Dallas Sidekicks Players

#31 Krys Sobieski

How He Got Here

Sobieski signed as a Free Agent on August 20, 1985.

Jersey Retired

Sobieski's #31 was retired by the Sidekicks during the 1999 season and will not be worn by any other player.

Sobieski Through The Years

Somebody Had To Be First

• Sobieski was the first Sidekicks Goalkeeper to record a win on Opening Day (1985-86)
• First Sidekicks Goalkeeper to record a Shutout (2-0 vs Los Angeles on January 23, 1987)
• Sobieski was also the first Goalkeeper to record a playoff win (Game 3 of the Eastern Division Semifinals vs Minnesota on April 16, 1986)
• First Sidekicks Goalkeeper to win a Playoff Series (vs Baltimore in Eastern Division Semifinals 1987)
• First Sidekicks Goalkeeper to record a Championship Series Victory

Honor Roll (with Dallas)

1985-86

• Honorable Mention, all-MISL
• Sidekicks/BudweiserMost Valuable Player
• Defensive Player of the Game on 9 occasions in Regular Season.
• Defensive Player of the Game once during the Playoffs.

1986-87

• First Team, all-MISL
• Eastern Division All-Star
• Defensive Player of the Month, January 1987
• Defensive Player of the Week twice
  1. Week ending December 15, 1986
  2. Week ending January 12, 1987

   

1987-88

• Second Team, all-MISL
• Eastern Division All-Star
• Sidekicks/Budweiser MVP

1988-89

• All-Star (all Sidekicks players granted all-Star credit for this match)
• Defensive Player of the Week for week ending February 8, 1989

1989-90

• Western Division All-Star
• Defensive Player of the Week for week ending February 12, 1990

Honor Roll (before he was a Sidekick)

• MISL Eastern Division all-Star (with Cleveland, 1984)
• Honorable Mention, all-MISL 1981-82 (with Pittsburgh)

Top 10

Sobieski finished among the Top 10 Goalkeepers in the MISL during every year of his career in Dallas, save one¹.

• 1985-86 (9th, 4.42 GAA)
  • Led MISL in Wins by a Goalkeeper (24, tied with Lettieri of Minnesota)
  • Led MISL in Minutes played by a Goalkeeper (2469:23)
• 1986-87 (2nd, 3.45 GAA)
• 1987-88 (2nd, 3.20 GAA)
• 1988-89 (6th, 4.16 GAA)
• 1989-90 (7th, 3.77 GAA)

¹-Sobieski missed the cut for "minimum time to qualify" in the 1990-91 season by 63:17 (a little over one game). His 4.60 GAA would have been good enough for 2nd place overall despite his 8-13 record.

International Incident

Just before the 1986-87 season, Sobieski's wife and children went back to Poland on vacation. The communist Polish government refused to allow them to return to the United States. After several weeks of wrangling by both Sobieski and the Sidekicks organization, the family was reunited in Dallas.

Reports at the time, and again during the All-Star Break of 1990 in the Dallas Morning News inferred that either a transfer fee was not paid by Sobie's former club, the Cleveland Force, where he moved from Pittsburgh, or that perhaps the Polish government want him to return there.

Record Book

Regular Season

Sobieski holds the following Regular Season Sidekicks Goalkeeping records:

Career

Season

Game

Playoffs

Career

Season

Game³

M*A*S*H*ed

• Sobieski injured an ankle after his Opening Day win vs Los Angeles on October 25, 1985 and missed two games.
• Missed 14 games in the 1989-90 season due to a lower back strain

Sidekicks Highlights

1985-86

• Recorded a 4 game winning streak
  1. November 30 at Wichita
  2. December 3 at Chicago (overtime)
  3. December 6 at Cleveland
  4. December 8 at Baltimore

• Shutout St. Louis for 59:52 before allowing a goal on March 13, 1986
• This season marked this first time Sobieski had recorded 20 victories in a season.
• Posted a 16-7 Home record
• Started 40 Regular Season home games and all 4 playoff games.

1986-87

• Played in 16 of 17 Playoff games (only missing Game 1 of the Eastern Division Finals as a Coach's decision)
• Second straight 20 win Regular Season
• 24 victories ranked 2nd in MISL.
• Recorded a personal 6 game winning streak
  1. December 26, 1986 vs Minnesota
  2. January 2, 1987 at New York
  3. January 3 at Chicago
  4. January 7 at Kansas City
  5. January 10 vs New York
  6. January 14 at New York

1987-88

• Recorded the third shutout of his career (and his second with the Sidekicks) on December 19, 1987 vs. Wichita

• Held Cleveland scoreless for 44:33 during Game one of the Eastern Division Semifinals on April 22, 1988
• Held Cleveland scoreless 49:05 before surrendering the losing goal in Double Overtime of Game 4 of the same series (May 1).

• Did not lose a match at home for the remainder of the Regular Season after January 17 (a 10 Home match winning streak. Matches from 2/20 through 3/9 were consecutive starts)
  1. February 7, 1988 vs Chicago
  2. February 10 vs Minnesota
  3. February 20 vs Cleveland
  4. February 23 vs Baltimore
  5. February 26 vs Chicago (Overtime)
  6. March 5 vs Los Angeles
  7. March 9 vs Minnesota
  8. March 19 vs Kansas City (Overtime)
  9. April 7 vs Chicago
  10. April 10 vs Minnesota

   

1989-90

• Shutout the Cleveland Crunch at Reunion Arena on February 18, 1990. This was the 4th shutout of his career and his third with the Sidekicks.

Double Duty

Sobieski was named Goalkeeper/Assistant Coach on October 17, 1989. He remained in that position until January 28, 1990, when Head Coach Billy Phillips was demoted to Assistant Coach by then-owner Phil Cobb.

Regular Season Statistics

Goalkeeping Statistics

with Dallas

Scoring Statistics

with Dallas

Playoff Statistics

Goalkeeping Statistics

with Dallas

Scoring Statistics

with Dallas

Where Did He Go?

Sobieski announced his retirement (effective the end of the 1990-91 season) on April 3, 1991. He told the Dallas Morning News: "When I signed with the club, nobody noticed...I wanted to leave the same way."

He still lives in Dallas, where he coaches youth soccer and Goalkeeping for the Dallas Burn of Major League Soccer.