John Barry Nusum is only halfway through his first indoor soccer season and already his employers want him back next year.

One of Bermuda?s most prolific international scorers, he has impressed the Major Indoor Soccer League?s (MISL) Philadelphia KiXX with his smooth transition to the novel position of target forward for which he was specifically recruited from outdoor side Toronto Lynx.

Nusum has scored 18 goals in an equal number of appearances and has also bagged 12 assists thus earning 30 points ? a point for each goal and assist.

They are numbers which have caught the attention of those who matter: KiXX general manager Greg Bibb and head coach/player Don D?Ambra.

?John is doing very well for us. From a statistical standpoint he is tied for the league lead in scoring and in goals scored. So, from a pure offensive output, he has exceeded everyone?s expectations,? declared Bibb.

?We hope to keep John here for a very long time. We?re very happy with him. On top of his production he seems, by all indications, a great individual. He gets along well with his team-mates. He is young and we?re excited about his prospects and what he will be able to accomplish in years to come.?

The KiXX boss praised the rookie for adapting to his new position as target forward which is unique to the indoor format.

?We thought he would make a good target from our scouting. We put him there and he did well almost right from the start.

?The target forward is a back-to-the-goal position and is different from anything that anyone would play outdoor. That person receives the ball from a midfielder or forward and either spins and shoots or passes the ball to other players.

?It takes a while to learn because you don?t see this in outdoor soccer. John has proven to be quite a natural at it. He has picked it up very quickly.?

D?Ambra, who is also a forward in the KiXX line-up, spoke just as glowingly about the 23-year-old newcomer who previously played in the open air for the Lynx and the Atlanta Silverbacks in the A-League and Columbus Crew in the Major Soccer League.

?So far John is doing a great job. Probably the biggest thing I?m impressed with is how fast he adjusted his game from outdoor to indoor. He is very comfortable with his back to the goal. He has good size and he uses that to his advantage,? said the head coach.

He noted that very often outdoor players take a long time to adapt to the indoor environment.

?It?s much tighter spaces and a much faster game. You have to be able to change your game. You see outdoor players come and go in the indoor game because of that reason and it was a concern when we first brought him in ? whether or not he could change his game.

?I knew he had the skill and the size but it was his decision-making and where to be on the field that we had to look it.

?He has got better and better at a fast pace and he is very comfortable in the position. He listens to you and tries to apply what he is learning in training into his games,? elaborated D?Ambra, predicting that Nusum has not reached full potential yet.

The coach speculated that because little was known about Nusum when he arrived his opponents took him for granted and the target forward seized upon that.

?He took advantage of people not knowing who he was and that he could put the ball in the net. A lot of his goals came from individual effort with him doing a nice job of finishing,? explained D?Ambra.

?People are now aware of who he is and he is starting to get more assists than goals because he is creating things for other people because he is drawing attention on the pitch.?

Like Bibb, he wants the talented striker to return to the city of Brotherly Love next season and is optimistic about that happening.

?I definitely plan on having John back. I don?t know what his feeling is but he told me he enjoys playing indoor just as much if not more than outdoor.?

Things look good for the KiXX as Nusum has a one year contract with an option for them to bring him back next year.

The club are currently halfway through their 40-game schedule which runs from October to April with their 20th game this weekend against joint league leaders St. Louis. Both teams have 12 wins and seven losses.

And D?Ambra said the KiXX expect to be vying for league honours in the seven-team MISL.

?We?re playing very well and even the games we lost we?ve been in good positions to win. There?s no doubt we have a chance to win the championship this year but it?s not going to be easy. There?s lots of good teams,? he stated, adding that the top four teams will contest the play-offs.