San Diego and Utica City agree to trade
KANSAS CITY (Oct. 30, 2019) - The Major Arena Soccer League (MASL) approved a trade this morning between the San Diego Sockers and Utica City FC. The Sockers will receive forward Slavisa Ubiparipovic while midfielder Christian Segura will head to Utica City. Per league policies, further terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
“It’s an exciting day when you can acquire one of the top midfield talents in the MASL,” said Sockers General Manager Sean Bowers, “Ubiparipovic is going to bring a lot to our lineup and we can’t wait for San Diego to embrace him as we battle for the Ron Newman Cup.”
Ubiparipovic, 31, is entering his ninth season of pro arena soccer, having played the previous eight years with Syracuse (MISL, MASL) and Utica City (MASL). In 2011-12, Slavisa was named the MISL Rookie of the Year with the Silver Knights, scoring 22 goals with 14 assists (36 points) in 24 games played. A model of consistency, Ubiparipovic has netted a total of 138 goals and 120 assists (258 points) in 158 games, an average of 1.63 points per game. In 2018-19, Ubiparipovic set a career high with 40 points scored (19 goals, 21 assists) in 19 games, earning All-MASL Third Team honors.
“We are excited to bring Christian into our team,” said Utica City General Manager Tommy Tanner. “I have watched him for the past three years and have always been a fan. He is a very aggressive attack player and has scored a lot of big goals in his career. He will bring excitement to the ADK Bank Center that’s for sure.”
Segura netted 11 points (6-5-11) in 15 games last season with the San Diego Sockers. He has been a dangerous scorer throughout his MASL career, averaging a 1.25 points per game. The 28-year-old played for Soles de Sonora three seasons, helping the Soles to back-to-back MASL championship game appearances in 2015-16 and 2016-17 before joining San Diego.
In 2017-18, Segura netted a career-high 22 goals in 22 games (22-9-31 points), finishing fourth on the team in scoring. In his 82-game MASL career, Segura has 73 goals and 30 assists (73-30-103).
The MASL season kicks off with five games in three countries on November 22. For the full schedule click here