November 18, 2024 – Major Arena Soccer League (MASL)
Empire Strykers News Release
Ontario, Calif. – The Empire Strykers today announced they have obtained the rights to midfielder Jorge DeLeon and defender Emmanuel Aguirre from fellow Major Arena Soccer League (MASL) side Texas Outlaws. Signed through the 2026-27 season, both players return to Empire after previous stints with the club. DeLeon, who has been acquired in exchange for financial considerations, first suited up for the Strykers (then named Ontario Fury) in 2021 and 2021-22, sharing the field with Aguirre during his second campaign with the club.
“Last year, we were so eager to improve that we took our emphasis on youth a bit too far,” offered the Strykers’ executive vice president, Jimmy Nordberg. “Bringing back Jorge DeLeon and Emmanuel Aguirre is another step toward reversing some of the unintended consequences. There’s a reason Jorge and Emmanuel were among our fan favorites in the past. Both are incredibly smart indoor players, and both exhibit the kind of maturity and professionalism needed to help guide a young locker room. We look forward to their contributions on and off the field.”
DeLeon, 31, played for Richland College and Midwestern State University in his native Texas before embarking on his MASL career with the Mesquite Outlaws (today’s Texas Outlaws) in 2019-20. During the 2021 season, which was shortened due to the Covid-19 pandemic, he saw the field in nine of Ontario’s ten regular season games and in all eight playoff matches, proving pivotal in the team’s run to the finals. After subsequently logging 22 regular season games for the Fury in 2021-22, DeLeon helped Mesquite/Texas reach the MASL playoffs in each of the following two campaigns and appeared in all six postseason encounters.
“After coming so close to winning the championship with the Fury three and a half years ago, it feels like unfinished business,” said the midfielder. “That’s one of the reasons I’m incredibly excited to be back in the Inland Empire. During my first time here, the organization and the fans treated me very well, which makes it feel like coming home. I want nothing more than to repay everyone by winning the trophy.”
Hailing from Guadalajara, Mexico, 30-year-old Emmanuel Aguirre rose through the ranks of Atlas, lacing up for the storied club at the youth level between the ages of 12 and 19. A left-back in the outdoor game, he made the move to Toluca in the early 2010s and went on to appear in the…