San Diego Sockers Playoff Match Preview v Empire
April 3, 2025 - Major Arena Soccer League (MASL)
San Diego Sockers News Release
The San Diego Sockers (20-4-0, 57, 2nd) - presented by Kaiser Permanente - are set to play their rivals in the first round of the playoffs, the Empire Strykers (12-10-2, 37, 7th) on Friday, April 4, at 7:30pm at Frontwave Arena. San Diego is locked into the 2nd seed in the MASL playoffs and looks to continue their form to the Ron Newman Cup. Sockers veterans, led by Kraig Chiles (24-8=32), delivered against Tacoma and will play a crucial role in their postseason push. Empire secured the 7th seed, with top scorer Justin Stinson (32-11=43) aiming to lead the Strykers on a deep playoff run after ending the regular season with a hat trick. Empire has yet to defeat San Diego (0-5) this season and will look to break through in their most crucial matchup of the season. The Sockers lead the all-time playoff record at 4-2, with the latest series win coming in the 2021 Covid season. San Diego won the series 2-1, with a mini-game win to secure the team's 15th indoor championship.
SAN DIEGO SOCKERS
Head Coach: Phil Salvagio
Last Four: W W W L
Streak: W3
Home Record: 13-0-0
Leading Scorer: Gonzalez C, 16-20=35
Leading GK: Pardo, 12-2-0, 4.38
Goals Avg: For: 6.3 / Agst: 5
Goal Differential: +33
Expected Goals: 6.2
Power Play%: 43%
Penalty Kill %: 76%
Last Match: 3/30, vTAC, 7-2, W
EMPIRE STRYKERS
Head Coach: Onua Obasi
Last Four: W OTL L W
Streak: W1
Away Record: 5-5-2
Leading Scorer: Stinson, 32-11=43
Leading GK: Orozco, 8-3-0, 5.01
Goals Avg: For: 6.9 / Agst: 6
Goal Differential: +20
Expected Goals: 6
Power Play%: 29%
Penalty Kill %: 56%
Last Match: 3/29, @TEX, 11-6, W
KEY PLAYERS
San Diego:
Christian Gutierrez: The in-form midfielder has hit his stride, netting 3 goals in his last two games.
Leonardo De Oliveira: A vital playmaker for the Sockers, ranking second in assists on the team (19), with six in his last three games.
Boris Pardo: Returned from injury with a lockdown performance against Tacoma, proving to be a key leader for the Sockers heading into the playoffs.
Empire:
Marco Fabian: A veteran midfielder for the Strykers, ranking second on the team in points (25-16=41), consistently delivering strong performances each week.
Robert Palmer: A lockdown defender and defensive anchor, leading Empire with 51 blocks.
Jorge DeLeon: An attack-minded midfielder showcased his scoring prowess last game, netting a hat-trick.
STRATEGIES
San Diego:
Clinical: Make the most of key opportunities to build a comfortable lead early on. Finishing efficiently will help avoid a late-game battle and keep control of the match.
In The Transition: Quickly transition from defense to attack to capitalize on turnovers and catch Empire off guard. With Empire's reliance on a sixth attacker, a fast-paced counter can exploit defensive gaps and create prime scoring chances for San Diego.
Use The Advantage: Leverage the home crowd's energy to set the tone and maintain control in the high-stakes playoff atmosphere. Use familiarity with the field to capitalize on key moments and gain an edge in the pursuit of postseason success.
Empire:
Set Pieces: Maximize opportunities from free kicks and corners, utilizing well-rehearsed plays to create goal-scoring chances against a disciplined Sockers defense.
Press, Press, Press: Disrupt San Diego's buildup by pressing high up the field, forcing turnovers in dangerous areas to create quick scoring chances.
Be Careful: Apply controlled aggression with the extra attacker to overload the Sockers' defense while staying defensively aware to avoid costly counterattacks.
FORM
San Diego: The Sockers have won 21 of their last 24 games and are undefeated at home.
Empire: The Strykers have won 2 of their last 4 games.
SOCKERS LAST TIME OUT // vs TACOMA, 7-2 WIN, MARCH 30, 2025
Kraig Chiles and Christian Gutierrez scored a brace each in the San Diego Sockers (20-4-0, 57, 2nd) victory against Tacoma Stars (10-11-3, 32, 8th) in front of a record 4,298 witnesses. Eduardo Velez retired after 19 years of indoor soccer.
EMPIRE LAST TIME OUT // at DALLAS, 11-6 WIN, MARCH 29, 2025
The Strykers travelled to Dallas to take on the Sidekicks (6-18-0) and came out victorious to end their regular season on a good note.
LET'S GO STREAKING - TEAM
have won 12 straight home games...have won 9 of the last 12 away games...have scored 4 or more goals in 23 of 24 games...have scored 3 or more goals in 23 of 24 games...have allowed 3 or more goals in 22 of last 24 games...have a power-play opportunity in 22 of last 24 games...have a penalty-kill opportunity in 13 consecutive games.
LET'S GO STREAKING - INDIVIDUAL
Morgan has multi-goal games in three of the last five...Morgan has a goal in 8 of his last 10 games...Morgan has a point in 18 of his last 19 matches...Chiles has a goal in 13 of 14 games...Chiles has points in 13 of 14 games...De Oliveira has a point in 9 of his last 12 games...Cerda has a point in 5 of 7 games...Gonzalez C has a point in 19 of the last 21 games...Costa has a point in 14 of the last 19 games...Ruggles has a goal in 5 of the last 7 games...Ruggles has a point in 11 of the last 15 games...Pardo has won 12 of his last 14 games...Snaer-Williams has won 7 of his last 8 games he has played in and 4 of 5 that he has started... Waltman has won 1 game.
WALTMAN GETS WIN IN SOCKERS' DEBUT
Veteran goalkeeper Danny Waltman made his Sockers' debut on March 23 against the Strykers, and he earned the win by making 20 saves, with some big ones at key times. He faced 28 Empire shots. He also played the second half of the season finale against Tacoma, making seven saves and not allowing a goal.
GONZALEZ & CERDA REACH MASL CAREER MILESTONES ON MARCH 22
Charlie Gonzalez reached the 100-point milestone with his five-point performance on 3/22 vs Empire. Cesar Cerda had two assists in the same game to reach the 100-assist milestone.
KAPTAIN KRAIG REACHES 300 CAREER MASL GOALS ON MARCH 22 & 500 CAREER GOAL MILESTONE ON MARCH 9
Kraig Chiles reached the 300 career MASL goal honor with his two-goal performance against the Strykers on March 23. He had previously reached the 500 career goal milestone on March 9 in Kansas City. His power-play goal at 12:11 of the fourth gave him the mark. He has played in the PASL and MISL. He is only three away from 300 career MASL goals.
SNAER-WILLIAMS AND PARDO WIN BACK-TO-BACK GOALKEEPER OF THE WEEK HONORS
Xavier Snaer-Williams (Week 15) and Boris Pardo (Week 14) were named the MASL Goalkeeper Of The Week in back-to-back weeks.
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...
The crowd of 4,928 on March 30 was the largest soccer crowd ever at Frontwave (previous high 4,643 on 3/22/25 - home opener) and the second highest in arena history behind the SD Clippers G-League game with a sellout of 5,500 on 2/8 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 5/6 on shootouts, he converted on two on 3/23 at EMP, 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 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.
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