Sockers Weekly Report
January 26, 2021 - Major Arena Soccer League (MASL)
San Diego Sockers News Release
THE LEAD
The San Diego Sockers open their road-only 2021 MASL campaign with a two-stop weekend, traveling to Kansas City for their season opener on Friday night against the Comets (1-4), before traveling to the Allen Event Center in Texas to battle the Dallas Sidekicks (0-3) on Sunday afternoon.
A unique season, influenced strongly by the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic that has particularly struck the United States with ferocity, sees the Sockers as one of seven teams currently competing for the 2021 Ron Newman Cup. Three more East Coast teams have opted in early and are looking for the opportunity to join the season, in which clubs are being asked to play a minimum of 12 and maximum of 24 games. The schedule is being announced month-by-month.
The Sockers (16-5, 2nd in the West in 2019-20) return a veteran squad with few subtractions, bolstered by several key additions from the outside. All-time leading scorer Kraig Chiles, midfielder Brian Farber, Brazilian target Leonardo de Oliveira and goalkeeper Boris Pardo form the core of a squad that has advanced to the Western Conference final four postseasons in a row.
Acquisitions of defenders Marcio Leite (Milwaukee) and Mitchell Cardenas (Mesquite) along with high-scoring midfielder Gordy Gurson (Florida) add to an already potent unit on the field. Brandon Escoto and Felipe Gonzalez return to San Diego from absences to the club, further stacking the club's talent and depth.
While the MASL began play on January 2nd, the Sockers are the sixth team to enter the action, joining KC, Dallas, St. Louis, Florida, and Tacoma. Ontario will begin their schedule next week.
Kansas City's sixth match of the season will be San Diego's first, putting the Sockers on notice right away that their match fitness will be tested. The Comets feature coach/forward Leo Gibson and veteran defender John Sosa, holdovers from Kansas City's 2014 MISL championship. Rookie Lucas Souza and young netminder Nicolau Neto are part of a young group of players that will define KC's immediate future.
The Sidekicks (0-3) will have the advantage of rest and home field against San Diego, but have gotten off to a rough start on the season, being outscored 22-10. Lipe Andrade and Freddy Moojen power the Sidekicks offense, while keeper Juan Gamboa is often put to the test.
STORYLINES
Away We Go!
Due to state and county public health restrictions relating to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Sockers will be unable to host home games during the 2021 MASL season. Instead of skipping the season, the Sockers are continuing to fight for the championship, forgoing every traditional advantage in team arena sports to play a road-only schedule. San Diego will be afforded the opportunity to play neutral site matches against clubs in a similar circumstance, road-only entrants Ontario and Tacoma. The first-such set of matches will occur in February in Florida.
Captain America Leads the Way (Again)
One of the most dominant scorers in the history of indoor soccer, Kraig Chiles enters his twelfth season in San Diego, hoping to captain the Sockers to his fifth championship. The 2019-20 MASL season being cut short by the COVID pandemic ended some notable scoring streaks for Chiles. While he still led the team in goals and scoring (22-11=33 points in 19 matches), Chiles' ten-season streak of 28 or more goals scored came to an end. A first-team all-MASL selection in 2016-17, Chiles finished with 39 goals (4th in the MASL), and 12 assists for 51 points (4th). In his eleven-year career, Chiles has 408 goals and 580 points between the PASL and MASL, the highest totals for any active player. In 2016-17, he surpassed Sockers legend Branko Segota (298) as the all-time goal-scoring leader.
Meet the Other Captain
Marcio Leite comes to the Sockers from the Milwaukee Wave, where he played since 2006 and was team captain. Leite, 36, is a three-time champion with the Milwaukee Wave, winning MISL titles in 2011 and 2012, and the MASL Ron Newman Cup in 2019. In the 2019-20 season, Leite earned First Team All-MASL honors, contributing eight goals and eighteen assists in 16 games (8-18=26 points) as the Wave went 14-6 before the suspension of play due to the COVID pandemic. In his career, Leite has featured 221 times for the Wave, scoring 162 goals with 206 assists (162-206=368 points), an average of 1.66 points per game.
Brandon's Back
After battling through injury in a troubled campaign, midfielder Brandon Escoto is back for the 2021 season, looking to re-establish himself as an elite player in the MASL. In 2019-20, Escoto, hobbled by an ankle injury suffered during the WMF World Cup, slumped to (8-10=18) points scored in 17 matches. During a breakout campaign in 2018-19, the 26-year-old Tijuana native earned all-MASL First Team honors, leading the club in scoring with 55 points (32 goals, 23 assists), while finishing second on the club in both goals and assists. In 98 career MASL games with the Sockers and Atletico Baja, "Churras" has collected 93-67=160 points, averaging just under a goal per game.
GG33 Adds Speed to the Middle
New to the Sockers this season, midfielder Gordy Gurson brings his customary burst and enthusiasm to the San Diego midfield courtesy of a three-year free agent MASL deal. Injuries cut short Gurson's 2019-20 campaign in Florida, where he was held to a career-low 11 matches, netting (8-13=21) points while helping the Tropics to the top record in the MASL Eastern Conference. Gurson is a former MASL Rookie of the Year and was fifth in goals and fourth in total points for the league in 2018-19. Over the past three seasons, Gurson has 87 goals and 53 assists in just 66 regular season games played.
Meet the New Guy
New to the Sockers this season, free agent defender Mitchell Cardenas looks to build upon San Diego's defensive depth and talent. Cardenas accrued 63 blocks in the past two seasons on the back line for Mesquite and RGV, while adding 16 goals and 16 assists in 43 games played. Bond's in the Penalty Box Already!Forward Taylor Bond will have to sit out the Sockers' season opener in Kansas City due to penalty point accumulation from the 2019-20 campaign. The one-game suspension was handed out on March 9, 2020 but was unable to be fulfilled until this week due to the COVID pandemic. Bond will be eligible for selection in Dallas on Sunday.
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Major Arena Soccer League Stories from January 26, 2021
- Sockers Weekly Report - San Diego Sockers
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