The expansion Omaha Vipers will be without two of their top players for the remainder of the Major Indoor Soccer League season.
The team announced in a press release Monday that forward Carlos “Chile” Farias and goalkeeper Jose Bontti have been released from their contracts. No reason was given, and General Manager Sam Coughlin said Monday night that he and head coach Marcelo Fontana were not going to elaborate.
“Marcelo and I talked it over and we feel that it's best for the team to keep this internal,” he said. “It was a tough decision, but we felt it was a good decision.”
Farias not only is the Vipers' leading scorer, he's also one of the top scorers in the MISL. He is second in the league in scoring with 49 points — five behind Byron Alvarez of Missouri.
Bontti had started every game for Omaha until Sunday night, a 12-6 loss at Chicago. He is third in the MISL goaltender standings with an 11.54 points-against average.
Neither Farias nor Bontti made the trip to Chicago for the loss to the Riot.
“We know the timing isn't the best because we only have five games left in the regular season and we're trying to reach the playoffs,” Coughlin said. “But again, it's a decision we felt that needed to be made.”
The Vipers already have taken steps to replace Bontti by signing Brazilian goalkeeper Sanaldo Freitas de Carvalho. The 33-year-old has played previously for Baltimore, Detroit and Rockford of the MISL and will join the Vipers in Baltimore on Friday night for a game against the first-place Blast.
Coughlin said the team has had discussions with a few players who might be signed to overcome the loss of Farias. Johnny Torres now becomes the team's top scorer with 32 points.
“Marcelo knows a lot of players and we're hoping to get something done,” the general manager said. “But until then, the other guys on the team are going to need to step up.”
Coughlin added it was unlikely the team would make a trade, though he didn't totally rule it out.
“We know teams like Baltimore and Milwaukee are very deep,” he said. “But it's so late in the season that I just don't think we'll be going that route.”
It's also possible that Farias and Bontti might wind up playing somewhere else. Teams must wait 72 hours before signing a player that an opposing team has released.
The Vipers are seeking to make the playoffs in their first season of MISL play. Omaha is 7-8 and in third place in the five-team league, and the top three teams advance.
“The guys on our roster trust Marcelo,” Coughlin said, “and we're going to have a team meeting tomorrow to discuss this. But we're moving forward and getting ready for Wednesday night.”
The Vipers will host Milwaukee at 7:05 p.m. Wednesday at the Civic Auditorium. The game was postponed by snowy weather Feb. 3.
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