MASL San Diego Sockers

Sockers Return Home Eyeing Playoff Drive

Published on March 3, 2023 under Major Arena Soccer League (MASL)
San Diego Sockers News Release


The San Diego Sockers--presented by Kaiser Permanente San Diego--return home to begin the March to the Playoffs, taking on the Dallas Sidekicks Saturday night from Pechanga Arena in San Diego. The match is scheduled for a 7:05pm kickoff, and will be broadcast live on Fox-5 San Diego locally, and streamed live on Twitch on channel @masl_soccer. A Spanish-language broadcast will take place at Canela.tv.

The Sockers (14-2, 41 points) are back from a six-match road trip that covered the final three weekends of February. San Diego fashioned a 4-2 record on the trip, including back-to-back wins last weekend in Mexico. In doing so, the Sockers built a six-point lead in the race for the best record in the Major Arena Soccer League.

This is the fourth and final meeting between the Sockers and the Sidekicks this season, and San Diego is aiming for a four-match sweep. In the modern PASL/MASL era, the Sockers are 12-3 against Dallas. In the MASL, San Diego has a 11-1 record against the Sidekicks, including eleven straight wins. The last time Dallas beat San Diego was on December 12, 2015, a 9-7 win in Texas. Since then, the Sockers have won seven straight at the Sidekicks' home, as well as four in a row at Pechanga Arena.

Last weekend, the Sockers became the first club this season to go to Mexico and win both matches on a Chihuahua-to-Monterrey road trip. On Friday night, the Sockers went into one of the league's toughest home venues, becoming only the second club ever to emerge from Chihuahua with a regulation victory. The 9-8 result was hard-earned, as the Sockers played severely short-handed, and spotted the homestanding Savage an early 2-0 lead. Kraig Chiles paced the San Diego attack with a hat trick and assist, while Leonardo de Oliveira added a goal and two assists. On Sunday, San Diego got past the Monterrey Flash by a 6-3 final score at Arena Monterrey. Boris Pardo made 18/21 saves for his league-leading 14th win, while Chiles once again paced the offense with two goals and an assist. Ismael Rojo added a hat trick at defender.

Dallas (0-13-2) is the only winless team in the MASL, and the Sidekicks are on a franchise-record sixteen-match regular season losing streak. Beset by defections to the revived Mesquite Outlaws in the offseason, the Sidekicks have allowed 14 more goals than any other side (129), while their 69 goals scored is more than only one other (Harrisburg, 60), Dallas averages a four-goal loss. The club is led by veteran midfielder Jamie Lovegrove (8-6=14 points) and 35-year-old rookie goal scorer Alberto Rodriguez (12-1=13 points). The Sidekicks have been lifted by the return from Panama of their key offseason signing, 41-year-old former World Cup performer Blas Pérez, who has six goals in three matches. He returned with another Panamanian World Cup veteran, former Seattle Sounder Román Torres, who has one goal in two matches. Longtime veteran keeper Juan Gamboa (0-9-2, 8.07 GAA) gets little help from his field players.

Storylines

Chiles MASL Player of the Week

Sockers captain Kraig Chiles is the franchise's all-time leader in goals (450) and points (652), and is on the long approach to 400 points in the MASL (247-126=373 career, fourth-most). After tying the longest scoring drought of his career with three straight matches without a goal or assist, Chiles rallied when the team needed him most on Friday, making up for the absence of Tavoy Morgan with a hat trick and assist. He followed it up on Sunday with two more goals and an assist for a (5-2=7) point weekend, and was named MASL Offensive Player of the Week. Chiles ranks third on the club in goals (14) and points (22).

Home Again, Home Again, Jiggety Jig

The Sockers have been one of the most dominant home teams in MASL history, with a 74-6-1 all-time record. San Diego is currently 6-0 at home and riding a 16-match home winning streak. The club is 37-2-1 at home over the past four seasons. After finishing off a six-match road trip, the Sockers close out the season with six of their final eight matches at home.

Mr. 100: Boris Pardo Still on MVP Track

The defending MASL Elite VI goalkeeper and MASL Goalkeeper of the Year, 38-year-old Boris Pardo has maintained his all-league form in 2022-23. Pardo is 14-2 in sixteen starts, having played all but 60 minutes total in net this season. He leads the MASL in wins (14), GAA (3.85) and ranks T-5th in SV% (.727). All-time in MASL history, Pardo improved his career record to 105-24-7, four wins ahead of second-place William Vanzela. Pardo was the first MASL goalkeeper to reach the 100-win plateau, a feat matched by Vanzela two weeks ago. In 2021-22, Pardo led the MASL in wins (19-0-1 record) and goals-against average (4.20 GAA), while his .731 save percentage was second in the league. Pardo was even better in the playoffs, starting all seven matches and posting a 6-0-1 record, 3.36 GAA and .767 SV%. In 2018-19, Pardo won his first Goalkeeper of the Year award, winning a league-record 22 games in net (22-1 record).

Suspensions and Absences

The Sockers are without top-scoring forward Tavoy Morgan, who is concluding a three-match suspension given after the Mesquite contest. Midfielder Felipe Gonzalez collected his seventh penalty point (five blue cards, two yellow) and sits out a mandatory one-match suspension.

Power Play Plugged In

The Sockers are second in the MASL in power play conversion percentage (17-for-35, 49%). San Diego's seventeen power play goals ranks one behind Milwaukee for the most in the league (18). San Diego's penalty kill is 17-for-26 at preventing goals (65%), fourth in the league. The Sockers are tied for the MASL lead with two short-handed goals. Last year, San Diego led the MASL in both power play efficiency (27-for-45, 60%) and penalty killing efficiency (16-for-22, 73%) during the 2021-22 season. Charlie Gonzalez leads the club with four power play goals.

Leo the Pass Master

Brazilian midfielder Leonardo de Oliveira picked up three assists over the past weekend, moving into the MASL lead in the category with 18 (John Sosa, KC, 17). Last season, "Leo" led the MASL with 33 assists, earning the league's first-ever "Pass Master" award. Leo's total was six higher than second-place finisher Nick Perera. Combined with 13 goals on the season, de Oliveira's 46 points scored ranked tied for fifth in the league. Leo added his 100th career MASL goal during the season, and has 114 goals and 262 points in his indoor career, an average of 1.90 points-per-match. His 148 career assists are the fifth-most in MASL history.

Golden Gutierrez

Sockers forward Christian Gutierrez has emerged over the past three seasons as one of the preeminent two-way forwards in the MASL. In addition to being tasked with patrolling the defensive side of the floor, Gutierrez is a potent counter-attack striker who often opens up matches late in the fourth quarter, especially against the empty net. Ten of Gutierrez's fifteen goals have been scored in the fourth quarter this season. In San Diego's recent match against Tacoma, Gutierrez scored into the empty net against the six-attacker formation twice in the final two minutes, securing the victory. On the season, Gutierrez is second on the club with 15 goals and sixth with 17 points.

Electric Escoto Must Pick up the Slack

Sockers midfielder and Tijuana native Brandon Escoto was issued a two-match suspension by the MASL which kept him out of the Texas portion of the road trip, but returned with four assists on the Mexico trip, two per match. "Churras" has at least one point in all twelve matches he has played this season. A prolific and dangerous scorer, Brandon has (8-10=18) points in twelve matches played. In his career, Escoto averages almost a goal-per-match, with 135 goals scored in 143 matches played. Escoto was one of the most balanced attackers in the MASL in 2021-22, finishing in the MASL's top-10 in both goals and assists with (21-23=44) points, good for T-7th in the league.

New Guys Make an Impact

Of the three signees who traveled with San Diego to Mexico this weekend, two started on Friday and one made a major impact. Forward Irvin Mojica scored a pair of goals in his MASL debut, and the Sockers needed both of them to escape Chihuahua with a 9-8 victory. Luis Perez played in the midfield for San Diego, collecting one foul. On Thursday, the Sockers announced the signing of three new players to bolster the lineup for the weekend. San Diego signed free agent Horacio Gutierrez, a player who most recently trained with the El Paso Locomotive (USL Championship), and played a season with the NISL's Fayetteville Fury, winning the league title. Promoted from Sockers-2 was midfielder Luis Perez, who had two goals in his only MASL2 appearance this season. Signed from MASL2's Atletico Baja side, forward Irwin Mojica had ten goals and two assists in five games for the Tijuana-based franchise. All three players are available for selection this weekend.

Player Highlights

Ismael Rojo

Scored his first career Sockers hat trick on Sunday vs Monterrey

Charlie Gonzalez

Ranks fourth on the club with 13 goals and 21 points

Cesar Cerda

Leads Sockers defenders in points (4-8=12) and blocks (15)

Check out the San Diego Sockers Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



Major Arena Soccer League Stories from March 3, 2023


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central