AROUND THE LEAGUE

by Joseph Reina

**The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the viewpoints or positions of the Major Arena Soccer League.**

@josephreina21

The Wave rallies to upset the high-flying Comets

Milwaukee’s home and season opener against Kansas City lived up to the billing as the two storied teams fought a tactical battle with the hosts taking the first of three meetings this season in memorable fashion.


Milwaukee trailed 4-1 at the end of a disastrous first quarter in which Zach Reget, Rian Marques, and the Comets ran riot. The pair directly contributed to all five of the Comets’ goals on the day, and after the first 15 minutes, it looked like the start of a rout.




The Wave adjusted and found a way to isolate Kansas City’s target forwards by taking the midfield out of the equation. The transition game Stefan Stokic favored last week faded away after the first quarter and far too often, The Comets’ only option after recovering possession was to dump it long to the forwards, who were left on an island up top. While it proved fruitful during the opening period, the shots stopped falling after that and the pair clearly struggled.


Despite also struggling to create goalscoring opportunities Milwaukee’s Ian Bennett and Max Ferdinand capitalized on a pair of defensive lapses, allowing the Wave to keep the game within reach. With the clock ticking and time running out, Oliviero’s sixth attacker proved to be the difference once again.




Ricardo Carvalho equalized with just eight seconds to spare, sending this historic rivalry into overtime, which they would go on to win thanks to a second goal from Carvalho. This was Milwaukee’s first win over Kansas City since Jan 29, 2023, another overtime win.




The win will be a galvanizing jumping-off point for the Wave, but for a Comets side with aspirations of Ron Newman Cup triumph, this uncharacteristic and early loss stings. Last week’s fast and furious wins over St. Louis already feel so distant and head coach Stefan Stokic’s goal is no doubt to right the ship in their next game against the Sidekicks this Sunday, Dec. 15, at 6:05 PM EST.


For Milwaukee, a win is a win, but Oliviero and his side will need to take a hard look in the mirror and figure out why it all went so wrong, so fast in the first place before they travel to St. Louis to face the Ambush on Sunday, Dec. 15, at 3:05 PM EST.


Stars keeps Sockers at bay in Tacoma

Just as they ended last season, the Stars managed to get the better of the Sockers, showing that this previously one-sided rivalry is one-sided no longer. Tacoma has now beaten San Diego twice in a row, a feat they have never managed in MASL history.


Two early Stars goals put San Diego squarely behind the cue ball, and while they managed to keep pace, Phil Salvagio’s side just couldn’t muster an equalizer. It was a night of missed opportunities and self-inflicted wounds for San Diego, but it doesn’t feel fully representative of their capabilities this season.


The Sockers outshot the Stars 40-20 and dominated the possession with their slow, patient style of play, similar to what we saw last season. The Sockers also made life difficult for themselves picking up three blue cards, two of which directly led to goals for Tacoma.


Though admittedly rare, when forced to press, San Diego looked dangerous, even scoring once through new signing Luiz Morales, who bagged two goals and an assist on debut. It is still way too early to point fingers or make sweeping tactical changes, but this situation is reminiscent of the one Kansas City found themselves in midway through last season. Could we see a switch to a faster, more up-tempo Sockers side? Only time will tell.




From the vanquished to the victors, Tacoma seriously looks poised to contend again this season. 38-year-old Nick Perera picked up right where he left off with three points and a thoroughly impressive showing alongside new signing Stefan Mijatovic, who finished last season on loan with the Stars. Last season’s MASL Goalkeeper of the Year, Chris Toth, was instrumental in his side’s win, with a whopping 27 saves and an 87.1% save percentage.


This rivalry has plenty at stake, especially with Chihuahua looking to retain their crown as MASL Champions. Every game and every point will be crucial if either of these two sides wants to have a chance of catching the Savage. Fresh off their win, the Stars will host Chihuahua this Sunday, Dec. 15, at 4:05 PM EST.


Tacoma beat the Savage three times last season, with all three victories coming at home, so this will be a great opportunity for Perera, Mijatovic, and the rest of the Stars to keep the momentum going and put both of their southern rivals on the back foot early in the campaign.


San Diego will christen their brand-new arena this weekend against Utica City FC. This is the first time since the 2019/20 season that the Sockers have lost their opening game, so they’ll have some extra motivation to get a win in front of a packed crowd at Frontwave Arena on Saturday, Dec. 14, at 10:05 PM EST.


Baltimore survives a late scare at home

Last season’s disappointment loomed large during the offseason in Baltimore. They finished just outside of the playoff spots despite a host of impressive upsets, but the beginning of this season provided David Bascome with an opportunity to start strong and carry momentum into a difficult trip away to Milwaukee. Though the Blast earned all three points, they struggled to put the game away, creating more questions than answers.



At several points in the contest, the Blast let Harrisburg back into the fray with some poorly defended set pieces, and marking that left a bit to be desired. In most arenas, those mistakes will often be punished. In Baltimore, it's practically a guarantee. Harrisburg scored four of their six goals in those moments, including three in the final two minutes and 15 seconds.


The Blast showed how electric their offense can be by taking a league-best 46 shots with nine different players registering a point and five of those earning at least two. New signing Bruno Henrique led the way with four assists on his debut, including this pass to set up Jesus Pacheco for Baltimore’s fourth goal.




Bascome’s side looked good, perhaps a bit rusty, but there’s every reason to believe they will clean up the sloppy mistakes and forge a new path this season. With so many games against Harrisburg and Utica, winning these regional matchups is crucial to making the playoffs. This strong start bodes well, but they’ll watch with keen eyes as Utica opens their season against Empire at the Toyota Arena on Saturday, Dec. 13, at 10:35 PM EST.