Baltimore Blast and Ex-Goalkeeper Move to Settle Dueling Lawsuits

The Baltimore Blast and former starting goalkeeper William Vanzela have a framework to resolve the lawsuits they filed against each other. The agreement is not yet final.

Lawyers for the club and Vanzela asked a Baltimore County Circuit Court judge to postpone a hearing this week and, in the words of the court filing, "allow the Parties sufficient time to consummate their settlement in principle," The Baltimore Banner reported. Asking for time is not the same thing as closing the file.

What Each Side Alleged Vanzela sued in 2024, alleging the team falsely accused him of criminal activity and withheld his salary. The case includes claims of defamation, false light and breach of contract, the Banner reported. He has also asserted that the Blast canceled his contract even though it was guaranteed.

He claimed the club knew a Nov. 30, 2023 statement about him was false and issued it after fan backlash. That account comes from his side of the litigation.

The Blast filed its own lawsuit in 2025. The club claims former general manager Gianni Tumminello provided Vanzela with at least $15,000 in unauthorized payments. One case is about a paycheck and a reputation. The other is about money the team says should never have been sent.

What the Club Said in 2023 On Nov. 30, 2023, the Blast said Tumminello was under criminal indictment for embezzlement and theft. In that same statement, the club said certain players who had interacted directly with the general manager were under investigation for contract violations and had been suspended.

Prosecutors later said the players were never under suspicion. The club's published language that day described contract violations. Vanzela's suit alleges a false accusation of criminal activity. Those are different descriptions of what the players were facing, separated by who said them and when.

The General Manager's Guilty Plea Tumminello, 52, of Nottingham, pleaded guilty in 2024 in Baltimore County Circuit Court to theft between $25,000 and $100,000 involving the Blast. He received a suspended sentence and three years' probation. WBAL-TV reported that the court chose probation rather than prison.

Separately, reporting described an agreement that he pay $100,000 in restitution. That figure is not a finding that the theft totaled exactly $100,000. The criminal case and the two civil suits travel on different records: a guilty plea by the former general manager, a goalkeeper's claims against the club, and the club's claim about payments it says were unauthorized.

Four Titles, Then a Coaching Job For almost a decade, Vanzela was the Blast's starting goalkeeper and won four championships. He now works at Johns Hopkins University as associate head men's soccer coach.

The civil dispute is the piece still open. Lawyers have asked the county court for time to finish a settlement in principle. Until that agreement is final, what stands in public is the 2023 statement, Vanzela's claim that a guaranteed contract was canceled, and the Blast's claim that at least $15,000 reached him without authorization.

Baltimore Blast and Ex-Goalkeeper Move to Settle Dueling Lawsuits

Comments