Sockers and Empire Tangle at Frontwave
March 21, 2025 - Major Arena Soccer League (MASL)
San Diego Sockers News Release
The San Diego Sockers (17-4-0, 48, 2nd), presented by Kaiser Permanente, return home after a three-game road trip to face the Empire Strykers (11-9-1, 33, 6th) on Saturday, March 22, at 7:05pm at Frontwave Arena in the first of a weekend home-and-home series. San Diego looks to rebound and stay in the hunt for the top MASL playoff seed against an Empire squad fighting for a postseason spot. The Sockers will be without leading scorer Tavoy Morgan (26-7=33) as he serves a red-card suspension, as well as a key midfielder in Gabriel Costa with a lower-body injury. Xavier Snaer-Williams (6-1-0, 4.59 GAA) is expected to step-in as the starting goalkeeper while Boris Pardo continues his recovery from a lower-body injury. The Strykers, anchored by Robert Palmer's team-leading 44 blocks and powered by an in-form Justin Stinson (23-9=32) netting four goals in his last two appearances, aim to hand San Diego its first home loss of the season. The squads will battle on Sunday afternoon in Ontario.
KEY PLAYERS
San Diego:
Luis Ortega: A dynamic defensive asset for the Sockers marked his return from injury with a brace against Chihuahua
Kraig Chiles: San Diego's veteran captain, second in team scoring (19-7&), will be tasked with leading the offense in Morgan's absence. He reached the 500 career goal milestone on March 9 in Kansas City.
Charlie Gonzalez: The Sockers' midfield playmaker (11-19=30) will return to the lineup Saturday after missing the previous match in Mexico due to visa issues. He is tied for the league lead with 19 assists (Puentes, Lovegrove and Marques).
Empire:
Marco Fabian: One of the league's most prolific midfielders (24-16@) leads his team in both goals and points.
Brian Orozco: An attack-minded goalkeeper with strong shot-stopping ability, posting a 4.78 GAA.
Mounir Alami: A well-rounded forward who continues to deliver consistent performances (15-9=24).
STRATEGIES
San Diego:
Next-Man-Up: With Tavoy Morgan suspended, the Sockers need others to step up offensively. The attack must stay sharp to keep the goals coming.
Defensive Discipline: The Sockers must stay compact defensively to contain Empire's attack. Limiting dangerous playmakers like Justin Stinson and Marco Fabian will be key.
Right At Home: San Diego will continue to feed off the home crowd's energy to stay aggressive and control the tempo. Use familiarity with the turf to dictate play and keep Empire on the back foot.
Empire:
High Press: The Empire Strykers will use a high press to disrupt passing lanes and force turnovers, with quick rotations to keep their intensity relentless.
Star Players: The Strykers will look to build their attack around key playmakers, ensuring they get the ball in dangerous areas. Off-the-ball runs and decoy movements aim to create space to break down San Diego's defense.
Six Attackers?: Empire uses fluid attacking movements, with midfielders and forwards constantly swapping roles. The Strykers' defenders and goalkeeper will push into the midfield to overload key areas and spark attacking opportunities.
FORM
San Diego: The Sockers have won 17 of their last 20 games and are undefeated at home.
Empire: The Strykers have won 3 of their last 4 matches.
SAN DIEGO SOCKERS
Head Coach: Phil Salvagio
Last Four: L W W W
Streak: L1
Home Record: 10-0-0
Leading Scorer: Morgan, 26-7=33
Leading GK: Pardo, 11-2-0, 4.39
Goals Avg: For: 6.0 / Agst: 4.9
Goal Differential: +24
Expected Goals: 5.9
Power Play%: 46%
Penalty Kill %: 72%
Last Match: 3/22, @CUU, 12-2, L
EMPIRE STRYKERS
Head Coach: Onua Obasi
Last Four: W L W W
Streak: W1
Away Record: 4-6-0
Leading Scorer: Fabian, 24-16@
Leading GK: Orozco, 7-2-0, 4.78
Goals Avg: For: 6.6 / Agst: 5.7
Goal Differential: +19
Expected Goals: 5.7
Power Play%: 33%
Penalty Kill %: 55%
Last Match: 3/7, @TAC, 7-6, W
SOCKERS LAST TIME OUT // at CHIHUAHUA,12-2 LOSS, MARCH 14, 2025
The San Diego Sockers (17-4-0, 48) were trounced by the Chihuahua Savage (18-4-0, 52) 12-2 at Corner Sport Arena.
STRYKERS LAST TIME OUT // at TACOMA, 7-6 WIN, MARCH 7, 2025
Backline anchor Robert Palmer continued his hot form for the Empire Strykers on March 7, scoring a goal and adding an assist to help his side earn a critically important 7-6 away win over the Tacoma Star
LET'S GO STREAKING - TEAM
Sockers have won 17 of 20 games...have won 10 straight home games...have won 7 of the last 10 away games...have scored 4 or more goals in 20 of 21 games...have scored 3 or more goals in 20 of 21 games...have allowed 3 or more goals in 20 of last 21 games...have a power-play opportunity in 19 of last 21 games...have a penalty-kill opportunity in 11 consecutive games.
LET'S GO STREAKING - INDIVIDUAL
Morgan has multi-goal games in three of the last four...Morgan has a goal in 8 of his last 9 games...Morgan has an 18-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 9 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 18 games...Ruggles has a goal in 3 of the last 4 games...Ruggles has a point in 8 of the last 12 games...Quintana has a point in 1 of 2 games...Pardo has won 11 of his last 13 games...Snaer-Williams has won 6 of the 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 MASL Goals, 3
KAPTAIN KRAIG REACHES 500 CAREER GOAL MILESTONE
Kraig Chiles 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...
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 21, 2025
- Wave Clinch Playoffs With Win Over Blast - Milwaukee Wave
- Sockers Sign Veteran GK Waltman - San Diego Sockers
- Sockers and Empire Tangle at Frontwave - San Diego Sockers
- Utica City Clinches Playoff Spot With Win Over Harrisburg - Utica City FC
- Playoff Berth, Positioning at Stake as Empire Faces Sockers Twice - Empire Strykers
- Heat Travel to Utica City Friday Night - Harrisburg Heat
- St. Louis Ambush Headed for Texas Showdown Saturday - St. Louis Ambush
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