February 26, 2023 – Major Arena Soccer League (MASL) – San Diego Sockers News Release
MONTERREY, NUEVO LEON, MX – The San Diego Sockers entered the weekend at their lowest point, and emerged once again as the best team in the Major Arena Soccer League.
Ismael Rojo scored a hat trick, Kraig Chiles had two goals with an assist, and Boris Pardo made 18 saves as the Sockers beat the Monterrey Flash 6-3 on Sunday afternoon at Arena Monterrey. Leonardo de Oliveira added a goal and assist and Brandon Escoto contributed two assists on the power play for a Sockers side that moved six points clear of the field for the league’s best record.
San Diego (14-2, 41 points) became the first team in the MASL this season to sweep all six points in a two-match Mexico road trip. Six points ahead of second-place Chihuahua with a match in hand, the Sockers are the first MASL club to cross the 40-point threshold this season, and have a chance at home next weekend to entrench themselves as the statistical favorites to win back-to-back MASL Supporters Shields.
In doing so, the Sockers displayed the depth that is the foundation of head coach/owner Phil Salvagio’s championship architecture. San Diego played the weekend without seven possible starters due to suspensions, travel restrictions and work conflicts. Despite it all, the Sockers found wins in two inhospitable locales thanks to contributions up and down the lineup.
Chiles led the way with five goals and two assists on the weekend, a likely MASL Player of the Week performance. But it wasn’t all the work of the captain. Rookie Irvin Mojica scored twice on Friday in Chihuahua, and on Sunday the story was Ismael Rojo, breaking out for the first time in a Sockers uniform.
Ismael “Big” Rojo has been the player Sockers coaches and staff have dreamed upon for years. Unable to acquire a P-1 working visa, the Mexican national has previously only been able to feature for teams working or playing in Mexico, or in the second division. He was a part of the league’s all-Rookie team playing for Soles de Sonora in 2019-20, and earned MASL-2 MVP honors while leading Sockers-2 to the championship in 2021-22. Finally cleared to play for the MASL Sockers, Rojo toiled as a fifth midfielder for a handful of games before getting his real chance to play as an offense-first defender this weekend in Chihuahua and Monterrey.
After Chiles put the Sockers up 1-0 on a lovely trap of goalkeeper Boris Pardo’s long thrown distribution, turning for his 13th…