Chicago Mustangs Season Review
March 13, 2015 - Major Arena Soccer League (MASL)
Chicago Mustangs News Release
Hoffman Estates, IL- The Chicago Mustangs, proud members of the Major Arena Soccer League (www.MASLSoccer.com), finished the roller coaster regular season in 3rd place in the Central Division with an 11-9 record and saw a first-round exit against the Milwaukee Wave in the Central Division playoffs...here is the year in review.
What had happened was...
In a season that saw more downs than ups early on, the defending 2014 PASL Champion Mustangs sputtered out of the gates to a 2-4 record. A home-and-home against the Detroit Waza Flo seemed to really change the team's momentum. Starting with a 15-4 win in Chicago, the Mustangs went on a 5-0 run culminating in a thrilling 5-4 overtime win against the Rochester Lancers. An 8-5 loss in Milwaukee then saw the Mustangs put together a 4-2 stretch including 2 wins against Tulsa (1 forfeit), 2 action-packed wins against Wichita and Detroit (in Detroit), and an eye-opening but disappointing 7-2 loss to the undefeated Missouri Comets. The final 3 games of the season were a rough stretch for the Mustangs. They went 0-3 including a 7-3 loss to Syracuse at home in which Chicago was in control for much of the game but completely unraveled at the end. The Mustangs then went on an East Coast road trip and lost to Syracuse 23-16 (with multi-point scoring) in a game that featured another back-and-forth effort until Syracuse pulled away at the end with a few late goals. Chicago finished the season with their most lopsided game, a 24-0 loss to the Baltimore Blast...definitely not how the Mustangs wanted to head into the playoffs.
...and then the playoffs
Chicago, playing rival Milwaukee, got the playoffs started with a bang in a convincing 6-3 home win at the Sears Centre Arena. Milwaukee got off to an early lead and kept the Mustangs in check for most of the game until a second-half explosion that saw Chicago try to steal all of the momentum heading into Milwaukee. Despite getting on the board first in the Wave's tank, Milwaukee thoroughly dominated game 2 and eventually won an easy contest 9-2. It was a tale of 2 teams and the Mustangs would need the former to show up in the mini-game 3 in order to advance to the playoffs. After one of the best quarters of soccer all season, the Mustangs would eventually lose the mini-game in golden goal overtime and get eliminated from the playoffs.
Home cookin': There's no place like home!
It was evident all year that the Mustangs were just more comfortable playing at home. Despite mediocre attendance, the loyal fans at the Sears Centre were very rowdy and the players fed off of that energy. Chicago was 7-3 at home during the regular season, losing to 2 dangerous playoff teams in Missouri and Syracuse as well as St. Louis. Conversely, Chicago was 4-6 on the road (3-6 if you eliminate the Tulsa forfeit although that one probably falls in Chicago's favor if they actually play it) and you could definitely feel the lack of energy as the Mustangs constantly got off to slow starts on the road. There's something to be said about home-field advantages, but Chicago definitely used theirs to their advantage. Take the Mustangs v. Wave overall, Chicago won their 2 games at home, Milwaukee won all of their games at home. Same teams, same players, but Milwaukee played completely a completely different game when they flowed into the Mustangs' Barn and Chicago was a completely different team when they trotted into the Wave's Tank.
Season Highlight: Proving Ground
There were a lot of doubters of the 2014 PASL Champs, but coach Armando Gamboa was more than happy to embrace the negative as he coached the Mustangs to a playoff berth. "Most people had doubts in us even making the playoffs, in us competing against the MISL teams," Gamboa said. "We have proven ourselves to be able to maintain a high level of play and I can only tell you that the Chicago Mustangs will continue to work hard to put out a good product for Chicago."
In addition to making the playoffs, General Manager Ray Kincaid took a lot of pride in the crowd that was able to show up during the Thursday night playoff game. "Playoff games are some of the most difficult to sell and we had a very solid crowd there," Kincaid explained. "I'm never satisfied with less than a sell-out but it was great to see our staff work hard to get people to the game and watch our players rise to the occasion and win in convincing fashion...it was a great game with a great crowd!"
Season Lowlight: The East Coast Blues
Unfortunately, at a time when you want to be playing your best soccer, the Mustangs fell 24-0 to the Baltimore Blast in a matchup that Chicago hoped would exhibit their ability to contend with the best in the league. While they had been able to hold their own against several playoff teams throughout the season, this one hurt and gave the Mustangs a lot to focus on as they began their practices for the playoffs.
"We had never experienced a shutout," Gamboa said. "This definitely was an eye opener."
In addition to the Baltimore game, being eliminated from the playoffs in Milwaukee was right up there in less-than-fun moments. After such an impressive start and a valiant effort in regulation of the mini-game, to lose in golden goal overtime on a rebounded save was a painful way to end such an exciting season.
Players of the Year:
Offensive Player of the Year:
Miguel Vaca: 18 games, 18 goals, 13 assists
Defensive Player of the Year:
Joshio Sandoval: 19 games, 6 goals, 3 assists, 22 blocks
Rookie of the Year:
Taylor Bond: 13 games, 10 goals, 3 assists
Fan Favorite:
Guilherme Veiga: 14 games, 4 goals, 11 assists, 16 blocks, infinite high-fives
Looking ahead...
So after a season that saw a ton of promise and a ton of growth within the organization from top-to-bottom, what can we expect not only this offseason but also the 2015-16 season? Is this the offseason that the Mustangs take that next step and comfortably nuzzle themselves among the league's elite?
"Myself and the coaching staff have some analyzing to do and changes to make in bringing additions to the team that will help us build a team of players that are willing to commit themselves to be a part of a team that wants to perform at the highest level," Gamboa said. "I can only tell you that your Chicago Mustangs will continue to work hard to put out the best product we can for Chicago."
Kincaid is hopeful that some of that team-improvement develops locally, something that would surely help with the local exposure of the team.
"The Chicago Mustangs have done a great job finding young, fast talent from all over the world," Kincaid said. "What I would like for us to do is to spend time at the local facilities and find more young, fast talent from the Chicagoland area...we need to build upon the foundation that has been created and build that with players from our 'backyard' that we feel can compete at a professional level."
In addition to the on-field product, Kincaid offered up a promise to the fans looking ahead to next season.
"We can all expect fun, and a whole lot of it! We are in the 'fun business' and I wholeheartedly expect our fans to benefit from the hard work that our front office is going to put forth." Kincaid exclaimed. "We will work with local entertainers to build a fan experience similar to those in the big leagues and we will work with local companies to create a giveaway schedule for home games. We will do everything in our power to make our game day experience as fun filled as possible."
Season Tickets...join the stable!
It's never too early to reserve your 2015-16 Chicago Mustangs Season Tickets! If the team's growth this year is any indication, next season is going to be a thrilling year! For just a $50 deposit, you can reserve a seat for next season, receive a ticket for the Arena Soccer World Cup tournament and World Soccer 5's 5-a-side tournament March 28 and 29, as well as having other perks like a 10% merchandise discount, preferred parking, free friend tickets for select games, and access to exclusive Chicago Mustangs events. It's never too early to jump on the Mustangs bandwagon, so become a part of something special!
We also offer special group ticket pricing, so get your offices, organizations, friends and family together for a fun night and some exciting Chicago Mustangs action!
Don't forget to follow the Mustangs on social media! Like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, Vine and Instagram for all your up-to-the-minute Mustangs news!
For more information on Chicago Mustangs Season Tickets or special Group Rates, call the Mustangs front office at (847) 805-6633 or visit us on the web at www.chicagomustangspro.com.
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Major Arena Soccer League Stories from March 13, 2015
- Baltimore Hands Comets First Loss of the Season - Kansas City Comets
- Blast Hand Comets First Loss of Season - Baltimore Blast
- Chicago Mustangs Season Review - Chicago Mustangs
- Preview: Comets Visit Baltimore for Game One of the Conference Championship - Kansas City Comets
- World Cup Comes to Rochester - Rochester Lancers
- Wave Season Comes to An End in Missouri - Milwaukee Wave
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