Philadelphia Soul playing with heart in 2014

Derrick Ross is one of the best running backs in the entire Arena Football League.  Credit: Philadelphia_Soul Instagram Derrick Ross is one of the best running backs in the entire Arena Football League. Credit: Philadelphia_Soul Instagram

For many football fans in Philadelphia, the city is in the midst of a calm before the storm, as mini-camp and then training camp for the Eagles is just around the corner.

But if you head to South Philly and the Wells Fargo Center on a night the Soul are playing, it becomes clear that football never really calms down in a city that loves the game.

The Soul, fresh off a devastating 54-52 loss to the unbeaten Cleveland Gladiators this weekend, sport a 5-5 record despite boasting the third most potent offense in the league.

“It’s a tough way to lose,” said Soul head coach Clint Dolezel of the defeat at the buzzer. “We were able to take advantage of the opportunities early, but you need to do that for all four quarters. We didn’t get it done in the fourth quarter tonight and it cost us.”

Dan Raudabaugh, who has 51 touchdown passes in the first 10 games for the Soul, has been tough for Arena defenses to stop, along with running back Derrick Ross who leads the entire league with 18 touchdowns and 272 rushing yards. Ross was a member of the Kansas City Chiefs in 2006 in the NFL, but has bopped around between a half dozen arena and Canadian teams since then.

The club is mired in a tie for third place in its division behind Cleveland (9-0) and Pittsburgh (7-3) but has eight games remaining, with two contests against Pittsburgh and a rematch with Cleveland on the docket over the next two months.

Next week, the Soul return home to play the San Antonio Talons at the Wells Fargo Center on Sunday, June 1 at 5 p.m. The game will also be televised on ESPN News.