San Diego Sockers Game Notes
November 23, 2012 - Professional Arena Soccer League (PASL)
San Diego Sockers News Release
San Diego Sockers (3-0) vs Toros de Mexico (1-2)
DATE: Friday, November 23rd, 2012
PLACE: Valley View Casino Center
TIME: 7:35pm (PDT)
BROADCAST: SDSockers.com (audio), AmericaOne (PPV video)
PASL Pacific Division Standings (on 11/22)
Team W-L Goals GA
SOCKERS 3-0 44 10
Anaheim Bolts 2-1 37 27
Tacoma Stars 1-1 19 23
Turlock Express 1-2 29 29
Sacramento Surge 0-3 9 36
SOCKERS COME HOME WITH RECORD IN SIGHT
The San Diego Sockers return home to the Valley View Casino Center on Friday night with an opportunity to set a United States professional team sports record for consecutive wins. (Much more win streak info below.) Their opponent will be the Toros de Mexico, a team largely consisting of players from the PASL Revolucion Tijuana of the past two seasons, but under new management. The Sockers are off to a 3-0 start in 2012-13 and lead the Professional Arena Soccer League (PASL) in goals.
THE STREAK: 40-GAME WIN STREAK ON THE LINE
A perfect 24-0 season in 2011-12 and a 3-0 start this year has positioned the Sockers on the precipice of U.S. pro sports history. San Diego has won 40 consecutive matches dating back to their last loss, a 9-8 overtime defeat in Stockton on December 27th, 2010. The Sockers' win streak is tied for the longest in the history of U.S. pro sports, major or minor league. The top-five list follows.
LONGEST U.S. PRO SPORTS TEAM WIN STREAKS
San Diego Sockers (PASL, 2010-present): 40*
Sioux Falls Storm (UIF, 2005-2008): 40
L.A. Lakers (NBA, 1971-72): 33
Washington Kastles (WTT, 2011-present): 32*
Salt Lake City Trappers (MILB): 29
*=active streak
LAST GAME: SOCKERS BLOW OUT ARIZONA 18-3
The Sockers tied the U.S. pro team sports win streak record in emphatic style on November 17th with an 18-3 win over the Arizona Storm at the Arizona Sports Complex. San Diego set a team PASL record for goals and margin of victory, all despite trailing 2-1 after one quarter. An eleven goal run in the second and third quarters completely reversed the game, led by Kraig Chiles' six-goal night. Brian Farber had two goals and a Sockers-best five assists and Aaron Susi added two goals and three assists. The Sockers had five power play goals and three restart goals.
IN CASE YOU LIKE STREAKS, HERE ARE SOME MORE
The Sockers enter this game with the following streaks intact:
- 40 consecutive overall victories
- 37 consecutive home wins
- 27 consecutive PASL regular season wins
- 16 straight road wins
- 6 straight PASL playoff victories
FAST FARBER LEADS PASL IN SCORING
Already off to a great start in 2012, all-PASL midfielder Brian Farber took things to a new level with a seven-point game against the Arizona Storm. Farber now is tied for the PASL lead with 16 points (7 goals, 9 assists), but he has two games in hand on co-leader Enrique Tovar of Las Vegas. Farber's 5.33 points per game easily leads the PASL and would be a league record if he could possibly maintain the torrid pace. A complete list of PASL scoring leaders can be found at www.paslsoccer.com.
BASH BROTHERS MAKE SPLASH IN DEBUT
Veteran defenders John Krause and Dan Antoniuk returned to the Sockers' lineup against Arizona after missing the first two games of the season due to their outdoor commitments. The "Bash Brothers" stepped right into the starting lineup for San Diego and paid immediate dividends in the Sockers' 18-3 victory. Krause scored a power-play goal with an assist while Antoniuk used his height and skill to help shut down the Storm attack.
SOCKERS UNDEFEATED AT HOME
Since returning to the professional ranks in the PASL, the San Diego Sockers have yet to lose at home. The Sockers carried over from the Del Mar Arena a 24-0 home mark in PASL play, 4-0 in PASL playoff action, 5-0 in U.S. Open Cup contests and 2-0 in exhibition friendlies for a 35-0 total home record from 2009-12. Since returning to the Valley View Casino Center, the Sockers have rolled to two more wins for a 37-0 overall home mark. SIX-GOAL GAME NETS CHILES THE GOALS LEAD
Back-to-back PASL MVP Kraig Chiles raised eyebrows by "only" scoring one goal against Real Phoenix on November 10th, but he rebounded with a fury against Arizona, netting hat tricks in the second and third quarter on route to a six-goal game. The flurry pushes Chiles to eleven goals in three games, one more than Luis Gonzalez of the Anaheim Bolts for the PASL lead. During the Sockers' 40-game winning streak, Chiles has been held to one goal eight times, and has been shut out only twice. He missed four games due to injury (three in the FIFRA Club Championships) and has scored a total of 97 goals in the 36 games he has played during "the streak", including eight four-goal games, two five-goal games, a six-goal and seven-goal game.
RUN DIEGO RUN: ROVIRA RETURNS WITH RELISH
After missing the opening two games of the season while rehabbing an offseason groin injury, midfielder Diego Rovira marked his return to the Sockers lineup with a pair of goals in San Diego's 18-3 win over Arizona. A top penalty killer who can easily shift to the back line if needed, Rovira is also one of the top left-footed shots on the Sockers and provides San Diego with great versatility. Rovira was second-team all-PASL in 2010-2011 scoring 19 goals and 23 points in 15 league games.
THE LONE STREAKIN' MOHICAN: ANTHONY MEDINA
Midfielder/forward Anthony Medina has a unique distinction of being the only Sockers player to appear in all 40 consecutive wins. While all players succumb to injury at some point, Anthony's timing has been excellent, as he suffered a broken foot in the final game of the Sockers' 2010-11 season and was able to return just in time for 2011-12's season opener. Medina also suffered a broken nose later in the streak against Las Vegas in the U.S. Open Cup and played the next game wearing a facial shield. Ze Roberto and Eric Wunderle played in the Sockers' first 37 wins of the streak.
AGE IS ONLY A NUMBER IF YOU'RE PAUL WRIGHT
At age 43, midfielder Paul Wright is playing like he's always played, and that's saying something. Paul had a four-point game in the Sockers' 11-5 win over Real Phoenix, scoring two goals with two assists, and has six points in two games this season. Wright was part of both of the Sockers' first two PASL championship teams before departing for Anaheim on a one-year detour. "P-3" is the only player in Sockers' history to have played for both a MISL and PASL championship team in San Diego, his career dating back to the 1989-90 season.
POWER PLAY POWERFUL FOR SAN DIEGO
The Sockers have started the 2012-13 season on a tear with their special teams, particularly the power play unit. A 5-for-6 performance against the Arizona Storm lifted San Diego to a scorching-hot 10-for-11 clip with the man advantage so far this season, a 90.91% conversion rate. Brian Farber leads the Sockers with three power play goals. The Sockers have also killed 5-of-7 power plays against them this season, a 71.43% kill percentage.
SOCKERS GAMES BROADCAST ON AMERICAONE, ESPN RADIO 1700 AND SDSOCKERS.COM IN 2012-13
Fans will be able to follow the San Diego Sockers through every game of the 2012-13 season on multiple media platforms. The Sockers agreed to carry a select schedule of 8-11 games on ESPN Radio 1700-AM in San Diego for the second consecutive season, including the home opener. In addition, an audio broadcast of every game will be streamed online at sdsockers.com. Finally, the PASL contracted with AmericaOne Sports as the official provider of online video streaming in 2012-13. Fans will be able to purchase broadcasts by pay-per-view at $8 per game or $90 for a season pass that covers all PASL broadcasts league-wide. Craig Elsten will call the Sockers action across all platforms for the fourth consecutive season, joined by Tim Strombel as a sideline reporter for home games.
INJURY/ABSENCE UPDATE
The Sockers will be without midfielder Majell Aterado for the season after suffering an ACL tear in his knee during the summer. Midfielder/forward Eric Wunderle will miss at least the first month of the season with an injured tendon in his foot. Kraig Chiles suffered a quad injury during the win over Arizona and is probable to start. Chiky Luna left the Nov. 10 game against Real Phoenix with a calf strain but is expected to be available Saturday.
OPPONENT'S PROFILE: TOROS de MEXICO
While the name "Toros" is new to the PASL, the franchise is a reincarnation of the Revolucion Tijuana team the Sockers have faced over the past three seasons. Under new ownership with head coach Joe Pollard, the Toros will look for offense from Guillermo Rodriguez (15 goals, 20 points for Tijuana in 2011) and Oscar Rivas (3 goals, 12 assists in 2011), while getting solid back line and restart play from Francisco Madrid (6 goals in 9 games in 2011). Dating back to their Revolucion days, the Sockers have taken seven straight in the series and are 6-0 at home against Tijuana, averaging 13.7 goals per game.
THE STREAK
LAST LOSS: 12/27/10, California Cougars 9, San Diego 8 (OT): The Sockers blew a first q uarter 4-0 lead on the road, surrendering four goals in the second quarter for a 5-4 halftime lead. Ahead 7-5 after three quarters, the Sockers saw the Cougars tie it up after pulling their goalie for six attackers in the entire final period. In the opening 17 seconds of overtime, Uriel Robledo's shot caromed off the leg of San Diego midfielder Majell Aterado into the net for the game-winning goal. Ever since...
Win # Date Score Notes
1 12/29/10 Sockers 7, SD Fusion 5 US Open Cup
2 1/8/11 Sockers 10, Cincinnati 4 Farber's debut with SD
3 1/15/11 San Diego 6, at Tijuana 3
4 1/21/11 San Diego 10, at Las Vegas 9 US Open Cup 2nd rd
5 1/29/11 Sockers 13, Tijuana 6
6 2/4/11 San Diego 13, at Tacoma 4
7 2/5/11 San Diego 5, at Tacoma 0 Riley Swift shutout
8 2/12/11 Sockers 15, Tijuana 10
9 2/19/11 Sockers 9, California 5
10 2/26/11 Sockers 13, Edmonton 3
11 3/11/11 Sockers 7, Mexico City 3 PASL Semi-Finals
12 3/12/11 Sockers 10, Guadalajara 6 PASL Finals
13 3/19/11 Sockers 13, Cincinnati 6 US Open Cup Finals
14 11/12/11 San Diego 10, at Anaheim 6 2011 opener
15 11/19/11 Sockers 7, Anaheim 6 (OT)
16 11/26/11 Sockers 16, Tijuana 10
17 12/9/11 San Diego 6, at Tijuana 5 (OT)
18 12/17/11 Sockers 8, Tacoma 3
19 12/27/11 Sockers 9, Las Vegas 4 US Open Cup 1st rd
20 1/7/12 Sockers 13, Anaheim 6
21 1/8/12 San Diego 10, at Arizona 3
22 1/14/12 San Diego 13, at Tacoma 6
23 1/15/12 San Diego 10, at Tacoma 6
24 1/21/12 Sockers 10, Turlock 8
25 1/22/12 San Diego 9, at Arizona 3
26 1/27/12 San Diego 10, at Anaheim 5
27 1/28/12 Sockers 13, Tijuana 2
28 2/2/12 San Diego 5, at Monterrey 4 FIFRA CC 1st rd
29 2/3/12 San Diego 15, Canada 0 FIFRA CC 2nd rd
30 2/4/12 San Diego 8, Ecuador 3 FIFRA CC 3rd rd
31 2/5/12 San Diego 5, at Monterrey 3 FIFRA Grand Final
32 2/11/12 Sockers 13, Arizona 1
33 2/24/12 San Diego 8, at Turlock 4
34 2/25/12 Sockers 9, Tacoma 4
35 3/10/12 Sockers 9, Kansas Magic 6 PASL Semi-Finals
36 3/11/12 Sockers 10, Detroit Waza 7 PASL Finals
37 3/17/12 San Diego 13, at Cincinnati 6 US Open Cup Finals
38 11/3/12 Sockers 15, Sacramento 2 2012 opener
39 11/10/12 Sockers 11, Real Phoenix 5
40 11/17/12 San Diego 18, at Arizona 3
ONE PLAYER HAS APPEARED IN ALL 40 GAMES OF THE WINNING STREAK:
Anthony Medina
CLOSE CALLS:
Game 4: Sockers 10, Las Vegas Knights 9 (US Open Cup Western semi-final, 1/21/11): A Sockers side which was depleted by illness and short-handed on game day took the PASL Premier's champions a bit lightly on the road and almost got burned. While the Sockers never trailed in this game the Knights converted three power play chances and climbed within one goal three different times in the fourth quarter.
Game 11: Sockers 7, Mexico City PPM Sidekicks 3 (PASL North American Championship semi-final, 3/11/11): Call this one "Toth's Test". The Sockers faced arguably their toughest team all season, a Mexico City side which had been fortified by a number of Mexican National Indoor Team all-stars, including former Sockers star Chile Farias and well known indoor striker Genoni Martinez. Meanwhile, San Diego played without starting keeper Riley Swift, who was in Sacramento for advanced firefighter training, and all-PASL defender Dan Antoniuk, who was on an MLS trial with Dallas FC. Compounding the trouble, superstar midfielder Brian Farber had a quad strain and was unavailable. Toth, just 23 and untested in the crucible of big-time playoff action, made all the key saves and even contributed a pair of fourth quarter throwing assists as the Sockers won 7-3 and advanced to their second straight PASL championship game.
Game 14: San Diego 10, Anaheim 6 (2011-2012 season opener, 11/12/11): Facing the expansion Bolts for the first time on their home field in the season opener, the Sockers were ripe for an upset at the hands of their upstart rivals from Anaheim. In a back-and-forth game the Bolts took six different one-goal leads, the last 6-5 on Hugo Casillas' goal early in the fourth quarter. Poway High's Eric Wunderle tied the game with his first goal of the year and Dan Antoniuk's score from beyond the yellow line put San Diego ahead for good at the 7:22 mark of the fourth. Kraig Chiles foreshadowed his brilliant season to come with three goals and three fourth quarter assists.
Game 15: San Diego 7, Anaheim 6 (OT) (2011-2012 home opener, 11/19/11): The closest San Diego has come to a loss throughout the streak. Anaheim converted a pair of power play goals to build a 5-2 lead in Paul Wright's Bolts debut (and first game against the Sockers since their PASL return). San Diego stormed back on goals by Chiky Luna, Brian Farber and Eduardo Velez to tie the game 5-5 with 8:57 to play in the fourth, but an elbowing foul on Sockers defender John Krause, quickly followed by a slide tackle blue card on Farber, put the Sockers at a two-man disadvantage, and the Bolts quickly scored a Casillas power play goal for a 6-5 lead. The Sockers killed the remaining power play and scored on a set piece goal by Majell Aterado, coming off a corner kick from Chiky Luna with just :46 left in the fourth quarter. After a tension filled opening five minutes of overtime, including key saves by both keepers, Farber headed home a rebound for his third goal of the night and the game winner at 9:34 of overtime.
Game 17: San Diego 6, Tijuana 5 (OT) (12/9/11): Annually, trips to tiny Estadio Furati in Tijuana mark some of the Sockers toughest contests, as they have to deal with a much smaller playing surface, smaller goals, questionable officiating and physical play. Three of SD's five wins in Furati have come in overtime, including this tension-filled game in early December. The Sockers found themselves trailing 5-2 with 2:39 to play in the third after back to back goals by Tijuana's Jose Rodriguez (one an own goal off Ze Roberto's foot). Eduardo Velez put home a rebound goal against his former team just 15 seconds later to start the San Diego comeback. A disputed goal was awarded to Tijuana when a player stole the ball while play was whistled dead and tried to score, but was taken off the board after a lengthy argument. Moments later, Kraig Chiles scored off a Riley Swift (the goalie) assist early in the fourth quarter. Chiles then set up Anthony Medina's tying goal with a crossing pass with 7:21 to play in the period. Chiles scored the golden goal in overtime on an overlapping run with Aaron Susi 59 seconds into the sudden death OT period.
Game 28: San Diego 5, at Monterrey 4 (FIFRA Championships 1st round): Playing in the opening game of the FIFRA Club Championships, the Sockers were immediately put to the test against the top indoor side in Mexico. Kraig Chiles scored the game's opening goal in the first quarter but was sidelined shortly after with an MCL sprain in his knee. Without their MVP on the field, the Sockers fell behind the Flash 4-3 midway through the third quarter. Leave it to the "other MVP", Brian Farber, to save the day. Farber scored a hard-fought goal late in the third to tie the game at 4, then headed home a rebound in the crease to give the Sockers a 5-4 lead with 7:00 to play. Farber was then kicked hard (suffering a bruised leg) and given a red card ejection for retaliating. Without both of their top players, the Sockers held on for a 5-4 victory, with Chris Toth making several key saves in goal down the stretch.
Game 31: San Diego 5, at Monterrey 3 (FIFRA Club Championship Game): A leg weary Sockers team faced their toughest test of the 2011-12 season, playing their fourth game in four days in Mexico, with a revenge-minded Monterrey Flash team defending their home field against the Sockers for the second time in the championship game. Compounding their challenge, San Diego was without top scorer Kraig Chiles (MCL) and had top midfielder Brian Farber (leg bruise) playing at far less than full strength. Much like their first meeting, the Sockers and Flash played a low-scoring and very physical game. Monterrey led 3-2 in the third quarter when Diego Rovira equalized on a back post tap-in. Chiky Luna slotted home a rebound minutes later to put San Diego ahead for good, and Ze Roberto's second goal of the game gave the Sockers some breathing room in the fourth quarter. Chris Toth, playing every minute of all four games in goal for the Sockers, stopped a penalty shootout in the fourth quarter as San Diego claimed the inaugural FIFRA Club Championship.
Game 36: Sockers 10, Detroit Waza 7 (Ron Newman Cup Championship Game): Facing a veteran Detroit side for the first time in the 2011-12 PASL championship game, the Sockers also faced the pressure of completing an undefeated PASL season. The Waza immediately jumped ahead 2-0 in the game's opening two minutes, and despite narrowing the deficit on an Anthony Medina goal later in the first quarter, the Sockers were struggling and trailing 2-1 midway through the second. Detroit had already killed off three Sockers power plays when Kraig Chiles was given a penalty shootout for being tripped on a breakaway. When Waza keeper Darrel Quinn stopped Chiles not once but twice on the shootout, he gestured to the crowd holding up a "O" with his hands. You don't mock the Sockers, especially at home and double especially with a title on the line. Team captain Aaron Susi promptly blasted a shot past Quinn to tie the game and held up the "O" in return. The Sockers poured in three more goals in quick succession for a 5-2 halftime lead and withstood several Detroit comebacks in the second half to claim a third straight PASL championship and the first lifting of the Ron Newman Cup.
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