November 22, 2023 – Major Arena Soccer League (MASL) News Release
The MASL Season is quickly approaching but the news hasn’t stopped for a second. It can be difficult to keep up, but before a ball is kicked, here’s everything you need to know about all seven teams in the Eastern Conference.
Harrisburg Heat
2022/23 Record: 6-17-1 15 pts
We’ll start with Harrisburg who finished bottom of the Eastern Conference last season. Not much went the Heat’s way over the course of the season, but especially on the road. Pat Healey’s side won just one game away from the Equine Arena thanks largely to a defense that struggled to keep the opposition off the board, conceding 6.7 goals per game. Pair that with an offense that never scored more than seven goals in a match and it’s fair to say few people in the capital of Pennsylvania would like to remember 2022/23.
Looking forward, Hugo Silva returns to his former club after five seasons in Florida. The 34-year-old shot-stopper will add some much-needed stability in goal while also providing a threat going forward. Silva registered an assist during last season’s Ron Newman Cup Playoffs as well as an impressive 0.810 save percentage, only behind San Diego’s Boris Pardo.
In addition to Silva, Harrisburg picked up Davinson Diaz, Erik Ribiero, Blake Hylton, and Alejandro Arbelaez during this year’s MASL Draft and signed Joey Tavernese and Onua Obasi. With these new weapons around them, keep an eye on Lesia Thetsane and Malcolm Harris who impressed last season the pair combined for 31 points despite Thetsane only playing in nine games.
The goal for Harrisburg this season should be to rebuild by bringing in some young talent to develop a competitive team for the next few years. A tangible goal should be to improve on their record against Utica City FC. Just as they did last year, the two sides will face each other on six occasions, and the Heat should strive to win at least two, if not more of those matches.
St. Louis Ambush
2022/23 Record: 9-13-2 25 pts
The other team that missed the playoffs last season hails from St. Louis, Missouri though there was much more to be happy about for Ambush fans than their Pennsylvanian counterparts. While the offense was admittedly subpar, St. Louis’ defensive record was among the best in the Eastern Conference. Only the Kansas City Comets and Baltimore Blast conceded fewer than the Ambush’s 132 goals against.
At the heart of this defensive fortitude is goalkeeper Paulo Nascimento who ranks among…