MASL San Diego Sockers

San Diego Sockers Match Preview at Kansas City

February 5, 2025 - Major Arena Soccer League (MASL)
San Diego Sockers News Release


The San Diego Sockers (10-1-0, 28 points), presented by Kaiser Permanente, open a two-match Midwest swing against the Kansas City Comets (8-1-2, 26) on Friday, February 7, 5:05pm at Dahmer Cable Arena in Independence, MO. The game, which has both clubs looking to secure a top playoff position, will be available to watch on the CBS Sports Golazo Network. Both teams come in on winning streaks, San Diego with 10 and Kansas City with three. The contest will feature the Sockers' #1-ranked Power-play unit against the Comets' first-ranked penalty-kill squad. San Diego will look to keep its offensive attack strong with solid play from leading scorers Charlie Gonzalez and Tavoy Morgan. Supporting the offense has been Sebastian Mendez, Gabriel Costa, and Keko Gontán. The Comets are 3-0 at home against the Sockers in the MASL era.

SAN DIEGO SOCKERS

Head Coach: Phil Salvagio

Last Four: OTW W W W

Streak: W10

Away Record: 3-1-0

Leading Scorer: Gonzlz C & Morgan, 16

Leading GK: Pardo, 7-1-0, 4.04

Goals Avg: For: 6.5 / Agst: 4.2

Goal Differential: +23

Expected Goals: 5.0

Power Play%: 62% (1st)

Penalty Kill %: 75% (3rd)

Last Match: 2/2, vTAC, 4-3, OTW

KEY PLAYERS

San Diego Sockers:

Boris Pardo (Goalkeeper): A three-time MASL Goalkeeper of the Year, Pardo (7-1-0) is in top form again with a seven-game winning streak. He is third in the league with a 4.04 GAA

Kraig Chiles (Forward): The veteran captain is not showing any signs of slowing down. He is third on the team in scoring with 10-4=14 and two hat tricks. Chiles is tied for second on the team with 10 goals.

Luis Morales (Forward): Acquired from Texas in the off-season, Morales is finding his footing in San Diego. He has 10-2=12 in eight games (he missed three games, while he was away with the US National Futsal Team) and is fourth on the squad in scoring.

Kansas City Comets:

Rian Marques (Forward): The team's leading scorer (2nd in MASL) with 16-14=30 and has multiple hat-tricks this season.

Ignacio Flores (Midfielder): A key playmaker with a knack for crucial assists is second on the team in scoring with 5-10=15.

Philip Ejimadu (Goalkeeper): Known for his agility and shot-stopping abilities, he is second in the league with a 3.93 GAA and third with a .754 save percentage.

STRATEGIES

San Diego Sockers:

Offensive Pressure: Expect the Sockers to apply high pressure early on, utilizing their speed and skill to create scoring opportunities.

Possession Play: They will likely focus on maintaining possession, looking to exploit gaps in the Comets' defense.

Be Defensive: Kansas City has a formidable offense that will challenge San Diego's defense goal of keeping opponents to three or fewer goals per game.

Kansas City Comets:

Counter-Attacking: The Comets may adopt a counter-attacking strategy, using their pace on the wings to break quickly after regaining possession.

Defensive Solidity: Emphasizing strong defensive organization to withstand the Sockers' offensive onslaught, while looking for set-piece opportunities.

FORM

San Diego Sockers: The Sockers have a 10-game winning streak after an opening night loss in Tacoma. San Diego won its first road game on 1/10 in Tacoma and is 7-0-0 at home with wins over Utica City, Tacoma (2), Empire, Chihuahua, Kansas City, and Texas.

Kansas City Comets: The Comets have won three in a row and well positioned to make the MASL Playoffs.

PREVIOUS 2024/25 MEETING // @ SAN DIEGO, 7-4 WIN, JAN 15, 2025

Kraig Chiles scored a hat trick and Boris Pardo made 13 saves to help the San Diego Sockers defeat the Kansas City Comets 7-4 before 2,105 supporters at Frontwave Arena.

SOCKERS LAST TIME OUT // v TACOMA, 4-3 OT WIN, FEB 2, 2025

Kraig Chiles' golden goal at 3:25 of overtime lifted the San Diego Sockers past the Tacoma Stars (2-7-3, 8, 10th) 4-3 before 2,796 at Frontwave Arena on Sunday night. San Diego has won 10 straight and is now 7-0-0 at Frontwave Arena with two wins coming in overtime.

COMETS LAST TIME OUT // v HARRISBURG, 7-3 WIN, FEB 2, 2025

The Kansas City Comets have won three straight after defeating the Harrisburg Heat by a 7-3 scoreline on Sunday at Cable Dahmer Arena. After going scoreless for two straight, Rian Marques returned in a big way on Sunday. The Comets' talisman had a five-point performance with a hat trick and two assists.

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.

LET'S GO STREAKING - TEAM

Sockers have won 10 straight games...won 7 straight home games...won 3 straight away games...scored 4 or more goals in 11 consecutive games...scored 3 or more goals in 11 consecutive games...allowed 3 or more goals in 11 consecutive games...Have a power-play opportunity in 11 straight games...Have hat tricks in 4 of the last 6 games (Chiles & Menedez, Morgan, Chiles, Morgan).

LET'S GO STREAKING - INDIVIDUAL

Pardo has won 7 straight games...Snaer-Williams has won 3 games and 2 straight he has started...Morgan has an 8-game point streak...Chiles has a 3-game point streak...Morales has a point in 1 game...Gonzalez C has a point in 8 of the last 10 games...Costa has a point in 7 of the last 8 games......Mendez has a point in 5 of the last 6 games...Gontán has a point in 2 of the last 3 games...Ruggles & Salazar have a point in 1 of the last 2 games...Chiles and Morgan have two hat tricks this season.

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 against the Texas Outlaws 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

Twenty-four players, including the Sockers Cesar Cerda, Gabriel Costa, and Luiz Morales were named to the MASL All-Star Game, which will be played in February in Utica, NY.

THREE DOT NOTES...

The Sockers have scored two shorthanded goals this season...San Diego leads the league .615 power-play percentage (8-of-13)...The Sockers had two hat tricks in the same game vs TEX on 1/25 (Chiles & Mendez)...Travis Pittman and Eli Zamora made their season debuts on 1/17 vs Texas...Chiles had two shootout attempts (1-1) on 1/15 vs KC...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 3,095 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...Bond, Gonzalez C, and Costa each have a GWG...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 sporting event at Frontwave Arena,, including the USA vs Mexico soccer and the San Diego Clippers G League...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

Check out the San Diego Sockers Statistics



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