February 26, 2024 – Major Arena Soccer League (MASL) – Empire Strykers News Release
Ontario, Calif. – The Empire Strykers coaches have been taking full advantage of nine days without any matches, pushing full steam ahead in their quest to mold the club’s young roster into a contender for next season’s Major Arena Soccer League (MASL) championship. Coming off an impressive performance against the visiting San Diego Sockers just over a week ago, the Strykers next take on the Kansas City Comets at home, followed by a trip down south for another clash with the mighty Sockers.
Empire hosts Kansas City at Ontario’s Toyota Arena this coming Wednesday, February 28, at 7:05 p.m. PT, with tickets available here. Marco Fabián and company then hit the road on Friday, March 1, for a 7:35 p.m. PT kickoff against San Diego. Both meetings will be streamed live in English on Twitch and in Spanish on Canela. Broadcasts may be accessed via the two platforms’ respective apps and websites (www.twitch.tv and www.canela.tv). A complete channel guide for upcoming MASL games is here.
Playing in front of an electric home crowd of 4,203, the Strykers came within a hair of upsetting the Sockers on February 18, fighting back from a four-goal deficit to level things at 8-8 late in the fourth period. San Diego, which got four-point performances from Brandon Escoto and Kraig Chiles, prevailed 1-0 in the shootout. Meanwhile, Empire turned heads with a spirited battle, powered in part by defender Momo Gueye’s three assists. No fewer than six of Gueye’s teammates bagged two points each, ex-Mexico star Fabián scoring in his 13th straight game since joining the MASL.
“It was a tough loss to swallow,” said the Strykers’ Riley Urie. “Once again, we fell behind by several goals early, which I believe is due to inexperience. A lot of our rookies come from traditional soccer, where opponents usually don’t keep pressing after going up by one or two. We can also take positives from the game. Our camaraderie was fantastic. We did a great job of fighting back, and we’re finally learning that being down by four is nothing in indoor. It’s also nice to see more of our guys chipping in goals. Taking one point was a step in the right direction.”
In addition to a helper, Urie had a tally that was as memorable as it was crucial. With Empire trailing 6-8 in the final quarter, the first-year midfielder exploded past several Sockers players and fired home for a stunning individual effort that got his…