It is located northwest of I-135 and 77th Street North in the north Wichita metro area. History Ground was broken on March 25, 2008, and th ...

Wichita, Kansas Wichita ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Sedgwick County. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 397,532. The Wichita metro area had a population of 647,610 in 2020. It is located in ...

. The team was led by team president Joseph Pindell and head coach Larry Inlow with assistant coach Jamie Harding and strength coach Todd Stranghoner.

Season summary

The B-52 struggled through their first 4 games, beating only the Illinois Piasa and giving up 43 goals with Nic Martinez as keeper. Jason Dewey was brought in as the new primary goalkeeper and over the next six games the team beat Illinois and the expansion

Tulsa Revolution The Tulsa Revolution was a professional indoor soccer team from Tulsa, Oklahoma, which began play in the Professional Arena Soccer League with the 2013–14 season then segued to the Major Arena Soccer League for the 2014–15 season. The tea ...

for a 6–7 record so far but a sharp reduction from an average of more than 10 goals surrendered per game with Martinez to an average just over 5 with Dewey guarding the net. Wichita earned a respectable 7–9 record in its inaugural season but did not qualify for the Ron Newman Cup playoffs. The team performed well at the box office, drawing an average of 1,650 fans per game, placing them 6th in the 20-team league for average attendance. The Wichita B-52s participated in the 2013–14

United States Open Cup for Arena Soccer The United States Open for Arena Soccer is a cup-style tournament for all Major Arena Soccer League, MASL2, MASL3 and Premier Arena Soccer League teams. Established in 2008, the PASL announced they would hold the first tournament for indoor socce ...

, starting with a Round of 32 victory over the Denver Dynamite of the

Premier Arena Soccer League The Premier Arena Soccer League (PASL) is an indoor soccer league with mostly semi-professional teams; along with a number of amateur teams across North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entire ...

on December 28, 2013, to advance. The B-52s' regular season January 25 victory over the

on January 25 served as the Round of 16 match for both clubs. Wichita hosted Chicago Mustangs on February 1 for a combined regular season and Open Cup Quarter-finals match and lost 5–10, ending Wichita's run in the tournament.

History

This franchise fills a gap left when the second

Wichita Wings The Wichita Wings were a professional indoor soccer franchise based in Wichita, Kansas. The Wings were admitted to the Major Indoor Soccer League as an expansion team on August 21, 1979.

of the Major Indoor Soccer League folded in 2013. The B-52s' team colors are based on the Wings' team colors.

Off-field moves

The team's games are broadcast locally by

KGSO KGSO (1410 AM, "Sports Radio 93.9 FM & 1410 AM KGSO") is an American broadcast radio station licensed to serve the community of Wichita, Kansas. The station is owned and operated by Steckline Communications Inc. The station was assigned current ...

(1410 AM, "Sports Radio 1410") and over the internet via America One Sports. The team organized a series of holiday events for December 2013. These included players collecting for the

Salvation Army Salvation (from Latin: ''salvatio'', from ''salva'', 'safe, saved') is the state of being saved or protected from harm or a dire situation. In religion and theology, ''salvation'' generally refers to the deliverance of the soul from sin and its ...

on December 12, a "happy holidays" themed game against the

on December 14, plus a holiday celebration including player autographs and a visit from

Santa Claus Santa Claus, also known as Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Kris Kringle, or simply Santa, is a legendary figure originating in Western Christian culture who is said to bring children gifts during the late evening and overnigh ...

on December 16.

Awards and honors

The B-52s honored

Kim Røntved Kim Røntved (born May 9, 1960 in Copenhagen), known as "the Rocket", is a Danish former professional football (soccer) player and head coach. A 17-time all-star in various leagues, and a fan favorite with the Wichita Wings, he was inducted into t ...

, a former defensive star for the original

, during their final regular season game on February 9. Røntved was inducted into the Indoor Soccer Hall of Fame during a halftime ceremony featuring former Wings coach Roy Turner and ISHOF Executive Director Sydney Nusinov.

Schedule

Regular season

† Game also counts for US Open Cup, as listed in chart below.
♥

Postponed Postponed (foaled 4 April 2011) is an Irish-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse. He won one minor race as a two-year-old before establishing himself as a useful middle-distance performer in the following year with wins in the Glasgow S ...

from December 7 due to extreme winter weather

U.S. Open Cup for Arena Soccer

References

External links

Wichita B-52s official websiteWichita B-52s
at ''

The Wichita Eagle ''The Wichita Eagle'' is a daily newspaper published in Wichita, Kansas Wichita ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Sedgwick County. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 397,532. ...

''
Wichita B-52s
at ''

The Newton Kansan ''The Newton Kansan'' is an American daily newspaper published six days per week (excluding major holidays) in Newton, Kansas. It is owned by Gannett. The paper covers Harvey County, including the cities of Newton, Burrton, Halstead, Hesston ...

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B-52s 2013 Wichita B-52s 2013 Wichita B-52s 2013