Sockers Hit the Road to Empire
January 19, 2025 - Major Arena Soccer League (MASL)
San Diego Sockers News Release
The San Diego Sockers (7-1-0, 20 points, T-2nd place), presented by Kaiser Permanente, begin a two-game road trip as they travel up the I-15 to challenge the Empire Strykers (5-5-0, 15, 6th) on Monday, January 20, 6:35pm at Toyota Arena. The meeting is the second of five this season with San Diego earning a 4-3 win on December 28 at Frontwave Arena in the first matchup. Both teams enter the contest on winning streaks, San Diego with seven in a row and Empire with two straight. Under new head coach Onua Obasi, the Strykers have a mix of seasoned players and young talents playing at a .500 pace. The Sockers' defense, which still needs to tighten up even more, will need to contain Marco Fabián, Justin Stinson, and Mounir Alamio's offensive firepower. Speaking of offense, San Diego is finding their stride by scoring 29 goals in the past four games. Seventeen different players have a point for the team this season. The rivalry match will be broadcast live on CBS Sports Golazo Network.
SAN DIEGO SOCKERS
Head Coach: Phil Salvagio
Last Four: W W W W
Streak: W7
Away Record: 1-1-0
Leading Scorer: Gonzalez, C, 5-8=13
Leading GK: Pardo, 5-1-0, 4.54
Goals Avg: For: 6.9 / Agst: 4.3
Goal Differential: +13
Expected Goals: 6.5
Power Play%: 50%
Penalty Kill %: 78%
Last Match: 1/17, vTEX, 7-5, W
EMPIRE STRYKERS
Head Coach: Onua Obasi
Last Four: W W L L
Streak: W2
Home Record: 3-1-0
Leading Scorer: Fabián, 14-4=18
Leading GK: Orozco, 2-1-0, 4.90
Goals Avg: For: 6.2 / Agst: 6.1
Goal Differential: +1
Expected Goals: 5.3
Power Play%: 13%
Penalty Kill %: 71%
Last Match: 1/18, @STL, 7-5, W
KEY PLAYERS
San Diego Sockers:
Charlie Gonzalez: Charlie is on a roll with a 7-game point streak. He has been a catalyst to the club's winning streak.
Sebastian Mendez: Is finding his place on the team after being signed in the offseason from Texas. After a slow start, he has a 3-game point streak and has 3-3=6.
Boris Pardo: Pardo became the first MASL GK to play 10,000 minutes on 1/17 at 3:36 of the third period. vs Texas. He is on a five-game winning streak in games in which he has started and finished.
Empire Strykers:
Marco Fabián: The former Mexican international has a wealth of experience playing at high levels, including the FIFA World Cup and Major League Soccer. The highly skilled and accomplished attacking midfielder leads the team in scoring with 14-4=18.
Justin Stinson: The midfielder is second on the team in scoring with 10-6=16.
Andy Reyes: The former Socker defender is contributing on offense with 3-7=10.
STRATEGIES
San Diego Sockers:
Possession-based game: The Sockers like to control possession and dictate the tempo to keep the Strykers from quick counters and offset their high-pressure.
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 free kicks.
Empire Strykers:
Fast-paced, Counter-attacking Style: The Strykers like to win the ball in midfield and quickly transition into attack.
Reliance On Fabián: Their offense often revolves around Fabián's creativity and scoring ability.
Aggressive Goalkeeping: They sometimes use their goalkeepers as an extra attacker to create numerical advantages.
FORM
San Diego Sockers: The Sockers have a seven-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.
Empire Strykers: Empire has won two in a row, after dropping two. They have not won more than two straight or lost more than two consecutive matches to have an even record at 5-5-0.
PREVIOUS 2024/25 MEETINGS
December 28, 2024: Goalkeeper Xavier Snaer-Williams earned a win in his first start of the season and Charlie Gonzalez added a goal and an assist to pace the San Diego Sockers (3-1-0, 8) to a 4-3 victory over the Empire Strykers (2-3-0, 6) before 3,435 at Frontwave Arena.
SOCKERS LAST TIME OUT // v TEXAS, 7-5 WIN, JAN 17, 2025
Tavoy Morgan and Charlie Gonzalez starred in San Diego's 7-5 victory over the upstart Texas Outlaws (0-6-0, 0) before a Military Night crowd of 3,762 at Frontwave Arena. Boris Pardo became the first goalkeeper in MASL history to record 10,000 minutes in goal. He reached the milestone at 3:36 of the third quarter.
STRYKERS LAST TIME OUT // @ ST. LOUIS, 7-5 WIN, JAN 18, 2025
The Strykers defeated the St. Louis Ambush 7-5 away from home on Saturday. Empire got a trio of points each by Marco Fabián and Abdul Mansaray as well as a brace by defender Andy Reyes and a pair of helpers from backstop Claysson De Lima.
2023/24 TEAM REVIEW
San Diego Sockers:
The San Diego 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.
Empire Strykers:
The 2023-24 season was a difficult one for the Empire Strykers as they finished with a 3-2-19 record, placing them last in the Western Conference. The emergence of Marco Fabián and the potential for future growth offer reasons for optimism for this year.
LET'S GO STREAKING - TEAM
Sockers have won 7 straight games...won 6 straight home games...won 1 away game....scored 4+ goals in 8 consecutive games...scored 3+ goals in 8 consecutive games...allowed 3+ goals in 8 consecutive games...Power play opportunity in 8 straight games...Have hat tricks in 3 straight games (Morgan, Chiles, Morgan).
LET'S GO STREAKING - INDIVIDUAL
Pardo has won 5 straight games that he has finished...Snaer-Williams has won 2 games...Gonzalez C has a 7-game point streak...Costa and Morgan have 5-game point streaks...Gutierrez and Mendez have 3-game point streaks...Chiles has a 2-game point streak...Morgan has a hat trick in 1 game and 2-of-3.
PARDO REACHES MASL GK MILESTONE
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 POINTS
Tavoy Morgan scored his 200th career point with a goal on January 5 against the Chihuahua Savage.
MILESTONES WITHIN REACH
Leo DeOliveira sits at 299 career points.
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...
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 three hat tricks this season (Morales 12/7, Morgan 1/5 & Ruggles 1/10)...The Sockers are averaging 3,021 at Frontwave Arena (1,587 last year in their final season at Pechanga Arena) in their first four games...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...Eddie Velez is the only rostered player not to suit up for a game...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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