AROUND THE LEAGUE: Tricampeónes

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

Chihuahua remains perfect at home to win the Ron Newman Cup

Campeónes, Bicampeónes, and now, Tricampeónes. 

Chihuahua is the undisputed standard for excellence in the MASL, and a dominant display at their impenetrable fortress proved that once again. After dropping game one in San Diego to the Sockers, the Savage won game two 10-6 and then clinched the Ron Newman Cup with a 6-0 win in the mini-game.


The Sockers created tremendous momentum in the early goings. San Diego coach Phil Salvagio’s opening quarter script worked perfectly, thanks to an intense press and several well-designed plays. In particular, their third goal, which came just nine seconds after the Savage scored, sucked the poorly circulated air out of the room. 


The Savage’s slow pace of play to start the game fed into San Diego’s game plan, putting the hosts squarely behind the eight ball early on. Chihuahua found some success with a “route one” style of play in the first quarter, but their attitude shifted in the second, along with their style and pace of play.


“When they pressed us, we started to play the ball fast,” said Savage head coach Edgar Martinez. “We know our field, we know our arena, so we sped the game up and that was the key.”


After trailing 4-2 midway through the second quarter, the Savage began quickly moving the ball and forcing the Sockers to chase. They beat San Diego’s press and then found gaps left in transition, allowing them to score at a tremendous rate. 


That exacerbated the visitors’ fatigue, and they never truly recovered. Chihuahua outscored the Sockers 8-2 from then on, as they cruised into the knockout game on a high with a performance that coach Martinez believes was second to none.


“I think those were our two best quarters of the whole season.”


We’ve talked about the importance of secondary scoring this season, and the Savage proved why they’re the best in the business. On a night when they simply needed to show up, 11 different Savage players, including goalkeeper Diego Reynoso, finished the game with a point. Pedro Castaneda, Miguel Angel Diaz, Hugo Puentes, Jorge Ríos, and Bryan Macias all ended with two or more points for a diversified portfolio of goalscoring.


On the other bench, several shining stars distracted from the fact that the Sockers endured one of their worst performances of the season. Leonardo De Oliveira, Sebastian Mendez, Mitchell Cardenas, and Cesar Cerda were on it from the beginning, while Boris Pardo kept the Sockers in the game until he couldn’t. 


They simply lost their legs, and by the end of the game, the Savage were running circles around them. With the mini-game looming, their sixth-attacker unit did more harm than good as Chihuahua extended the lead in the dying moments, gathering momentum for the decisive battle. Ditching your goalkeeper at Corner Sport Arena is unadvised, and this was a perfect example of why.


After a lengthy break in the action, the two teams returned from their locker rooms with a few adjustments, including new uniforms for both sides. The Sockers ditched their blue in favor of white while the Savage donned their Championship-inspired 3rd kit, laden with shimmering gold accents. This foreshadowing wasn’t foreshadowing for long. The Savage scored less than six minutes into the knockout game and followed it up with two swift punches to the gut around the eight-minute mark.


“The guys were very focused,” said Martinez, “and when we won, it was like a movie.”


In that critical 15-minute period, Chihuahua ran while the Sockers gasped for air. The unrelenting hosts drew blood and spilled it with verve. Three became four, four became five, and as the Sockers clung to their final shred of hope, the Savage dealt the final blow with a sixth goal, off the deadly foot of Puentes.


“La Roca,” as he’s known, scored two goals in the knockout game and four on the night, for his eighth goal of the series. As a result, he earned the Ron Newman Cup Finals MVP, capping off an incredible playoff run in which he accumulated 12 points in five games. 


The win was a fitting end to an incredible season for Chihuahua. In addition to their third straight Ron Newman Cup championship and the MASL Shield, they also won the MASL 2 and MASL W. This organization isn’t just good at winning; they’re addicted to it. It’s a mentality that extends beyond just the six players on the turf at any given time, according to coach Martinez.


“From the owners, to the arena workers, to the coaching staff, and down to the players, everyone is trying to do their best to win, which is why we have these results.”


The Sockers are deserving runners-up, and this year they showed you can never count them out. Their elite cast of experienced veterans, alongside some of the league’s best up-and-coming talent, is a deadly combination. While they may have fallen short this year, three wins over the Savage in San Diego proved they can run with the champs. They’re set up for another run, and now that they’ve felt the sting of a Finals loss, they’ll undoubtedly do everything in their power to avenge this result. Keep an eye on them again next year. 


It’s fair to say that the Savage were far from perfect this year. They had scares at home, dropped several big games on the road, and only barely clinched the top seed on the final day of the regular season. However, they adjusted and continued to play for the badge on the front before the name on the back.


Their “team first” mentality was crucial as they battled through a gauntlet of a season that saw them face the Sockers four times, the Comets twice, Milwaukee on the road, Utica on the road, and so on. In the playoffs, they needed some luck against the Ambush and overtime to see off the Wave, and yet, despite it all, they persevered and won again. 


Love them or hate them, you can’t deny Chihuahua’s greatness; tricampeónes at last, at least until next year.