San Diego Sockers Communications Match Preview vs Empire 11/28
Published on November 27, 2025 under Major Arena Soccer League (MASL)
San Diego Sockers News Release
OCEANSIDE, CA - The San Diego Sockers--presented by Kaiser Permanente--embark on their twelfth Major Arena Soccer League (MASL) campaign on Friday, November 28 when they host the Empire Strykers at Frontwave Arena in Oceanside, CA. The match is set for a 7:35pm Pacific Time kickoff and will be telecast on the CBS Sports GOLAZO Network, with replay on YouTube, and in Mexico on FOX Sports 2. International fans can follow the action on Sportworld or Unbeaten Network.
The Major Arena Soccer League begins its twelfth season with an eight-team single table structure. Three-time defending champion Chihuahua decided to leave the MASL at the league's summer meetings, while the Harrisburg Heat paused operations for one season as they transition to a new arena in Hershey, PA. In addition, the Dallas Sidekicks and Texas Outlaws clubs have paused for the 2025-26 season. The top six teams in the 2025-26 season will advance to the Ron Newman Cup playoffs, with the two top sides receiving first round byes. Best-of-three series will be played throughout the playoffs, with a 15- minute knockout game used as the third game in the first two rounds. In the Ron Newman Cup Finals, three full games will be played if needed and if arena availability affords the opportunity.
The Sockers posted a 20-4 campaign in the 2024-25 season, finishing two points behind the Chihuahua Savage in the race for the MASL Supporters Shield. It was the club's third 20+ win season in the 2020s, having posted a 22-2 record in 2022-23, and a 23-0-1 mark in 2021-22. With a perfect 15-0 record at the new Frontwave Arena (regular season and playoffs combined), the Sockers advanced to the Ron Newman Cup Finals, where they fell to Chihuahua in three games, losing twice in Mexico. It was the first time in modern Sockers history the club reached a Final but failed to secure the championship. In the subsequent offseason, the Savage left the league, guaranteeing a new champion for 2025-26.
Friday's match will be the first of six meetings between the Sockers and Empire Strykers during the 2025-26 season. The two clubs will get familiar with one another quickly, meeting three times in the first six scheduled matches. San Diego will play in Ontario on December 12, with the two clubs returning to Frontwave Arena on January 3. Last season, the Sockers went a perfect 5-0 against Empire in the regular season, and 1-0 in the playoffs, ending the Strykers' season. However, the match flow between the two sides was much more even than the 6-0 record would indicate. Five of the six matches played were decided by two or fewer goals, with only a 10-7 Sockers win standing out as the most lopsided. In the playoffs, San Diego gritted out a 4-2 win over the Strykers, ending Empire's season in the first round of the Ron Newman Cup tournament. Overall, the Sockers have a dominant 47-9 record against Empire, and have won fifteen straight contests against the Strykers. The club's last loss to Empire was a 10-4 setback on February 8, 2023.
San Diego is loaded for bear in the 2025-26 season with the addition of two of the league's top performers: two-time league MVP Nick Perera, and five-time Goalkeeper of the Year Chris Toth. Perera steps into the target forward position with the most assists in league history (243) and the third-most points (483). Toth, the back-to-back Goalkeeper of the Year, has the most saves in MASL history (2,429) and the third-most wins (107). Combining with incumbents Tavoy Morgan at target, and Boris Pardo in net, the Sockers boast the most potent offense-defense combination in the MASL. Supplementing the roster is free agent midfielder/defender Jesus Pacheco, who put together a career-best (16-12() point season with Baltimore in 2024-25.
The Strykers are coming off a 12-10-2 season, which represented a nine-win improvement from their previous campaign. Under the guidance of MASL Coach of the Year Onua Obasi, Empire confused opponents with a unique play style, in which their goalkeeper is generally out of net and playing as a sixth outfield player. Empire has retooled their roster over the summer, bringing in multiple players from the paused teams in Texas, including former Dallas striker Anthony Powell, midfielder Steven Chavez and forward Lucas Ramalho. Familiar names are on the top of the call sheet for Empire, including Liga MX veteran Marco Fabián (25-16=41 points in '24-25) and midfielder Justin Stinson (career-high 32 goals, 43 points last season). Keepers Brandon Gomez and Brian Orozco will handle the tricky goalkeeping position, being asked to play along the wall away from net on most possessions, while sometimes joining the attack.
Major Arena Soccer League Stories from November 27, 2025
- Comets Open Season with I-70 Series Showdowns - Kansas City Comets
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