San Diego Sockers Match Preview vs Tacoma
March 29, 2025 - Major Arena Soccer League (MASL)
San Diego Sockers News Release
The San Diego Sockers (19-4-0, 53, 1st) - presented by Kaiser Permanente - will play their final regular season game against the Tacoma Stars (10-10-3, 32, 8th) on Sunday, March 31, at 6:05pm at Frontwave Arena. The Sockers are currently in first place, but the Chihuahua Savage are only a point behind with a game in hand and two matches against the last place Harrisburg Heat on the weekend. San Diego aims to keep their momentum after sweeping the Strykers, capped by an overtime thriller. An in-form Leonardo De Oliveira (4-18=22) fueled the attack with an overtime winner and five assists, while Charlie Gonzalez (15-20=35) shined with a four-goal performance over the weekend. Tacoma will battle to secure a playoff spot, led by Nick Perera (17-20=37), who tops the team in assists and points. The Sockers, undefeated at home, will take on their final test before embarking on the road to the Ron Newman Cup.
SAN DIEGO SOCKERS
Head Coach: Phil Salvagio
Last Four: W W L W
Streak: W2
Home Record: 12-0-0
Leading Scorer: Gonzalez C, 15-20=35
Leading GK: Pardo, 11-2-0, 4.39
Goals Avg: For: 6.3 / Agst: 5
Goal Differential: +28
Expected Goals: 6.3
Power Play%: 45%
Penalty Kill %: 75%
Last Match: 3/22, @EMP, 9-8, OTW
TACOMA STARS
Head Coach: Adam Becker
Last Four: W W W W
Streak: W4
Away Record: 3-6-2
Leading Scorer: Perera, 17-20=37
Leading GK: Toth, 7-7-3, 5.06
Goals Avg: For: 5.6 / Agst: 6.3
Goal Differential: -17
Expected Goals: 5.3
Power Play%: 32%
Penalty Kill %: 56%
Last Match: 3/23, @KC, 5-4, W
KEY PLAYERS
San Diego:
Kraig Chiles: San Diego's captain etched his name in history with his 300th career goal in the MASL and aims to keep his scoring streak alive.
Drew Ruggles: With three goals in his last two games, a key figure in San Diego's defense continues to deliver strong performances on both ends of the field.
Sebastian Mendez: The Sockers' dynamic midfielder has found his form, tallying two goals and an assist in a standout performance against Empire.
Tacoma:
Tyler John: Leading the Stars in goals (18), he remains a constant threat to MASL defenses.
Chris Toth: The reliable shot-stopper delivered a standout performance with 21 saves in his last outing.
Logan Jones: A defensive powerhouse, he leads Tacoma with 54 blocks, shutting down opponents at every turn.
STRATEGIES
San Diego:
Midfield Maestros: Ensure Leonardo De Oliveira and Charlie Gonzalez continue their strong playmaking form, connecting passes to keep the ball moving quickly and creating scoring opportunities.
In The Transition: Transition quickly from defense to attack, especially after winning the ball. A fast-paced counterattack will catch Tacoma off guard and create easy opportunities for the Sockers' offensive players.
One More Time: Finish strong in the final game of the season by harnessing the energy of the home crowd, maintaining high pressure, and controlling the tempo with familiarity with the new turf.
Tacoma:
High Press: Use a high pressing strategy to disrupt the Sockers' build-up play from the back. Forcing turnovers in dangerous areas will give Tacoma a chance to capitalize on mistakes and catch the Sockers off guard.
Experienced: Tacoma's veteran players should lead by example, staying calm in high-pressure situations and using their experience to keep the team composed, especially in the final stages of the game.
Shut Them Down: Focus on containing Leonardo De Oliveira and Charlie Gonzalez, ensuring they don't dictate the game's tempo and create too many scoring chances.
FORM
San Diego: The Sockers have won 20 of their last 23 games and are undefeated at home.
Tacoma: The Stars have won their last 4 matches.
SOCKERS LAST TIME OUT // at EMPIRE, 9-8 WIN, MARCH 23, 2025
Leonardo De Oliveira's overtime goal with 3 assists pushed the San Diego Sockers (19-4-0, 54, 1st) over the edge against Empire Strykers (11-10-2, 33, 7th). Danny Waltman earned the win with 20 saves in his San Diego debut.
STARS LAST TIME OUT // at KANSAS CITY, 5-4 WIN, MARCH 23, 2025
The Stars went to Cable Dahmer Arena on the back end of a weekend home-and-home series with the Kansas City Comets (14-6-2) and came away with a 5-4 win in front of 4,021 fans.
LET'S GO STREAKING - TEAM
Sockers have won 19 of 22 games...have won 11 straight home games...have won 8 of the last 11 away games...have scored 4 or more goals in 22 of 23 games...have scored 3 or more goals in 22 of 23 games...have allowed 3 or more goals in 22 of last 23 games...have a power-play opportunity in 21 of last 22 games...have a penalty-kill opportunity in 13 consecutive games.
LET'S GO STREAKING - INDIVIDUAL
Morgan has multi-goal games in three of the last five...Morgan has a goal in 8 of his last 10 games...Morgan has a point in 18 of his last 19 matches...Morales has a 4-game goal streak...Morales has an 8-game point streak...Chiles has a goal in 12 of 13 games...Chiles has points in 12 of 13 games...De Oliveira has a point in 8 of his last 11 games...Cerda has a point in 5 of 6 games...Gonzalez C has a point in 18 of the last 20 games...Costa has a point in 13 of the last 18 games...Ruggles has a goal in 5 of the last 6 games...Ruggles has a point in 10 of the last 14 games...Pardo has won 11 of his last 13 games...Snaer-Williams has won 7 of his last 8 games he has played in and 4 of 5 that he has started... Waltman has won 1 game
WALTMAN GETS WIN IIN SOCKERS' DEBUT
Veteran goalkeeper Danny Waltman made his Sockers' debut on March 23 against the Strykers, and he earned the win by making 20 saves, with some big ones at key times. He faced 28 Empire shots.
GONZALEZ & CERDA REACH MASL CAREER MILESTONES ON MARCH 22
Charlie Gonzalez reached the 100-point milestone with his five-point performance on 3/22 vs Empire. Cesar Cerda had two assists in the same game to reach the 100-assist milestone.
KAPTAIN KRAIG REACHES 300 CAREER MASL GOALS ON MARCH 22 & 500 CAREER GOAL MILESTONE ON MARCH 9
Kraig Chiles reached the 300 career MASL goal honor with his two-goal performance against the Strykers on March 23. He had previously reached the 500 career goal milestone on March 9 in Kansas City. His power-play goal at 12:11 of the fourth gave him the mark. He has played in the PASL and MISL. He is only three away from 300 career MASL goals.
SNAER-WILLIAMS AND PARDO WIN BACK-TO-BACK GOALKEEPER OF THE WEEK HONORS
Xavier Snaer-Williams (Week 15) and Boris Pardo (Week 14) were named the MASL Goalkeeper Of The Week in back-to-back weeks.
SOCKERS UNVEIL NEW NAVY BLUE TURF
As part of the preparations for hosting the MASL Ron Newman Cup Playoffs, the Sockers and Frontwave Arena unveiled their new navy blue turf on February 16 vs Chihuahua. The turf features the Sockers script logo in white in the center circle. Both goal boxes are white with a FAN CLB, a team partner, logo in black. Click for photos.
THREE PLAYERS REACH MASL MILESTONES IN THE SAME GAME
Gabriel Costa, Tavoy Morgan, and Drew Ruggles reached milestones during the February 16 match vs. Chihuahua. Morgan hit the 150-career goal mark. Ruggles reached the 150-career point mark. Costa tallied his 50th assist.
PARDO REACHES MASL GK MILESTONE - 10,000 GK MINUTES PLAYED
Boris Pardo became the first goalkeeper in MASL history to play 10,000 minutes. He achieved the accomplishment on 1/17 vs. Texas at 3:36 of the third quarter. He would leave the game after playing 37:01 and making seven saves on 10 shots.
MORGAN HITS 200 CAREER POINTS
Tavoy Morgan scored his 200th career point with a goal on January 5 against the Chihuahua Savage.
LEO REACHES 300 CAREER POINTS
Leo DeOliveira hit the 300 career point mark on January 20 with an assist on Gontán's first-period goal vs. Empire.
CERDA, COSTA & MORALES NAMED MASL ALL-STARS
Cesar Cerda, Gabriel Costa, and Luiz Morales were named to the MASL All-Star Game, which was played on 2/12 in Utica, NY. However, the trio did not participate due to travel to Chihuahua for the 2/14 match.
SOCKERS 2023/24 SEASON REVIEW
The Sockers had a strong 2023/24 season, finishing with an impressive record of 18 wins, 5 losses, and 1 overtime loss, securing 52 points, and clinching the Western Division regular-season title. This performance highlighted their dominance in the league, continuing their legacy as one of the most successful teams in history.
THREE DOT NOTES...
Quintana tallied his first point as a Socker with an assist on 3/9 at KC...Earned their first-ever win at KC's Cable Dahmer Arena on 3/9...Pardo was named GK of the Week for week 12...Chiles is 5/6 on shootouts, he converted on two on 3/23 at EMP, 3/7 at STL, on 3/1 at TAC, and had two shootout attempts (1/2) on 1/15 vs KC...Christian Gutierrez (200) and Gabriel Costa (50) reached career games played milestones on 3/1 vs MWE...Acquired All-Star defender Kristian Quintana in a trade with Dallas on 2/27...Cerda was named Defensive Player of the Week, Week 12, 5 Blocks...Chiles and Morgan have two hat tricks this season...The Sockers are 1/3 on PK's (Chiles 2/16 (goal), Gonzalez C 2/8 & Chiles 2/2)...had a 10-game winning streak from 12/14-2/7...The Sockers have scored two shorthanded goals this season, while allowing two...The Sockers had two hat tricks in the same game vs TEX on 1/25 (Chiles & Mendez)...Eddie Velez made his season debut on 2/7 at KC...Travis Pittman and Eli Zamora made their season debuts on 1/17 vs Texas...Seven players, the most this season, had an assist at Tacoma on 1/10...San Diego has six hat tricks this season (Mendez 1/25, Chiles 1/25, Morgan 1/17 & 1/5, Ruggles 1/10 & Morales 12/4)...The Sockers are averaging 2,876 fans at Frontwave Arena (1,587 last year in their final season at Pechanga Arena)...Pardo earned MASL GK of the Week honors for week 8...Snaer-Williams earned MASL GK of the Week honors for week 5...Sebastian Mendez notched his first point as a Socker with an assist against Tacoma on 12/10...Former Sockers Emmanuel Aquirre, Gerardo Jurado, and Andy Reyes return to San Diego to face their old teammates...The crowd of 4,43 on March 22 was the largest soccer crowd ever at Frontwave (previous high 4,508 on 12/14/24 - home opener) and the second highest in arena history behind the SD Clippers G-League game with a sellout of 5,500 on 2/8...The season-opening loss in Tacoma was the first since 1/29/21 at Kansas City...During the off-season. the Sockers acquired M Sebastian Mendez and F Luiz Morales from Texas...Returning to San Diego are F Taylor Bond (UCFC), M Travis Pittman (Free Agent), and D Ben Ramin (Milwaukee)...Other free agent signings include Spanish international M/F Keko Gontán and D Eli Zamora...Brandon Escoto is away from the team due to immigration issues, but is playing with the Sockers2. He can play in any Sockers games in Mexico.
• Discuss this story on the Major Arena Soccer League message board...
Major Arena Soccer League Stories from March 29, 2025
- Comets Set for Regular Season Finale in Baltimore - Kansas City Comets
- Blast Crushes Texas - Baltimore Blast
- San Diego Sockers Match Preview vs Tacoma - San Diego Sockers
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
