Veteran players helped the Kixx win their second Major Indoor Soccer League title last season.
Those same players won't be around to help out this season.
The Kixx have injected some young legs into their lineup after losing several key veterans in the off-season. Twelve of the team's 18 players are younger than 30.
"We'll definitely be a little faster," Kixx player/coach Don D'Ambra said yesterday. "How successful we'll be will depend on the learning curve of the players we signed."
The youth-infused Kixx will open their 12th season with a three-game road trip, starting tonight against the Baltimore Blast. The team then will visit Detroit on Nov. 3 in a rematch of last year's championship game before continuing to Monterrey, Mexico, to play the expansion La Raza on Nov. 8.
D'Ambra, 35, is entering his sixth season in his dual role as the team's player/coach. The Philadelphia native and St. Joseph's University graduate was the team's leading point scorer last season.
He and MISL goalkeeper-of-the-year Peter Pappas will provide much of the veteran leadership.
Despite the lack of experience, D'Ambra has high expectations.
"This year, it's going to be more of a team effort," D'Ambra said. "Everyone's going to want to step up and make plays because we don't have the big-name players to do that this time around."
The Blast boast a big-name player in forward Machel Millwood, who scored two goals and dished out four assists in four games against the Kixx last season. Millwood and midfielder Denison Cabral both scored 65 points to lead the Blast last season.
Former Blast player Jonathan Steele is the youngest member of the Kixx this season. The 21-year-old forward, acquired in a trade, scored nine goals for Baltimore last season.
"He's going to be a dangerous offensive player for us," D'Ambra said.
The Kixx yesterday signed defender Wendell Regis, who also played for the Blast last season. The 37-year-old veteran will add depth to the backfield, D'Ambra said.
"He's a steady defender who is not going to make a lot of mistakes," he said.
The Kixx will open their home schedule Nov. 10 against the Detroit Ignition. The championship banner will be raised, and all fans will receive a complimentary 2007-08 magnetic schedule. Game time is 7:05 p.m. Doors open at 6.
Kixx on TV. The Kixx will be featured five times on Fox Soccer Channel's game of the week.
