Reyes, Empire to Battle Top Two Teams in Three-Day Span
MASL Empire Strykers

Reyes, Empire to Battle Top Two Teams in Three-Day Span

Published on March 3, 2026 under Major Arena Soccer League (MASL)
Empire Strykers News Release


Ontario, Calif. - Having recently bounced back from a tough overtime loss to visiting Baltimore with a home thumping of Tacoma, the Empire Strykers this week face massive back-to-back tests against the top two sides in the Major Arena Soccer League (MASL) standings. After welcoming first-place San Diego to Ontario in midweek, Head Coach Onua Obasi's men will hit the road for a weekend showdown against second-place St. Louis. As the Strykers enter the stretch run of their campaign, the pair of meetings could prove crucial to the club's playoff and championship ambitions.

8-9-1 (wins-losses-overtime/shootout losses) Empire hosts 11-4-2 rivals San Diego Sockers on Thursday, February 5, at 6:35 p.m. PT, followed by a 4:05 p.m PT clash with 11-5-3 host St. Louis Ambush on Saturday, February 7. Tickets to the home game are available here.

The English-language live broadcasts of both matches will 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 Sockers will also be carried live in English by local PBS station KVCR and on the radio by FOX Sports 1270AM.

While the Spanish-language live video broadcasts of both fixtures will air exclusively in Mexico via the FOX Sports lineup of channels, Spanish-speaking fans outside of Mexico may enjoy the meeting with San Diego via the MASL's YouTube channel.

In their 5-4 overtime loss to visiting Baltimore on February 19, the Strykers experienced a frustrating evening of indoor soccer, as they found themselves unable to extend their win streak to three games despite holding two separate two-goal leads. The hosts created a number of high-caliber chances and outshot the Blast 23-11, only to be bested by opposition goalkeeper Julian Rodriguez. The 27-year-old made 14 saves and recorded a save percentage of 77.8%, in addition to bagging his seventh helper of the campaign. While Empire's Mounir Alami had two netters in the match, Baltimore's Juan Pereira earned a brace and an assist.

Seventh-year Stryker Andy Reyes, who is back in the fold following some injury issues earlier in the campaign, provided his perspective after the final whistle.

"I think we just lost focus", he said "We're a possession team, and we just lost possession for a couple spells, and we paid for it."

The 33-year-old veteran later added, "There was a lot of positives, and I think we just need to build on the positives."

Reyes' statement would prove prophetic, as his Empire Strykers provided a huge sign of life in the playoff race three days later, dismantling the Tacoma Stars 10-2 in front of a boisterous crowd of 6,223 at Toyota Arena. Those watching from the stands and from afar witnessed history play out in the match, as Empire legend Justin Stinson not only collected a staggering two netters and four assists but also tied Franck Tayou for the most career regular season points (185) collected by a single player in his club's 12-year history.

Strykers defender Robert Palmer enjoyed a very impressive showing of his own, putting up a brace and a trio of blocks. Forward Mounir Alami also had two goals, along with one assist.

Empire's Andy Reyes, who is one of the organization's longest-tenured players alongside Stinson and Palmer, provided context for the lopsided win, saying, "Every game, I feel like we dominate in possession and create a lot of chances. The reason we've lost some of those games is that we just didn't put it in the back of the net. In the Tacoma game, everything finally went our way. We dominated in possession, and we actually put them away."

Reyes continued, "In this league, you can never underestimate anyone. This whole season, we've played great against the first-place, second-place and third-place teams, and then for some reason we struggle with the bottom half of the table. So, to take care of Tacoma the way we did felt really good."

Having recently climbed back into the MASL playoff picture, the sixth-place Strykers are in desperate need of points if they are to avoid losing touch with a quartet of squads above them. Second-place St. Louis and third-place Milwaukee have each played one more game than Empire and hold a ten-point advantage and a nine-point advantage, respectively. Meanwhile, fourth-place Kansas City is ahead by eight points and fifth-place Milwaukee by seven, each having played the same number of matches as Empire.

The Southern Californians also urgently need to keep seventh-place Tacoma at bay, as the side from Washington State trails by a mere three points and has a game in hand.

Under the guidance of then-rookie MASL Head Coach Obasi, the Strykers last season returned to the playoffs, ending a three-year drought.

For Empire, backline anchor Palmer has once again been a key contributor on both defense and offense. The Jamaican not only ranks second MASL-wide in blocks (39) but also runner-up on his team in helpers (11). Second place in blocks on Empire is held by Filipe Dutra (18).

Like Palmer, netminder Brian Orozco has been a key figure beyond his core responsibilities. In addition to sitting third in the league in goals-against average (5.26 in 15 games/719 mins), the 24-year-old has earned three netters and four assists for a remarkable 0.47 points per game. On average, he has recorded one point for roughly every 103 minutes spent on the turf.

After going on an attacking tear in his last nine outings - collecting an impressive ten goals and nine helpers for a total of 19 points - Strykers star Justin Stinson now finds himself tied for ninth MASL-wide in assists (12) while also leading his team in points (24) and points per game (1.33 in 18 games), in addition to ranking second in netters (12) behind Mounir Alami (14). Moroccan Alami, whose scoring output has him ranking tied for tenth in the league, also holds runner-up on Empire in points (22) and points per game (1.22 in 18 games).

Alan Perez sits tied for the MASL lead in short-handed goals (2), and his teammate Ant Powell is tied for fourth in power play goals (2).

On Thursday, the Empire camp will be keen to continue making a dent in a historical trend of narrow losses to the San Diego Sockers. Five games into the 2025-26 series, the Strykers hold a 3-2 lead, having opened their campaign with a 5-4 overtime win at San Diego in late November, followed by a 6-3 home loss in mid-December, a 4-3 away defeat on January 3, a 9-5 victory over their visiting rivals 19 days later, and another 5-4 overtime win at San Diego in mid-February.

"The Sockers are always a good team," said Strykers midfielder Reyes, who hails from San Diego and briefly spent time with his storied hometown club during 2021-22. "They're stacked with big names, and each player individually can make something happen out of nowhere, which keeps you on your toes. Their Achilles heel this year has been the injuries. They've had to adapt and use some of their [reserve] guys. This is the most we've ever beaten them in one season, and obviously we want to keep that going."

The man who has appeared in 104 matches with Empire continued, "[Head Coach] Obasi does a really good job of analyzing film and getting us to understand what to expect. In addition to that, I'd say our youth has given us an edge lately. San Diego is an incredibly talented team, but they're getting older, and maybe they can't always run as much as our young guys."

Last season, Reyes and company were ousted by their longtime foes in the first round of the playoffs, falling 4-2 on the road.

Despite the early exit, the Strykers' 2024-25 was widely considered a success, as the organization reached the knockout rounds for just the fourth time in its history, which dates back to 2013. The previous time took place during the MASL's "COVID campaign" in 2021. Still playing as the Ontario Fury then, the league's founding member made a run to the championship series and came within a hair's breadth of lifting the trophy, as it took San Diego a 2-1 win in the decisive 15-minute mini game to emerge victorious.

Since their second overtime loss to Empire during the current season, the Sockers have bounced back with consecutive wins over Tacoma. After defeating the Stars 5-2 away, Head Coach Phil Salvagio's side most recently thumped the visiting Washingtonians 11-5.

In net, San Diego can count on the steady hands of veteran goalkeeper Boris Pardo, who ranks second league-wide in both goals-against average (5.01 in 14 games/767 mins) and save percentage (73.0%). Pardo's backups - legendary netminder Chris Toth (3.97 goals-against average and 74.4% save percentage in 3 games/151 mins) and up-and-comer Nathanial Linquist (4.11 goals-against average in 4 games/102 mins) - have not seen enough playing time to be eligible for the MASL leaderboard.

The Sockers' trio of 'keepers is protected by experienced defenders Mitchell Cardenas and Drew Ruggles. While Cardenas sits tied for fifth in the league in blocks (23), Ruggles (19) is only four behind.

On offense, San Diego is powered by iconic target forward Nick Perera and ex-Strykers attacker Leonardo De Oliveira. The pair has had to make do without another former Empire ace in Charlie Gonzalez, who suffered a consequential injury in the overtime defeat to his former club in mid-February. Perera is seventh MASL-wide in both points (28) and points per game (1.75 in 16 games) as well as tied for tenth in goals (14) and for fifth in assists together with De Oliveira (14 each), who also ranks eighth in points per game (1.67 in 12 games) and shares runner-up on his team in points with Gonzalez (20 each).

Midfielder Gonzalez still sits tied for tenth in the MASL in netters (12) and boasts the fifth-most points per game (1.81 in 11 games).

The Strykers hold an all-time record of 12-49 against San Diego, which includes a 4-9 record in shootout/overtime decisions and a 2-3 record in postseason matches. Not included in the record are two 15-minute mini games. Prior to the one being used to determine the Sockers as the winner of the tied 2021 final series, Empire's rivals had already advanced from a tied 2016-17 MASL Pacific Division final series via a mini game victory - that time by a score of 1-0. The two sides' first-ever meeting dates back to the 2013-14 season in the Professional Arena Soccer League (PASL).

San Diego, which has never missed the MASL playoffs, successfully defended its 2021 championship the following year.

On Saturday, the Strykers will be in for an equally difficult task, if not a harder one, than the one they will have faced two days prior. After their matchup with the Sockers at home, the side from east of Los Angeles will board a plane for Missouri to take on a St. Louis Ambush squad that barely squeezed into the playoffs in 2024-25 but has surprised pundits this season by posting eleven victories through 19 matches. The Missourians' winning record is especially impressive given they have played their mighty rivals, the Kansas City Comets, a total of six times.

Most recently, Head Coach Jeff Locker's team was brought back down to earth after a four-game win streak, dropping two straight 5-4 nailbiters to visiting underdog Baltimore Blast.

Empire holds a 9-2 all-time record against St. Louis, which includes a 1-0 overtime/shootout record. Even though both teams were founded in 2013, they did not play each other until the 2019-20 MASL campaign. Last season, the Strykers went 2-0 against midfielder Justin Stinson's hometown club, defeating the Ambush 8-6 at home and 7-5 on the road. Both wins came in mid-January 2025.

Stinson and company trail 2-0 in this season's series. After falling 5-4 to St. Louis at home on December 19, the Southern Californians suffered a 4-2 away loss in mid-January.

"To me, they're a lot like a team I played for before I came back to Empire," offered midfielder Reyes. "When I was with the Texas Outlaws, we were always looked at as an underdog, but we were a really good team with a lot of young players and some vets that really guided us."

The Mexican American continued, "Like us back then, the Ambush players work hard for one another and have each other's backs, and they play to their strengths. They do a great job of staying low and compact and on not giving you much space, and then they hit you on the counter with the fast players they have. They believe in what they're doing because they've been getting the results. It's going to be another tough one for us."

At 40 years old, one-club man Paulo Nascimento is playing arguably his finest MASL season yet for St. Louis. The Brazil native, who joined the Ambush in 2017 and has since guarded the net on 155 occasions, tops the league in goals-against average (4.55 in 17 games/1,043 mins), save percentage (73.4%) and total saves (215). High-caliber backup Eduardo "Pollo" Cortes (4.93 goals-against average & 71.4% save percentage in 3 games/122 mins) does not qualify for the MASL leaderboard because he has not logged enough minutes.

The stingy Ambush backline is anchored by Robert Williamson, who ranks third in the league in blocks (36), with former Strykers man Randy Martinez (20) holding runner-up on his team.

The St. Louis attack is spearheaded by midfielder Daniel Torrealba. In addition to sitting fourth MASL-wide in goals (20), sixth in points (29) and tenth in points per game (1.53 in 19 games), the Venezuelan sensation also leads the Ambush in assists (9). While Mario Falsone has served as Torrealba's most important sidekick, holding runner-up on his side in points (18) and jointly with Mehrshad Ahmadi in netters (12 each), Christian Briggs is second on St. Louis in helpers (8) and Randy Martinez ranks tied for fourth among all MASL players in power play goals (2).

The Strykers' Andy Reyes concluded his look ahead to the Ambush clash on a cautiously optimistic note, saying, "We're confident in what we've been doing, and we're feeling a little more comfortable with the system every time. We've created tons of chances against them before but ended up losing. If we can finish our chances, I think we stack up well."

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

Check out the Empire Strykers Statistics

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Major Arena Soccer League Stories from March 3, 2026


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