San Diego Sockers Match Preview at Chiihuahua
March 12, 2025 - Major Arena Soccer League (MASL)
San Diego Sockers News Release
The San Diego Sockers (17-3-0, 48, 2nd), presented by Kaiser Permanente, will travel across the border one last time to clash with the first-place Chihuahua Savage (17-4-0, 49, 1st) on Friday, March 14, at 7:00pm at Corner Sports Arena. These two powerhouses are locked in a battle for the coveted MASL Shield as they meet in the highly anticipated playoff-seeding matchup. The Sockers' defense aims to stand firm against Chihuahua's high-powered attack coming off a 12-block defensive effort against Kansas City. San Diego is expected to start Xavier Snaer-Williams in goal, replacing the injured Boris Pardo (lower body). The X-Man has a 6-1-0 record with a 4.62 GAA. Veteran forward Kraig Chiles (19-7&) is in top form with four goals in his last two games. San Diego will be without Charlie Gonzalez (visa) and Cesar Cerda (suspended-penalty points). The Savage look to maintain their top spot behind Jorge Rios (29-17=46), the MASL's top scorer and points leader. Playmaking forward Hugo Puentes, the team's assist leader (21-19@), remains a key piece of the league's most prolific attack.
SAN DIEGO SOCKERS
Head Coach: Phil Salvagio
Last Four: W W W W
Streak: W6
Away Record: 7-3-0
Leading Scorer: Morgan, 26-6=32
Leading GK: Pardo, 11-2-0, 4.39
Goals Avg: For: 6.2 / Agst: 4.5
Goal Differential: +34
Expected Goals: 5.5
Power Play%: 50%
Penalty Kill %: 70%
Last Match: 3/9, @KC, 7-3, W
CHIHUAHUA SAVAGE
Head Coach: Edgar Martinez
Last Four: W W L W
Streak: W2
Home Record: 11-0-0
Leading Scorer: Rios, 29-17=46
Leading GK: Reynoso, 11-2-0, 4.52
Goals Avg: For: 9.2 / Agst: 4.9
Goal Differential: +90
Expected Goals: 6.8
Power Play%: 39%
Penalty Kill %: 78%
Last Match: 3/7, vKC, 9-4, W
KEY PLAYERS
San Diego:
Tavoy Morgan: The explosive forward is on a tear, scoring in his past eight appearances, leaving him fourth in the league for goals (26-6=32). He is currently on a 16-game point streak and has multi-goal games in his last three.
Gabriel Costa: The dynamic midfielder continues to put together solid performances, with three points in his last three games.
Rojo Brothers: The Sockers expect to have Ismael and Juan Manuel Rojo in the lineup since they are residents and can play for the team only in Mexico.
Chihuahua:
Bryan Macias: The talented midfielder is fifth on the team in scoring with 10-14=24.
Diego Reynoso: The veteran keeper, who is good with his feet, is fourth in the MASL with a 4.52 GAA.
Jaime Alejandro Romero: He is dangerous on both sides of the pitch, leading the Savage with 31 blocks while putting away 17 goals.
STRATEGIES
San Diego:
All In: The Sockers must prioritize smart game management on the road, minimizing turnovers and unnecessary risks. With a focused, all-in mentality, they aim to stay composed in high-pressure moments and finish strong as they build momentum for the playoffs.
Capitalize On Set-Pieces: The Sockers will diversify set-piece tactics to create scoring chances and target their strong offensive players on corners and free kicks.
Possession And Pressure: The Sockers will focus on maintaining possession and use high-pressure defensively to slow down the Savage attack and limit quality scoring chances on the small field.
Chihuahua:
Score, Score, Score: The Savage, with the league's highest GFA at 9, will look to overwhelm the Sockers with an onslaught of goals.
The Engine Room: The Savage will count on Hugo Puentes to control the tempo and link defense to attack while using physicality and speed in midfield to dominate possession and limit the Socker's attacking threats.
Limit Possession: The Savage will press high to disrupt build-up play and force turnovers. They'll counter quickly to create immediate scoring chances on the smaller field at Corner Sport Arena.
FORM
San Diego: The Sockers have won 17 of their last 18 games and have won seven of their last nine road games.
Chihuahua: The Savage are on a two-game winning streak and are 11-0-0 at home.
SOCKERS LAST TIME OUT // at KANSAS CITY 7-3 WIN, MARCH 9, 2025
The San Diego Sockers (17-3-0, 48) played stellar defense and got two goals apiece from Kraig Chiles and Tavoy Morgan to defeat the Kansas City Comets (13-4-2, 41) 7-3 for their first-ever win at Cable Dahmer Arena.
SAVAGE LAST TIME OUT // vs KANSAS CITY 9-4 WIN, MARCH 7, 2025
The Savage defeated the depleted Kansas City Comets 9-4 at Corner Sport Arena.
LET'S GO STREAKING - TEAM
Sockers have won 17 of 19 games...have won 10 straight home games...have won 7 of the last 9 away games...have scored 4 or more goals in 20 consecutive games...have scored 3 or more goals in 20 straight games...have allowed 3 or more goals in 19 of last 20 games...have a power-play opportunity in 18 of last 20 games...have a penalty-kill opportunity in 10 consecutive games...Have a sixth-attacker goal for in 1 match...Have allowed a sixth-attacker goal in 1 game
LET'S GO STREAKING - INDIVIDUAL
Morgan has multi-goal games in three straight...Morgan has an 8-game goal streak...Morgan has a 17-game point streak...Morales has a 2-game goal streak...Morales has a 6-game point streak...Chiles has a goal in 10 of 11 games...Chiles has points in 10 of 11 games...De Oliveira has a point in 6 of his last 8 games...Cerda has a point in 4 of 5 games...Gonzalez C has a point in 17 of the last 18 games...Costa has a point in 13 of the last 17 games...Ruggles has a 3-game goal streak...Ruggles has a point in 8 of the last 11 games...Quintana has a point in 1 game...Pardo has won 11 of his last 13 games...Snaer-Williams has won 6 of last 7 games he has played in and 3 of 4 straight that he has started
MASL MILESTONES WITHIN REACH (Complete List On The Next Page)
Cesar Cerda, 100 Assists, 1; Chiles, 300 Goals, 3
PARDO NAMED WEEK 14 GOALKEEPER OF THE WEEK - MARCH 3
Boris Pardo was named the MASL Goalkeeper Of The Week for his performance against the Tacoma Stars with 17 saves and two assists.
SOCKERS UNVEIL NEW NAVY BLUE TURF
As part of the preparations for hosting the MASL Ron Newman Cup Playoffs, the Sockers and Frontwave Arena unveiled their new navy blue turf on February 16 vs Chihuahua. The turf features the Sockers script logo in white in the center circle. Both goal boxes are white with a FAN CLB, a team partner, logo in black. Click for photos.
THREE PLAYERS REACH MASL MILESTONES IN THE SAME GAME
Gabriel Costa, Tavoy Morgan, and Drew Ruggles reached milestones during the February 16 match vs. Chihuahua. Morgan hit the 150-career goal mark. Ruggles reached the 150-career point mark. Costa tallied his 50th assist.
PARDO REACHES MASL GK MILESTONE - 10,000 GK MINUTES PLAYED
Boris Pardo became the first goalkeeper in MASL history to play 10,000 minutes. He achieved the accomplishment on 1/17 vs. Texas at 3:36 of the third quarter. He would leave the game after playing 37:01 and making seven saves on 10 shots.
MORGAN HITS 200 CAREER POINTS
Tavoy Morgan scored his 200th career point with a goal on January 5 against the Chihuahua Savage.
LEO REACHES 300 CAREER POINTS
Leo DeOliveira hit the 300 career point mark on January 20 with an assist on Gontán's first-period goal vs. Empire.
CERDA, COSTA & MORALES NAMED MASL ALL-STARS
Cesar Cerda, Gabriel Costa, and Luiz Morales were named to the MASL All-Star Game, which was played on 2/12 in Utica, NY. However, the trio did not participate due to travel to Chihuahua for the 2/14 match.
SOCKERS 2023/24 SEASON REVIEW
The Sockers had a strong 2023/24 season, finishing with an impressive record of 18 wins, 5 losses, and 1 overtime loss, securing 52 points, and clinching the Western Division regular-season title. This performance highlighted their dominance in the league, continuing their legacy as one of the most successful teams in history.
THREE DOT NOTES...
Quintana tallied his first point as a Socker with an assist on 3/9 at KC...Earned their first-ever win at KC's Cable Dahmer Arena on 3/9...Pardo was named GK of the Week for week 12...Chiles is 3/4 on shootouts, he converted on 3/7 at STL, on 3/1 at TAC, and had two shootout attempts (1/2) on 1/15 vs KC...Christian Gutierrez (200) and Gabriel Costa (50) reached career games played milestones on 3/1 vs MWE...Acquired All-Star defender Kristian Quintana in a trade with Dallas on 2/27...Cerda was named Defensive Player of the Week, Week 12, 5 Blocks...Chiles and Morgan have two hat tricks this season...The Sockers are 1/3 on PK's (Chiles 2/16 (goal), Gonzalez C 2/8 & Chiles 2/2)...had a 10-game winning streak from 12/14-2/7...The Sockers have scored two shorthanded goals this season, while allowing two...The Sockers had two hat tricks in the same game vs TEX on 1/25 (Chiles & Mendez)...Eddie Velez made his season debut on 2/7 at KC...Travis Pittman and Eli Zamora made their season debuts on 1/17 vs Texas...Seven players, the most this season, had an assist at Tacoma on 1/10...San Diego has six hat tricks this season (Mendez 1/25, Chiles 1/25, Morgan 1/17 & 1/5, Ruggles 1/10 & Morales 12/4)...The Sockers are averaging 2,876 fans at Frontwave Arena (1,587 last year in their final season at Pechanga Arena)...Pardo earned MASL GK of the Week honors for week 8...Snaer-Williams earned MASL GK of the Week honors for week 5...Sebastian Mendez notched his first point as a Socker with an assist against Tacoma on 12/10...Former Sockers Emmanuel Aquirre, Gerardo Jurado, and Andy Reyes return to San Diego to face their old teammates...The crowd of 4,508 on 12/14/24 (home opener) was the largest ever to watch a soccer match at Frontwave Arena and the second highest in history behind the SD Clippers G-League game with a sellout of 5,500 on 2/8...The season-opening loss in Tacoma was the first since 1/29/21 at Kansas City...During the off-season. the Sockers acquired M Sebastian Mendez and F Luiz Morales from Texas...Returning to San Diego are F Taylor Bond (UCFC), M Travis Pittman (Free Agent), and D Ben Ramin (Milwaukee)...Other free agent signings include Spanish international M/F Keko Gontán and D Eli Zamora...Brandon Escoto is away from the team due to immigration issues, but is playing with the Sockers2. He can play in any Sockers games in Mexico.
Major Arena Soccer League Stories from March 12, 2025
- Stars Sweep Through Texas, Tops Outlaws 12-4 - Tacoma Stars
- Wave Take on Rival Comets in KC Friday Night - Milwaukee Wave
- San Diego Sockers Match Preview at Chiihuahua - San Diego Sockers
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