San Diego Sockers Match Preview v Tacoma
February 1, 2025 - Major Arena Soccer League (MASL)
San Diego Sockers News Release
The San Diego Sockers (9-1-0, 26 points), presented by Kaiser Permanente, host the Tacoma Stars (2-7-2, 7) on Sunday, February 2, 6:05pm at Frontwave Arena. The contest features teams that have gone in different directions since the Stars' opening-night win over San Diego. The Sockers have found their form on offense and defense leading the way to a nine-game winning streak and a 6-0-0 mark at home. Kraig Chiles, Charlie Gonzalez, Tavoy Morgan, and Sebastian Mendez have highlighted the team's offensive firepower including a season-high 10-goal output vs. Texas last week. The defense is becoming more stout as the season progresses and looks to keep teams at three goals per match as their goal. Tacoma are a tough and gritty team but have only won once since December 7. The Stars, who conclude a three-game road trip, will be without the suspended Stefan Mijatovic.
KEY PLAYERS
San Diego Sockers:
Boris Pardo: A three-time MASL Goalkeeper of the Year, Pardo (6-1-0) is in top form again with a six-game winning streak and a 4.21 GAA.
Gabriel Costa: Costa is a dynamic offensive player with exceptional skills and a knack for scoring goals.
Keko Gontán: The Spanish international brings experience and skill to the Sockers' attack.
Tacoma Stars:
Nick Perera: Tacoma's leading scorer (8-7=15) is the heart and soul of the Stars' offense and a constant threat to score or create opportunities.
Chris Toth: One of the top goalkeepers in MASL history, Toth's experience and shot-stopping ability are vital for the Stars' defense. He enters with a 5.11 GAA and 1-5-2 record.
Michael Ramos: A versatile player who contributes both offensively and defensively, Ramos' all-around game is important for the Stars and he is second on the team in scoring with 6-4=10.
STRATEGIES
San Diego Sockers:
Defense First & Control Perera: The Sockers must continue to maintain their defensive form and will need to keep Perera under control
Quick Transitions: San Diego is dangerous on the counter-attack and can quickly turn defense into offense.
Set-piece Mastery: They have also excelled at scoring from set pieces, especially direct free kicks.
Tacoma Stars:
High Press: The Stars might adopt a more aggressive approach, pressing high up the pitch to disrupt the Sockers' build-up play
Control the Midfield: They will need to rely on their midfield to control the Sockers' transition offense and create their own scoring opportunities
Defensive Resilience: Maintaining a strong defensive line and capitalizing on counter-attacks will be crucial for the Stars
FORM
San Diego Sockers: The Sockers have a nine-game winning streak after an opening night loss in Tacoma. San Diego won its first road game on 1/10 in Tacoma and is 6-0-0 at home with wins over Utica City, Tacoma (2), Empire, Chihuahua, Kansas City, and Texas.
Tacoma Stars: The Stars started their season with a 5-4 win over the Sockers, but have struggled since then.
PREVIOUS 2024/25 MEETING // @TACOMA, 9-5 W, JAN 10, 2025
Drew Ruggles notched a hat trick, and four others had two points each to pace the San Diego Sockers to a 9-5 victory over the Tacoma Stars (1-5-1, 4) at the accesso ShoWare Center in Kent, WA.
SOCKERS LAST TIME OUT // @ TEXAS, 10-3 WIN, JAN 25, 2025
The Sockers offense continued to roll and the defense was in top form in a 7-5 victory over the Empire Strykers at Toyota Arena in Ontario, CA. Kraig Chiles (3-0=3), Sebastian Mendez (2-1=3), and Keko Gontán (1-2=3) had three points each. Xavier Snaer-Williams (3-0-0) earned the win with 15 saves in his second start of the season in goal.
STARS LAST TIME OUT // @ CHIHUAHUA, 4-1 LOSS, JAN 31, 2025
The Stars dropped a 4-1 decision to the Savage on Friday night in Mexico. The game was tied at 1-1 entering the final period before Chihuahua scored three goals for the win.
2023/24 TEAM 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 8 straight games...won 6 straight home games...won 2 straight away games...scored 4+ goals in 9 consecutive games...scored 3+ goals in 9 consecutive games...allowed 3+ goals in 9 consecutive games... k...Have a power-play opportunity in 10 straight games...Have hat tricks in 4 of the last 5 games (Chiles & Menedez, Morgan, Chiles, Morgan).
LET'S GO STREAKING - INDIVIDUAL
Pardo has won 6 straight games...Snaer-Williams has won 3 games and 2 straight he has started...Gonzalez C has scored a point in 8 of 9 games...Costa and Morgan have 7-game point streaks...Mendez has a 5-game point streak...Chiles has a 3-game point streak...Gontán has a 2-game point streak...Ruggles & Salazar have 1-game point streaks...Chiles and Morgan have two hat tricks this season.
PARDO NAMED WEEK 8 GOALKEEPER OF THE WEEK
Boris Pardo made 20 saves over two games allowing just seven, and achieved a MASL milestone by playing 10,000 minutes in goal. He became the first goalkeeper in league history to reach that mark.
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 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 3,145 at Frontwave Arena (1,587 last year in their final season at Pechanga Arena)...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 in its short history, 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
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