San Diego Sockers Match Precvew at Baltimore
Published on January 23, 2026 under Major Arena Soccer League (MASL)
San Diego Sockers News Release
TOWSON, MD - The San Diego Sockers-presented by Kaiser Permanente--close out a month-long six-match road trip by taking on the Baltimore Blast on Saturday night at SECU Arena on the campus of Towson University in Maryland. The match is scheduled for a 6:05pm EST kickoff/3:05pm PST, and can be viewed domestically on Fox Soccer Plus, MASL TV on YouTube, as well as supplemental coverage on the National Soccer Network and Victory+, and international coverage on Sportworld, Fox Sports Mexico, and the Unbeaten Network.
The Sockers (5-4-1, 16 points) are back at .500 after dropping three-of-five matches on this current six-match road trip, including back-to-back losses. While the club enters the weekend two points out of second place, there are four teams within two points of San Diego in the standings, so a quick downward plunge is likely without a result on Saturday. San Diego is finishing up one of the most challenging road trips in MASL history, as the team just embarked on its fifth cross-country flight in 19 days to reach Baltimore. The Sockers are playing six road matches in 20 days, with only one (Thursday's loss in Empire) not requiring a long plane flight. The club played three times in the first week of January, including a back-to-back between a home win over Empire, a morning flight to Tacoma the next day, and a road-trip starting 5-4 loss to the Stars. The following weekend, the Sockers flew cross-country to beat Baltimore 9-6, then drove eight hours overnight to play a day game in Utica, winning that one 4-3. However, the back-to-back was costly, as the club limped home before flying back out the next Friday to Milwaukee, where they were soundly beaten 10-5.
Missing half their lineup due to injury, the Sockers on Thursday night took on a younger and fresher Empire Strykers team and dropped a 9-5 result at Toyota Arena in Ontario. Empire never trailed in the match, scoring in the opening minute and taking five different one-goal leads, only to see San Diego find an equalizer each time. The sixth time was the charm, as Walter Diaz completed a hat trick to put Empire ahead 7-5, and the Strykers added two empty-net goals in the final thirty seconds to pad the score. During the match, key attackers Luiz Morales and Taylor Bond each went down with foot injuries and were unable to return to play. Sebastian Mendez led the San Diego offense with a pair of goals.
Saturday's match will be the second of three between the Sockers and Blast during the 2025-26 MASL season. The clubs already played, as mentioned on January 10 in Baltimore, and the Blast will fly to the West Coast to take on the Sockers at Frontwave Arena on March 8. Fierce rivals dating back to the heyday of indoor soccer in the 1980s, the Sockers and Baltimore Blast have been league-mates in the MASL since 2014, but rarely have faced one another in active play. San Diego has only faced the Blast seven times, posting a 5-2 record, including a 3-1 mark on Baltimore's reduced-size field at SECU Arena. The clubs did meet in the 2025 Ron Newman Cup Playoffs for a single match in San Diego, which the Sockers won 11-3. The all-time series dating back to the MISL sees San Diego with a 32-25 mark against Baltimore.
Baltimore (4-4-2, 14 points) enters the weekend in fifth place but just two points behind San Diego in the MASL standings table. Unsurprisingly, the Blast are 3-1-1 at home and 1-3-1 on the road. Baltimore's team identity is formed around its unusually small field size at SECU Arena, measuring 150 feet from goal wall to goal wall, and 85 feet across (Frontwave Arena is the standard 200 feet X 85 feet). As part of the new MASL standards for 2025-26, Baltimore had agreed to seek out a new home field that meets league standards within a two-season window, and will not be allowed to host playoff matches on their boutique floor. However, the club last week announced a lease renewal at TU, throwing this issue into question. The unique dimensions lend to a unique advantage: since moving to Towson University's college basketball arena to play in 2017, the Blast are 70-17-1 on their small field, and 35-42-9 away. Veteran midfielder Jonatas Melo leads Baltimore with (11-9 ) points. Julian Rodriguez is the regular starter in net, with a 5.69 GAA and .695 SV%.
Major Arena Soccer League Stories from January 23, 2026
- San Diego Sockers Match Precvew at Baltimore - San Diego Sockers
- Empire Downs Sockers 9-5 for Emotional Breakout Win - Empire Strykers
- Empire Finishes off Sockers in the Fourth Quarter 9-5 - San Diego Sockers
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