Lazers’ Wall Indoor Soccer Coach of Year

Peter Wall, who led the Los Angeles Lazers into the playoffs for the second year in a row, was named the Major Indoor Soccer League’s Coach of the Year Wednesday by a vote of his fellow coaches.

The award will be presented to Wall in Baltimore Saturday during the third game of the MISL championship series between the Baltimore Blast and San Diego Sockers. The game will be televised on Channel 2 at 10:30 a.m. PDT.

Reached at home in Fullerton Wednesday afternoon, Wall said the honor came as a surprise. He was runner-up in the voting last season.

“It is a surprise,” Wall said. “I never really thought about it that much. Deep down, I most probably thought I was in there with a chance, but I thought I had a better chance last year. Since I didn’t win it then, I didn’t think I would this time.”

In three years with the Lazers, Wall, 40, has led the club to an 8-40 record in its inaugural season and consecutive 24-24 finishes each of the last two seasons.

Wall said he found out that he would be named Coach of the Year while he was in San Diego Tuesday.

“There was a tie in the voting between three of us--Ron Newman (the Sockers’ coach), Alan Merrick (coach of the Minnesota Strikers) and myself,” he said, “and we had to vote again.

“It is satisfying to be chosen by one’s peers. I guess they appreciated what I did this season when we played against them. Or maybe they didn’t appreciate it.”