April 20, 2024 – Major Arena Soccer League (MASL)
San Diego Sockers News Release
The San Diego Sockers-presented by Kaiser Permanente San Diego-have their season on the line in the 2024 Ron Newman Cup playoffs, taking on the Chihuahua Savage in the best-of-three Western Division Finals. The series continues with Match Two at Pechanga Arena in San Diego, with Match Three, the “Knockout Game” to follow if the Sockers win to even the series. Kickoff for Match Two is set for 5:05pm on Sunday, with the match streaming on the CBS Sports Golazo network. Presentation in Spanish will take place on canela.tv.
The Sockers (18-6, 52 points, 2-2 playoffs) have reached the MASL’s “Final Four” for the eighth time in nine playoffs, and the eighth playoff in a row (the league had no championship in 2019-20 due to the COVID pandemic). San Diego clinched the Western Division with three matches to go in the regular season, suffered a drop in form which saw the club lose their final two regular season matches and their first playoff match, then rallied to win twice at home and advance. After having lost Match One, San Diego must now again win twice in one night at home, or they will be eliminated.
The Sockers and Chihuahua Savage are meeting for the third straight season on the doorstep of the Finals. Their previous two playoff encounters went the distance, needing all three matches to decide the winner. In 2021-22, San Diego overcame a 7-6 overtime loss in Match One in Chihuahua, rallying to win 6-2 in Match Two, and 4-1 in the Knockout Game. The 2022-23 series took a similar shape, as the Savage won Match One in Chihuahua 6-5, and San Diego rallied to take Match Two 6-2. However, in the Knockout Game, Carlos “Poper” Hernandez scored in overtime for a 1-0 Savage win, taking the series. The winner of this series has gone on to win the Ron Newman Cup each of the last two seasons.
In the opening round, both San Diego and Chihuahua were pushed to the limit. The Sockers lost Match One to the Texas Outlaws 6-4, while the Savage dropped their Match One in Tacoma to the Stars 6-5. Both clubs needed to win twice at home to advance, and both were up to the task. The Sockers rallied at home on April 8 for an 8-3 win in Match Two over the Outlaws, and a 4-0 win in the ensuing Knockout Game. The Savage took control on their home turf on April 7, beating the Stars 7-4 in Match Two, and 5-0 in the Knockout Game.
Match One in Chihuahua was all Savage, as the defending champs surged to leads of…