Hernandez, Empire Ready for Six-Pointers vs. Baltimore, Tacoma
MASL Empire Strykers

Hernandez, Empire Ready for Six-Pointers vs. Baltimore, Tacoma

Published on February 18, 2026 under Major Arena Soccer League (MASL)
Empire Strykers News Release


Ontario, Calif. - Having boosted their playoff hopes with unlikely back-to-back wins over mighty rivals San Diego Sockers and the first-place Milwaukee Wave, the Empire Strykers have an opportunity to truly shake up the Major Arena Soccer League (MASL) standings this week by making it four straight victories in their home games against the Baltimore Blast and the Tacoma Stars, each of whom have struggled on the road this season.

7-9-0 (wins-losses-overtime shootout losses) Empire takes on 6-6-2 Baltimore on Thursday at 6:35 p.m. PT, followed by Sunday's 4 p.m PT clash with 7-6-1 Tacoma. While the English live broadcasts of both upcoming matches will air stateside on FOX Soccer Plus, they will also reach U.S. and international audiences via MASL+, the MASL's YouTube channel, Victory+, Unbeaten Network, Sportworld, APEX Sports and National Soccer Network, with several of the platforms making the action available on demand as well. The meeting with the Blast will also be carried live by local PBS station KVCR.

Around the world, English-speaking fans will be able to listen to the pair of games via the exclusive radio broadcasts on FOX Sports 1270AM. The Spanish-language live video broadcasts will air exclusively in Mexico via the FOX Sports lineup of channels and outside of Mexico via the MASL's YouTube channel.

In Sunday's rivalry game at San Diego, the Strykers recorded a dramatic 5-4 win in overtime. The hugely important victory, which snapped a three-game losing streak for Head Coach Onua Obasi's men, came despite a spirited rally by an opponent that had played at Kansas City the night before and had returned on the day of the second of its two weekend fixtures.

After leading 3-0 and later 4-2, the visitors saw their advantage evaporate but managed to find the golden tally well into the final minute of the additional ten. While Empire goalkeeper Brian Orozco earned an assist in the match, San Diego midfielder Leonardo De Oliveira had a goal and two helpers.

"Games in San Diego always get chippy, so you never know what's going to happen," said Polo Hernandez, who has been a lock in the Strykers midfield but had to watch from afar due to concussion protocol. "The guys put in a good performance. I thought we had it under control, but a couple of mistakes led to the game going to overtime. Still, getting two points was massive, especially with where we're at in the season."

Empire would make it consecutive wins in its second straight nailbiter on Monday evening, defeating the league-leading Wave 8-7 at home. With each team playing its second match in as many days, the Strykers nearly let a 4-0 halftime lead slip away, as Milwaukee launched a furious comeback after the break. The Wisconsinites outscored Empire 7-4 in the final 27 minutes, powered by a four-point performance from Alex Sanchez and a three-point performance from Max Ferdinand, along with a brace by goalkeeper Gerardo Perez.

In addition to his goals, the 21-year-old Perez wreaked havoc again and again by joining the attack and sending several more dangerous shots on frame.

A quartet of players had standout showings for the Strykers. While captain Robert Palmer collected two assists and four blocks, fellow backline anchor Filipe Dutra finished with five blocks. Defender-midfielder Alan Perez continued his fantastic form on offense with two more goals and another helper, and backstop Brian Orozco made a staggering 18 saves and recorded a save percentage of 72.0%.

Back in the fold, Polo Hernandez had a strong showing of his own, collecting two assists in the contest.

"Milwaukee could have scored three or four in the first half, so we were fortunate to have a cushion," he said. "In the second half, they came out using the goalkeeper as an attacker, which caught us off guard. At that point, we were doing anything it takes to get the three points. Probably not a lot of people were counting on us for the win, but we believed in each other and got it done. I'm proud of the team for that."

The Sacramento native specifically addressed the unfamiliar territory of facing an additions attacker throughout the final two quarters, an approach pioneered last season by Empire Head Coach Obasi.

"We were saying after the game that this must be what other teams felt when we first brought the goalie up," offered Hernandez. "We're used to it because we train a lot with the goalie up, but it's different facing it in a game. We basically had to be on our toes the entire time. In the end, we also scored a couple because the goalie was pushed up, so I'd say we did okay against it."

Having climbed back into the MASL playoff picture, the sixth-place Strykers face two classic six-pointers this week. While seventh-place Baltimore is even on points with two games in hand, fifth-place Tacoma holds a one point edge with two games in hand. Empire also needs to keep last-place Utica City FC at bay, as the side from New York State has played one fewer game and trails by six points.

This season, Empire has been attacking by committee. Mounir Alami and Justin Stinson lead the team in points (17 each) while also jointly ranking runners-up in goals (10 each) and in assists together with Alan Perez (7 each), who tops the Strykers in points per game (1.15 in 13 games). Former Utica forward Barbaro Shelier, who debuted for Empire against Milwaukee, leads his new side in goals (11) and sits second in points per game (1.14 in 14 games), with Ant Powell being tied for third in the MASL in power play goals (2).

Notably, defender Robert Palmer not only sits second in the league in blocks (36) but also tied for eighth in helpers (9). Filipe Dutra has recorded the second-most blocks of all Strykers (17), tying him for tenth MASL-wide.

Palmer and Dutra are primarily tasked with protecting their team's backstops. While Brian Orozco ranks third in the league in goals-against average (5.36 in 13 games/516 mins), Claysson De Lima (3.89 goals-against average and 75.7% save percentage in 6 games/139 mins), who previously missed several matches due to injury, does not qualify for the leaderboard because he has logged too few minutes.

In addition to taking care of his core responsibilities, the 24-year-old Orozco is enjoying his most remarkable season on offense thus far, having earned three netters and four assists for a stunning 0.54 points per game. On average, he has earned one point for roughly every 90 minutes played.

Under the guidance of then-rookie MASL Head Coach Obasi, the Strykers last season returned to the playoffs for the first time since 2021.

In their meeting with the Blast, Obasi's men have a chance to improve on their 3-5 record in the all-time series, which includes a 1-0 record in overtime/shootout decisions. Even though Baltimore - like Empire - is an original MASL member club, the two sides did not face off until the 2017-18 campaign. In last season's only clash between the Strykers and the Blast, the Southern Californians grabbed a dramatic victory just about a year ago, downing the visitors from Maryland 4-3 in overtime. The 2025-26 series opener saw Baltimore claim an 8-2 home win back in early February.

"They dominated us in that game," said Empire's Hernandez. "Their field is very small, which makes it hard for us to implement our playing style and to keep possession. They're so comfortable there and put so much pressure on us that we could only do so much. At home, we're a lot more comfortable. Baltimore likes to be aggressive and to counter, so we have to keep the ball and avoid transitions. We've been doing a good job of that at Toyota Arena. I think we'll be successful."

The Blast has been experiencing a rollercoaster 2025-26 so far. Most recently, the squad led by Head Coach David Bascome, which has been alternating between wins and losses in its last four fixtures, fell 7-3 to visiting St. Louis before drawing 7-7 with host Utica and prevailing in a shootout.

Having comfortably punched its playoff ticket last season after previously missing out for the very first time, Baltimore advanced to the MASL semifinals, where host San Diego proved superior on the day, winning 11-3. The Blast looks to hoist its fourth championship trophy since the inaugural campaign in 2014-15, and its tenth across different leagues in the organization's storied 33-year history.

During the current campaign, the Baltimore attack has been primarily powered by the dynamic duo of Jonatas Melo and Oumar Sylla. Melo ranks sixth league-wide in points (24) and ninth in points per game (1.71 in 14 games) as well as tied for seventh in goals (14) and for third in power play goals together with his teammate Chad Poarch (2 each) - in addition to sitting second on Baltimore in assists (10). Sylla is seventh in the league in points per game (1.75 in 12 games) as well as tied for first in assists (15) and for ninth in points (21).

Juan Pereira not only ranks tied for tenth in the MASL in goals (10) but also leads the Blast in blocks (15), with Marco Nascimento (13) trailing narrowly behind. Like Empire 'keeper Brian Orozco, Baltimore netminder Julian Rodriguez has been a major threat on offense this season, his six assists in 13 games and 746 minutes making for an impressive 0.46 points per game and 124 minutes per point.

In Sunday's clash with the Tacoma Stars, Empire faces a squad that has been sliding in the standings and will be desperate to snap a three-game losing streak. Head Coach Adam Becker's team, which has gone 4-7 since opening its campaign with three straight narrow home victories, most recently fell 8-5 at St. Louis and 7-6 to visiting Milwaukee.

Of the Stars' seven total wins, two have come in shootouts and three by one-goal margins, and two more have come by two-goal margins. Meanwhile, three of Tacoma's defeats have been blowouts, giving the Washingtons the second-worst goal differential in the league.

With the Strykers and the Stars having faced each other for the first time as MASL founding members during the 2014-15 campaign, the all-time head to head is tied at 22-22, which includes a 2-3 record in overtime/shootout decisions. The two sides have never met in the playoffs.

Last season, the Strykers took the series 4-1. After years of fierce battles over which team would make the elimination stages at the expense of the other, the four defeats went a long way toward Tacoma missing out in 2024-25. Empire leads the current campaign's count 2-1, having bounced back from a 3-2 away loss on December 20 with wins at home (10-3) and on the road (7-6) in early and mid-January, respectively.

When asked whether any changes are in order from Empire's big victory over the Stars about a month and a half ago, midfielder Polo Hernandez said, "If something worked, why go away from it? In some of our previous games, we've had spells where we dominated the opposition and some spells where it turned into transitions, which makes it hard for us to control the game and establish our style. In that game against Tacoma, we didn't really allow those bad spells. If we can do that again, we should be able to get the result."

Defensively, Tacoma is led by Logan Jones, who ranks tied for fourth in the MASL in blocks (23), with former Strykers fan favorite Nestor Hernandez (13) holding runner-up on his team. Stars goalkeeper Luis Birrueta sits third league-wide in goals-against average (5.49 in 13 games).

On a Tacoma attack that has struggled this season, Jamael Cox and Tyler John have been the standouts. While Cox leads the Stars in points (17), goals (10) and points per game (1.42 in 12 games), John (14 points, 8 assists, 1.27 points per game in 11 games) is second in all three categories. Midfielder Cox also ranks second in assists (7), narrowly trailing Alex Caceres (8). Eddie Na sits tied for third MASL-wide in power play goals (2).

Tickets to all 2025-26 Empire Strykers home matches at Toyota Arena in Ontario are available.

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Major Arena Soccer League Stories from February 18, 2026


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