Sockers Mess with Texas Saturday
January 24, 2025 - Major Arena Soccer League (MASL)
San Diego Sockers News Release
The San Diego Sockers (8-1-0, 23 points, 2nd place), presented by Kaiser Permanente, conclude their two-game road trip in Mesquite, TX on Saturday, January 25, 5:05pm against the winless Texas Outlaws (0-7-0, 0, 12th). San Diego has found its offensive flow despite not having the same lineup available due to injury and illness. In addition, the defense is playing better and regaining the top form it has had over the past several seasons. Five Sockers are on multi-game point streaks ranging from two to six games. Texas is returning home to host San Diego after a two-game road trip. Despite being winless, the Outlaws cannot be overlooked as they gave the Sockers all they could handle when they visited Frontwave Arena last Friday in a 7-5 loss. The match will stream on MASLTV on YouTube.
KEY PLAYERS
San Diego Sockers:
Tavoy Morgan: A dynamic forward, Morgan (10-3=13) is a constant threat in the attacking third and leads the Sockers with 10 goals. His speed and finishing ability make him a nightmare for opposing defenses.
Boris Pardo: The veteran goalkeeper, who is on a 5-game win streak, is a rock for San Diego. Pardo recently surpassed 10,000 career minutes in the MASL and provides stability and experience between the pipes.
Charlie Gonzalez: Gonzalez (5-8=13) leads the Sockers in assists (8) and is the engine of their offense. His vision and playmaking ability create scoring opportunities for his teammates
Texas Outlaws:
David Stankovic: The forward was signed by the Texas Outlaws on December 16, 2024, and leads the team in scoring with 6-1=7)
Erik Macias: The talented midfielder possesses a strong shot and good vision on the field. He has four goals on the season.
Lucas Ramalho: A key offensive player with 5-2=7 and is tied for the team lead in scoring early in the season. He is not just an offensive threat; he's known for his contributions on defense as well.
STRATEGIES
San Diego Sockers:
Possession-based game: The Sockers like to control possession and dictate the tempo
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.
Texas Outlaws:
Tighten The Defense: The Outlaws have struggled defensively this season, allowing over an average of 10 goals per game. They'll need to tighten up their defense and find ways to disrupt the Sockers' rhythm.
Be Aggressive: Expect an aggressive style of play from the Outlaws. In the last match, they used a fast-paced and physical game to stay close.
Stay Disciplined: The Outlaws will need to stay disciplined to avoid giving San Diego too many power-play and easy scoring chance opportunities.
FORM
San Diego Sockers: The Sockers have an eight-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.
Texas Outlaws: Texas is getting stronger with the return of some veterans to the lineup, but has lost all seven games this season. Last week, they went 0-2 on a road trip to San Diego and Baltimore.
PREVIOUS 2024/25 MEETING
January 17, 2025: Tavoy Morgan and Charlie Gonzalez starred in San Diego's 7-5 victory over the upstart Texas before a Military Night crowd of 3,762 at Frontwave Arena.
SOCKERS LAST TIME OUT // @ EMPIRE, 7-5 WIN, JAN 20, 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. 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.
OUTLAWS LAST TIME OUT // @ BALTIMORE, 7-5 WIN, JAN 19, 2025
The Outlaws dropped a 9-3 decision to the Baltimore Blast to finish a two-game road trip after losing to San Diego 7-5 on January 17.
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.
Texas Outlaws:
The Oulaws had a bit of a rollercoaster 2023-24 MASL season finishing with an 11-13 record before losing in the first round of the playoffs to San Diego. They were an offensive threat, scoring 159 goals (3rd most in the league). Their defense struggled at times, allowing 161 goals.
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... Gontán has 1-game point streak...Have a power-play opportunity in 9 straight games...Have hat tricks in 3 of the last 4 games (Morgan, Chiles, Morgan).
LET'S GO STREAKING - INDIVIDUAL
Pardo has won 5 straight games that he has finished...Snaer-Williams has won 3 games and 2 straight he has started...Gonzalez C has scored a point in 7 of 8 games...Costa and Morgan have 6-game point streaks...Gutierrez and Mendez have 4-game point streaks...Chiles has a 2-game point streak...Morgan has 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...
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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Major Arena Soccer League Stories from January 24, 2025
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- San Diego Sockers Communications // Match Preview at Texas // 1-25, 5:05pm - San Diego Sockers
- St. Louis Ambush Battle in Baltimore, Harrisburg this Weekend - St. Louis Ambush
- Sockers Mess with Texas Saturday - San Diego Sockers
- Savage in KC for 2024 Ron Newman Cup Finals Rematch - Chihuahua Savage
- Comets Seek Redemption in RNC Finals Rematch against Savage - Kansas City Comets
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