San Diego Sockers Season Opener Scheduled for Saturday
With just three days left until the Sockers’ opening match of the 2016/17 season, San Diego’s most winning team gears up for the excitement and welcomes six new individuals to their squad, along with the club’s new mascot, Sunny the Socker.
MASL Soccer News: The San Diego Sockers are gearing up for their 2016-2017 season opener on Saturday, October 29th at 7:05 p.m. PT versus their old rival, Turlock Express. The game will be at the Valley View Casino Center in San Diego, CA.
The Sockers return to Major Arena Soccer League (MASL) action looking to bring championship glory back to San Diego following a three-year drought.
The club’s “Quest for 15” kicks off this weekend with a veteran squad combined with six youthful signings over the offseason leading the charge. Recent signings include two players from Kansas City Comets (Max Touloute, Boris Pardo), two from Atletico Baja (Brandon Escoto, Eli Galbraith Knapp) and two players from the now dysfunctional Las Vegas Legends (Felipe Gonzalez, Cesar Cerda).
The upcoming season will see Kraig Chiles close in on all-time Sockers scoring record holder Branko Segota. The current Sockers captain has 281 goals and only needs 18 more tallies this season to surpass the club legend.
The Sockers were in preseason a little over two weeks ago, taking on National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) side North County Battalion in a charity match in honor of the Challenged Athletes Foundation.
The arena soccer team showed off their prowess outdoors in a 3-1 victory with goals scored by Rafael Aguilar, Scott Martin and Anthony Medina.
Hosted by NC Battalion, the match was held at Del Norte High School and brought the San Diego’s soccer community together for a worthy charitable cause.
“It brings me back to when the Sockers played in the NASL before winning all those championships in the 80’s. Sockers were dominant back then and its something we want to get back to this season,” said Bowers. “What better way to re-start a winning tradition than to play against an emerging local team for a great cause?”
The Sockers will be looking to kick off the season in stride as they take on a Turlock side that finished last in the Southwest Division last campaign.
San Diego fell in the Pacific Division Final last season to Soles de Sonora after pushing the two-match series to a mini-game. With a re-energized squad, the Sockers are seeking for another championship run that begins on Saturday night in front of their home crowd.
Photo Credit: San Diego Sockers
