After being named for the All-Star game in Baltimore and now chosen as his club's MVP, Bermudian David Bascome is hoping to cap off the US indoor soccer season by helping his side win their first championship.

In the next few days he and his Harrisburg Heat team-mates will find out whether that goal can be accomplished as Cleveland Crunch stand between they and another trip to the championship final of the National Professional Soccer League.

Harrisburg hit the road last night for two crucial games in Cleveland this weekend (today and tomorrow) before returning home for two matches in Pennsylvania in the best-of-five American Conference final.

The winners take on either Kansas City or St. Louis in the championship final, the four teams Bascome tipped last month to challenge for the title.

"To win the championship we'll have to get past a good team,'' said Bascome just before departing with his team yesterday.

Harrisburg will be without their goalkeeper `Scoop' Stanisic who suffered knee ligament damage two days ago in training and will be out for the rest of the season. He is rated as one of the top three goalkeepers in the league.

"It's going to be tough for us,'' Bascome acknowledged. "We're just hoping we can steal a game away and then win the two games at home. We'll know by next Wednesday how strong a team we are.'' Cleveland have two of the league's most outstanding players in Canadian Hector Maronira and Zaron Karic of Yugoslavia.

"They are definitely one of the stronger teams in the league,'' said Bascome.

Cleveland beat Baltimore 2-1 in the conference semi-final while Harrisburg stopped Cincinnati -- the team of another Bermudian, Paul Cann -- 2-0 in the other match.

"We played them (Cleveland) one match this year and we were leading them 6-2 at the half but we came back out a little relaxed and they finished their chances and beat us 13-12. I can guarantee they don't like us because we work hard as a team, we have the best defensive record in the league.

"They know they are not going to score a lot of points on us but we have to take our chances to beat them.'' Bascome described the MVP as a great honour, especially with his father visiting last week when he was presented with the award. The team's 20 home games are taken into consideration and Bascome won five MVP awards during the home matches.