December 7, 2023 – Major Arena Soccer League (MASL) – Empire Strykers News Release
Ontario, Calif. – Concluding a three-game road swing to start their 2023-24 MASL campaign, the Empire Strykers look to earn a first win in Saturday’s clash with host St. Louis Ambush. Following a dramatic offseason roster overhaul, the match provides an opportunity for Empire’s young squad to show continued growth prior to the debut of recent blockbuster signing, attacker Marco Fabián. A two-time FIFA World Cup veteran with Mexico, Fabián is expected to be available for his new team’s home opener against the Baltimore Blast next Friday.
The Strykers take on the Ambush thisâ¯coming Saturday at 4:05pm PT. The meeting at the Family Arena in St. Charles will be streamed live in English and Spanish via the MASL’s channels on Twitch and Canela, respectively. Tickets to Empire’s December 15 clash with visiting Baltimore, likely to feature Marco Fabián, are available here.
Head Coach Paul Wright’s men opened their regular season in the most challenging way possible – with back-to-back games in Mexico. Facing a trial by fire, the Strykers fell 8-1 to defending champion Chihuahua Savage, whose dominant win was powered by two goals and an assist by star striker Hugo Puentes. Throughout the contest, the Savage displayed its trademark chemistry while the visitors struggled to put up a real challenge, their inexperience of playing together in competitive games proving too much to overcome.
“It was always going to be a tough test going up against the team that recently won the title,” offered Empire forward Abdul Mansaray. “We were either going to go there and win, or we were going to get a lesson. Lessons are important, and I think we got a very good one that only pushed the team to get better.”
The first signs of improvement followed almost instantly, as the Strykers took on another well-oiled attacking side in the Monterrey Flash a mere two days later. Despite tired legs and minds, the Empire players showed plenty of promise, battling their rested opponents to a 1-1 halftime score before collapsing in the third period and ultimately suffering a 9-2 defeat. While the Flash’s Jorge Luis Cortes bagged a hat-trick, the Strykers’ Mansaray enjoyed an excellent outing of his own, scoring both the day’s first and final goals.
“When you play at Monterrey, you know it’s difficult to keep them quiet,” remarked the 27-year-old Mansaray. “That said, I felt we played a very good first…
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