With the LA KISS taking on the Portland Thunder, they pulled out all the stops.  Motorcycles to introduce the cheerleaders, former NFL quarterback Warren Moon throwing autographed footballs in the stands, and even one of their own KISS players showing off their moves on the dance floor during a team timeout.  Head coach Bob McMillen, though, was not amused.

 

Even with the losses the KISS were dealing with, the feel of a true Arena Football game was never apparent.  Since the close loss they suffered to the Cleveland Gladiators in early April, a spark had never come about to get the product into rhythm.  Something was lost to bring out the excitement in the product, not just the entertainment aspect Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, and the rest of the KISS owners promised.  The entertainment value was there with what was surrounding the team.  The game itself though had become lackluster. 

 

A 69-61 win over the Portland Thunder brought more than just a victory the KISS so desperately needed in front of nearly 11,000 fans.  Players were flying left and right into the stands, fighting for every last catch.  Defense became an afterthought as both teams, also fighting for a playoff spot, did not disappoint in producing arena-like numbers on the stat sheet.  And the fans were entertained with the game on the field, walking away and seeming like they wanted more.

 

Of course, it certainly does help to give the fans a victory to put the icing on the cake.

 

“It was a great effort all around,” wide receiver Donovan Morgan said.  “Before the game today we all looked at each other in the eye and told ourselves to become a man tonight.  All we thought about all game was to go out there and execute.  I am proud of our guys tonight and the effort we brought on the field.”

 

“It's certainly fun to watch when things are clicking,” McMillen said.  “It is so nice to get that eight game monkey off our back.  Today we played a good football team and we did make some mistakes.  But I'm proud of our effort these guys did today playing a complete 60 minute football game.”

 

Look back at the game against San Jose and you saw a KISS team that had slowly come together with its offense.  Put away the final score and stats and instead you saw some sort of desire that they wanted to get better.  Donovan Morgan fought all he could to bring the team back scoring twice in the third quarter and cut the lead to a touchdown.  A slow fourth quarter though handed the KISS a 63-35 loss, but the motivation seemed to carry over.

 

“We played one of the most experienced teams in the league with one of our best defenses in the league,” wide receiver Samora Goodson said.  “We came out to this game hungry and with a will to win.  In this game it was extremely important to cap ourselves, learn from the San Jose game, and handle these boys the way we did.”

 

With Portland in town, another receiver stole the spotlight and gave Morgan a break on the receiving end, even if he managed to score three touchdowns last night.  Samora Goodson, who has three years of AFL experience, recently signed with the KISS less than a month ago.  In a team that had been searching far and wide for a second receiver since starting off with Markee White and Samie Parker.  An 11 reception, 171 yard performance with two touchdowns makes a case, and it could be something that the offensive scheme have been missing. 

 

“I feel like with Samora signing with us, he has been the part that I have been missing,” Morgan said.  “Teams all season have been trying to key on me and brag on me at the end of the day.  Not taking away from Parker and White, he came in and strengthened our receiving core.”

 

One can even say that beating an expansion team like Portland is expected, but it is far from it.  After the KISS beat the Thunder in mid-April, the team from the Northwest had won three of their last seven after starting off the season 0-5.  Keeping up with experienced AFL teams such as the Spokane Shock recently proved this game would not be an easy one, even adding to the fact that a Thunder win would have taken away a potential playoff tie-breaker.  Now LA, with its two victories in the season series, can have a chance to hold their own destiny if things fall into place. 

 

“Every game right now the rest of this season with the win has turned into a playoff game,” McMillen said.  “This win has become a huge step for us.  We have a lot of plusses we earned with the win, but we still have a long season ahead of us and we just need to get better.”

 

It is quite amazing how a mood changes after earning a victory.  Morgan, Goodson, and McMillen were all smiles at the press conference, thrilled about their complete performance.  McMillen even kid around with Morgan with one of his stylish over-the-boards catches, imitating his catch phrase shouting “That's what I do” with his efforts. 

 

At 3-9 now, it is really hard to imagine a team with this kind of record has a legitimate shot to play in the postseason.  No team has made the playoffs with less than seven wins since league went to an 18-game schedule in 2011.  With seven games left in the regular season, every game now has become rather crucial with playoff positioning.  Arizona is next on the schedule, and if the standings would hold, this could be a preview of a quarterfinal matchup.

 

“This is our fourth win with Aaron Garcia, and I can see that the offense has slowly meshed together,” McMillen said.  “We are always still dealing with injuries, but like any other team we are looking to add to our team and just make it strong.”

 

Manny Nunez is a freelance writer who resides in Los Angeles. He has been an arena football fan since 1996 while living in Phoenix, dedicated to the Arizona Rattlers. Although he lives in Southern California, he still reps his Arizona teams. He is also a beat writer for the Phoenix Coyotes for InsideHockey.com.