Strykers Sniff Opportunity in Away Clash with Texas

Mesquite, Tx. — On the heels of bagging their first win of their 2024-25 Major Arena Soccer League (MASL) campaign, the Empire Strykers look to ride their emotional high to a second straight victory when they battle the Texas Outlaws away from home on Saturday afternoon. After the worst season in Strykers history, many feel the matchup in the Lone Star State presents a golden opportunity for the Southern Californians, as their opposition features a roster seemingly lacking in experience and potential difference-makers.

 

1-2-0 Empire takes on host 0-0-0 Texas on December 21, 2024, at 5:05 PM PST. The meeting will stream live in English on the MASL's official YouTube channel (@MASLtv) as well as on National Soccer Network (NSN) and Sportworld.

 

Thursday's emphatic 10-5 win over the Tacoma Stars, was powered by three-point performances from Strykers attacker Justin Stinson and defender Andy Reyes as well as by a stingy team performance. Backstops Brandon Gomez and Claysson De Lima were only forced into five combined saves, Gomez boasting a .750 save percentage and adding a goal. Empire's victory came in large part courtesy of a dominant second half. Before the break, Head Coach Onua Obasi's men had jumped out to a 3-1 lead, only to fall behind 3-4.

 

“We were really focused on executing our game plan,” said midfielder Randy Martinez. “At some point in the second quarter, we started drifting away from it and things started slipping out of our hands. We regrouped at halftime and came out a lot better because we went back to doing what the coach was asking of us. Giving our fans a reason to celebrate felt amazing after they kept coming out and being loud for us last season. Getting a victory early in our campaign should do a lot to boost our confidence.”

 

Against the Stars, Martinez enjoyed a breakout performance of sorts, as he produced a memorable assist and added a goal in the closing stages. The former Marymount California University ace was partly responsible for a brilliant breakaway tally, which temporarily put his side up 3-1 in the opening period.

 

After captain Robert Palmer picked out his teammate on the right side and just inside opposition territory, Martinez displayed outstanding awareness of a streaking Andy Reyes. Receiving and shielding the ball with his back toward the goal, the 28-year-old Martinez stunned the scrambling opposition defense with a jaw-dropping pass across the entire width of the field and into the path of Reyes, who deftly controlled under pressure and smashed it inside the far post.

 

In recollecting the textbook play, the man whose helper had made it possible gave an indication of his humble personality, as he gifted most of the credit to the other player involved.

 

“I had originally thought of trying to turn and go towards goal myself,” he offered. “As I took a touch and had it bounce off the wall, I saw from the corner of my eye one of our guys making a run down the other side of the field. I realized it was a difficult pass because there were two defenders in the way. Luckily, I was able to pull it off. Andy did most of the hard work with his excellent first touch and his finish.”

 

If Martinez and Reyes could combine in a similar fashion against the Texas Outlaws, it would go a long way toward Empire continuing its climb up the standings, possibly as high as third place. At Mesquite Arena, the pair's side will face an Outlaws team whose roster was decimated by offseason turbulence, which also resulted in a major shakeup of the franchise's ownership group. In the wake of the dramatic developments, Texas finds itself with a mere five players left who regularly saw the field as the side made it back-to-back playoff appearances in 2023-24.

 

The Strykers alone reacquired a trio of Outlaws in Andy Reyes, Jorge DeLeon and Emmanuel Aguirre.

 

Heading into the season, Texas features a total of eight rookies, in addition to a group of eight who most recently acted as fringe players across the league, five of them returning after not having laced up in the MASL since 2022-23 or prior.

 

Defensively, the club is without the stellar goalkeeping of Eduardo “Pollo” Cortes as well as without its top two and four of its top five in blocked opposition shots, Stephen Gonzalez being the last man standing in the category at third (24). On offense, Head Coach Ed Puskarich's squad has to compensate for the departure of its top three in points and of five of its top six, in addition to its top three in goals as well as its top three and five of its top six in points-per-game average. Also no longer with the Outlaws are their player with the most assists in 2023-24 as well as three of their top four in helpers.

 

The only remaining veteran who had a significant impact on the Texas attack, David Ortiz, will be serving a suspension for an accumulation of penalty points and will thus be unavailable for selection against the Strykers.

 

Meanwhile, Empire's backline is anchored by Robert Palmer, who ranks tied for eighth in the league in blocked opposition shots (5). The Jamaican is narrowly trailed on his team's roster by Emmanuel Aguirre (4). The Strykers attack is led by Mexican star Marco Fabián, fellow midfielder Justin Stinson and, notably, defender Andy Reyes, each boasting the same number of points (5) and the same points-per-game average (1.7 in 3 games). Fabián sits tied for fifth in the MASL in goals (5), with Reyes ranking tied for fourth in assists (4). Stinson is second on the Strykers in goals (3) as well as tied for second with Randy Martinez and Mounir Alami in helpers (2).

 

Midfielder Martinez concluded his look ahead to the clash with the Outlaws on a cautiously optimistic note.

 

“We know Texas has had a lot of roster changes,” he said, “which makes it impossible to predict what they will throw at us exactly. The objective is to get three points and keep getting better at executing our strategy. While we're feeling good about how we're playing, we need keep that momentum so we can take as many steps as possible toward a winning record and making the playoffs.”

 

The Empire Strykers take on hosts Texas Outlaws on Saturday, December 21, 2024. The team's next home game is another clash with the Tacoma Stars on Sunday, January 5. Season tickets and single-game tickets are available at www.TheEmpireStrykers.com.