AROUND THE LEAGUE: Week 5

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

St. Louis earns a crucial win despite losing the I-70 series to Kansas City

While I was admittedly rebuffed by the thought of trophy talk in December, the I-70 rivalry series and accompanying trophy is an extremely welcome addition this season. This sport boasts many intense rivalries that happen quite often throughout the season, and with the elimination of conferences or divisions, I enjoy organizations coming together to make these matchups as intense and important for fans as possible.


The two rivals split this week’s games, with both sides managing to win on the road, but not at home. The Ambush won an overtime thriller on Saturday night on the back of a monster night in goal from Paulo Nascimento. The Brazil native faced 23 shots and made 19 saves, or 82.6%. Lucas Almeida, Will Eskay, and Franck Tayou all contributed a goal and an assist including Almeida’s game-winning goal three minutes into overtime.




Kansas City bounced back on New Year’s Eve with a 4-3 win thanks, in large part, to Rian Marques. It’s becoming clear that this season, the Comets’s success flows through him, and while the Ambush defense managed to shut down several different players, Marques continues to find a way through. St. Louis put up a valiant fight, but just fell short, and as a result, the I-70 trophy is heading back west to Kansas City.




The Comets’ win keeps them level on points with Milwaukee who also won on New Year’s Eve. Up to this point, they have yet to lose a game in regulation, so head coach Stefan Stokic will have some positives when looking back at his side’s start to the season. They’re playing great defensive soccer, conceding just 3.83 goals per game, a stat they’ll hope to improve as they head into January when they’ll face Milwaukee, Empire, San Diego, and Chihuahua. First up is the Wave who will visit Cable Dahmer Arena on Sunday, Jan. 5 at 5:05 PM EST.


Out east in St. Louis, the importance of Saturday’s win cannot be overstated. The Ambush brought in a host of new pieces this offseason and getting them to gel has taken some time, but splitting a weekend series with the Comets is a good litmus test for what this team is capable of. They have a difficult run of games in January including two games on the road against Chihuahua, a trip to Baltimore, and a home-and-home series against the Strykers which will likely be huge for their playoff hopes. They’ll start the month against the Sidekicks in Dallas on Sunday, Jan. 5, at 4:05 PM EST.

 

Baltimore draws first blood against Kelvin-less Utica

The informal Northeast round-robin from this past week saw Harrisburg travel to Baltimore on Friday and then Utica on Sunday before the Blast journeyed north themselves to face Utica on New Year’s Eve. It provided all three teams with two opportunities to prove themselves against their regional rivals and now that the dust has settled, there is some unpacking to be done.


We’ll start with Harrisburg who entered the weekend stuck to the bottom of the league table without a point from their opening three contests. Wins, or at least points were a necessity and despite an extremely promising first half in Baltimore, head coach Pat Healey and his side will have to wait for their first win of the season.




In their six quarters since leading the Blast 6-1 at the break, the Heat have conceded 20 goals and scored just seven. January will need to be a massive month if Harrisburg wants to keep their playoff hopes alive, and their first opportunity to right the ship will be on the road against Dallas on Saturday, Jan. 4 at 8:00 PM EST.


Utica’s weekend began positively with a 12-5 drubbing of Harrisburg, in which the league’s newest superstar Kelvin Oliviera accumulated a whopping seven points. The team’s home opener provided a perfect backdrop for his spectacular individual performance as he officially introduced himself to his new home fans.


However, that momentum was short-lived as Baltimore came into the Adirondack Bank Center and handed Utica their first home loss of the season. The hosts were without Kelvin, who will represent his home nation of Brazil at the Kings World Cup Nations tournament in Italy at the start of this month. In his absence, Utica will be excited by the play of Sergio Pinal, who scored a hattrick and already has six points in his first three indoor games.


For Baltimore, 2024 ended with an extremely positive bang and a testament to this team’s resilience. Several new pieces joined this year and head coach David Bascome has played it perfectly to open their campaign with four wins from five games, including a pair of huge wins this weekend.


After a horror first half at home against Harrisburg, the Blast, down by five goals, threw caution to the wind and began shooting from everywhere. Chad Poarch and Victor Parreiras combined for seven points as Baltimore clawed their way back and sent the game to overtime, where Juan Pereira found the winner they couldn’t imagine at halftime. Against Utica, the Blast’s depth proved itself as eight different players added either a goal, assist, or both.


The win puts Baltimore in the driver’s seat to make a playoff spot and finish above their regional rivals, but they’re not out of the woods just yet. Their next game will be at home against Utica, where a second win would put their visitors squarely behind the eight ball. Kickoff from the TU Arena will be Saturday, Jan. 4 at 7:30 PM EST.


Five players who aren’t MASL All-Stars, but should be

This week, the league announced their preliminary list of players who will be at this year’s MASL All-Star Game at the Adirondack Bank Center in Utica, NY. The 24-man list featured players from all 12 teams and absolutely zero misses, but who deserves the final few spots? Let’s take a look at five players who deserve to be in contention.




Hugo Puentes - Chihuahua Savage

Not too long ago, Hugo Puentes was the premier name on every MASL fan’s lips. On his side’s journey to their second straight Ron Newman Cup Championship, Puentes led the league in points during the playoffs with nine goals and five assists in eight games. This season, he’s picked up right where he left off, averaging 2.3 points per game, and is currently Chihuahua’s top scorer with six goals in four games.



Alex Sanchez - Milwaukee Wave

There’s a common cliche among the indoor soccer community that it takes three years to truly grasp the indoor game, and it looks like Milwaukee’s Alex Sanchez will be adding credibility to that sentiment for years to come. He’s exploded onto the scene this season with several impressive performances and already bested his output from both of his previous seasons with 15 points in six appearances. He’s a possession monster with a penchant for an assist, so watch your back post when Alex has the ball at his feet.




Chad Poarch - Baltimore Blast

This summer, Chad etched his name in the history books by scoring the Million Dollar Goal at The Soccer Tournament on a team made up almost entirely of MASL players. Since then, he signed with Baltimore and has immediately become one of their most important pieces on both sides of the ball. Poarch, a defender, has already scored seven goals while having taken just 10 shots in his four games played. His two points per game are also the Blast’s joint-highest tally alongside Bruno Henrique and Ricardo Diegues, both of whom have multiple MASL seasons under their belt.




Diego Reynoso - Chihuahua Savage

Though he joined the Savage midway through last season, it's fair to say Reynoso had a serious claim to the league’s best goalkeeper award after the performances he put in during the second half of the season. His performances in the playoffs showed just how important the goalkeeper position is in this sport, and especially the benefits of having a goalkeeper who is confident and comfortable with the ball at his feet. Reynoso racked up a goal and two assists during the playoffs along with a 76.9% save percentage en route to a memorable Ron Newman Cup triumph.




Paulo Nascimento - St. Louis Ambush

Arguably the league’s best keeper with the ball at his feet calls the Family Arena his home. Paulo has a knack for playing in the attacking half, often delivering memorable moments like his rocket past Milwaukee’s William Banahene last season, while also offering one of the safest nets in the league. This season, he leads the league in saves with 73, and he’s making roughly 14.6 saves per 60 minutes played.