AROUND THE LEAGUE: OPENING WEEKEND

by Joseph Reina

It appears that the league we love so much might love us back even more. After what feels like the longest offseason in sports, the MASL wasted no time getting right to the good stuff. Chaos, beauty, and the parity we hoped for seem to be coming true.

Welcome back to Around The League, your home for numbers and nuance from the past week of action in the Major Arena Soccer League. We’ll start today with the shock result of the weekend, down at Frontwave Arena in San Diego.

Empire Strykes Back

After 15 consecutive losses to their Southern California rivals, the Strykers finally took down the Sockers. This massive result, on the road, to open the season, proves Obasi-Ball has taken the strides necessary during the offseason and sets the tone for an incredibly promising season.

Empire came out of the gates flying, with a high-tempo attack that prioritized rapid shot creation rather than circuitous ball movement. Mounir Alami’s high-press and intelligent positioning caused a turnover that he promptly fired home before Marco Fabián converted a free kick to give the Strykers the lead. They took 11 of their 23 shots in the first quarter and took a 3-3 draw into halftime. 

San Diego’s Taylor Walter Bond had himself a night on the other end, scoring twice, with his second taking the cake. His movement both on the ball and off was incisive, as he found dangerous positions and capitalized in superb fashion. Keko Gontán bagged the Sockers' first, while TST’s Million Dollar Goalscorer, Charlie Gonzalez, added a fourth that looked decisive before Empire stole victory from the jaws of defeat.

With just minutes between them and a pointless road trip home, Jorge DeLeon muscled past Drew Ruggles in the corner and poked a shot past an unsighted Chris Toth to level the score. In overtime, Empire’s pseudo-sixth attacker, and goalkeeper Brian Orozco, found space on the right wing, carried the ball to the yellow line before unleashing a shot that found Alami’s head for a perfect close-range finish, ending the game and earning the visitors two massive points. 

The win breaks an astounding 15-game losing streak for Empire in this matchup, dating all the way back to Feb. 8, 2023, and avenges the memory of the Strykers’ playoff elimination in April. For the Sockers, it evokes memories of last season, when they lost 5-4 on the road against Tacoma to open the season.

This loss, however, marked the first time San Diego suffered defeat in their home building after a peerless opening campaign. The fact that it came against their bitter rival is just salt in the wound. They’re still the favorites to lead the standings come March, but this result certainly raises more questions than it answers.

The Sockers have an opportunity to get back in the winning column against the Wave on Sunday, Dec. 7, before traveling north to Toyota Arena when they face the Strykers again on Friday, Dec. 12 at 10:35 PM EST.

Kansas City Draws First Blood In Crucial I-70 Rivalry Series

The I-70 Series is a gem on the league’s calendar that always delivers intense play, alongside the humanity that professional sports rarely entertain. Both teams find reasons to fight against the most common of opponents, and we, the fans, share the spoils with exciting, unpredictable, and highly entertaining indoor soccer.

I had the pleasure of shadowing both teams this weekend as they opened the season, and if you have not experienced the highs and lows of this intense rivalry, I cannot urge you enough to experience it in person.

While most people focus on the hosts in these situations, I sought refuge in the visitors’ locker rooms, documenting both teams’ journeys as they hit the road. Playing an MASL game away from home is incredibly taxing, with days spent packing bags ahead of long travel and unfamiliar surroundings. For regional rivals, these trips are even more personal and intense with the amplified stakes and opportunities given the frequency of the matchups.

St. Louis hosted Friday’s game and welcomed the visiting Comets to The Family Arena for the league’s season opener. Both teams fell in the Ron Newman Cup quarterfinals last season, but the Comets won four of the five contests between them, claiming bragging rights over their rivals.

“Every game against St. Louis, it’s always been a battle,” said Comets head coach Stefan Stokic. “They always bring their best game against us.” 

 That battle kicked off immediately as both teams exchanged a pair of goals in the first quarter. Comet’s defender Lesia Thetsane opened the scoring with an expert wallascora from Zach Reget, before Christian Anderaos scored a contender for goal of the week. Not to be outdone, Ambush attackers Duduca Carvalho and Daniel Torrealba each found the net from set-pieces as the young game hung in the balance. 

That back and forth continued deep into the second quarter until Kansas City’s Jacob Garza found the net on a counter for his first career MASL goal. Less than a minute later, Anderaos added his second and the visitor’s fourth, to take a two-goal lead into the halftime break.

The third quarter entertained no goals, but it forced the Ambush to push for an equalizer late, leaving them susceptible defensively. The Comets took full advantage with three goals, including a penalty kick from Dom Francis to open his account during his second stint at the club. 

“That for me was a statement,” coach Stokic said to his team post-game. “You know, I think the more games that we play, the more we get into it, it's gonna get much, much better, but for me tonight, defensively, incredible.”

The following day, the Ambush packed into a bus of their own and headed west through heavy snow, in the hopes of leveling the series at Cable Dahmer Arena. Pregame, Coach Jeff Locker was hopeful as he spoke about the team’s positive takeaways from the night before and what they hoped for in game two, specifically highlighting his team’s great chemistry both on and off the field.

“We changed four or five guys in the lineup from last night to tonight. We’re just trying to look at, how does the chemistry work with some of these players.”

While the Ambush managed to keep the Comets honest in game one, the same cannot be said for game two. Kansas City put on a clinic in their home opener as Reget, Anderaos, and Rian Marques all found the net twice, with the Brazilian target-forward adding an assist for good measure.

St. Louis found some life with a pair of goals in the third quarter and one more in the fourth, but the hosts kept their foot to the floor, equalling their two third-quarter goals before adding three more in the final period. Marques’ stunning second sent Cable Dahmer Arena into pandemonium and could very well be a contender for goal of the season. 

Last season, the Ambush offense led the league with a 0.280 GPS (Goals Per Shot) while the Comets defense boasted the lowest GPS against (0.162). This series was a chance to see who comes out on top: the unstoppable force or the immovable object. Over the course of the two games, St. Louis outshot Kansas City 72-42, but scored nine fewer goals.

After this weekend, St. Louis’ offensive GPS is 0.083, while Kansas City’s is 0.357. This sample size is far too small to base any real conclusions on, but in isolation, it’s fair to say that Kansas City’s defensive system won handily on both occasions. 

The Comets will look to continue their good start with a difficult road trip to Baltimore and Utica this weekend. They haven’t beaten the Blast since Dec. 11, 2016, losing each of their eight meetings since then. Their record against Utica is more favorable; five straight wins, but it’s always challenging to win the second game of a back-to-back weekend, especially when your opponent is fresh.

Kickoff for their clash against Baltimore will be Saturday, Dec. 6, at 6 PM EST, and the following day, they’ll visit the Adirondack Bank Center with a 3 PM EST start time.

            St. Louis will have a few weeks to reset and re-evaluate their preparation before hosting the Milwaukee Wave, knowing a win is imperative to avoid being left behind by the rest of the field. Don’t miss the newest edition of this heated rivalry when it kicks off on Sunday, Dec. 14, at 3:05 PM EST.