Around The League // Week 15

*The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the viewpoints or positions of the Major Arena Soccer League.**

Sockers Soar in Crunchtime

March is all about getting hot at the right time, and with less than three weeks until the playoffs commence, no team is hotter than the Sockers. They’ve churned their way through the season, honing in on their game and finding a way to win even when they’re not at their best. In this league, where chaos and unpredictability run rampant, San Diego’s ability to conjure wins seemingly on a whim will be invaluable come April.

Phil Salvagio’s side played three games in five days and won all three, turning aside the high-flying Strykers and Ambush before taking their rubber match against the Comets in Kansas City by a score of 7-3. Their six-game win streak is the longest in the MASL, and with 48 points, they’ve practically guaranteed themselves a top-two seed for the playoffs. 

Tavoy Morgan continued his incredible form this week as he led his side with seven points in their three contests. Notably, he’s found the net in every game he’s played since Feb. 8, a run that now spans eight games. Alongside him, Leonardo De Oliveira, Charlie Gonzalez, and Kraig Chiles provide very different looks and give their side the ability to score in many different facets of play.

Additionally, Xavier Snaer-Williams impressed between the pipes, especially after Boris Pardo’s injury forced him off in the second quarter of their match against Kansas City. In his 40-minute cameo, Snaer-Williams made 13 saves on 15 shots, including a spectacular penalty save and the following rebound attempt as well to deny Rian Marques. 

The wins put San Diego just a point behind Chihuahua for first place, with a game in hand. If San Diego were to win their four remaining games, they would be MASL Shield champions. For that to happen, they’ll need to beat the Savage at Corner Sport Arena. If Chihuahua wins that contest, the Sockers will need to win their remaining three games and hope the Savage drops points against Harrisburg on the final weekend.

In essence, this weekend’s game is a winner-take-all grudge match with the MASL Shield on the line. The Sockers have already beaten their southern rivals twice this season, but both of those wins came at home. No United States-based side has beaten the Savage at Corner Sport Arena since Feb 24, 2023, when the Sockers accomplished the feat with a tense 9-8 win. Can they do it again, or will Chihuahua put themselves within striking distance of their first ever MASL Shield? Tune in on Friday, March 14, at 10:00 PM EDT to find out.

Stars Keep The Playoff Race Alive

Tacoma has experienced the highest of highs and the lowest of lows this season. There hasn’t been much in between. The Stars have fought to be where they are, and with the games ticking away, they have a very real chance to qualify for the playoffs, but they need to capitalize on their opportunities.

Against Dallas, the Stars found the offensive consistency they’ve been craving. Tyler John led the way with a brace, while eight other players found the net in a well-diversified attacking performance. The Stars scored three goals in the first quarter and set the tone for the match. From that point on, the deficit never dropped below three goals, and in the end, Tacoma cruised to a comfortable and comprehensive 10-5 win. 

Their fourth loss to Empire this season on Friday did them no favors, but their road win against Dallas on Monday night could prove to be critical. With just four games remaining, every point left on the table could be the difference between qualifying and going home, and unfortunately for Tacoma, three of their last four will be against the Sockers and the Comets.

All the while, St. Louis continues to pick away at the gap in the standings. Their statement 13-6 win over Milwaukee this weekend turned some heads and let Tacoma know they’re not going down without a fight. Dylan Hundelt, Raphael Araujo, and Duduca Carvalho all registered three points against the Wave, while a further 10 players found themselves on the scoresheet. Much like San Diego, this is a team that is finding its groove at the right time, they just need to deliver down the stretch. 

Next on the docket for the Ambush is a trip to TU Arena for a rematch against the Blast, who have yet to lose at home this season. The two sides faced off there earlier this season, with the hosts running out 8-1 winners. Kickoff from Baltimore is scheduled for Sunday, Mar. 16, at 3:00 PM EDT.

The Stars won’t have to wait as long, with their next game coming on Wednesday, Mar. 12, at 8:05 PM EDT. This is the last game they’ll enter as heavy favorites, so a win will be paramount to maximize their final points haul come the end of the season. Otherwise, they’ll likely need to win out.

MVP Talk

With the regular season coming to a close very soon, now is a great opportunity to briefly discuss a few MVP candidates from this season. Value comes in every position, and it looks different to different people, so today, I’d like to highlight a few players in each position that excel in one or more aspects of play. Let's first take a look at the forwards who make the net bulge and bring the crowd to their feet.

I’ll start with one of the easiest groups to identify. When analysing forwards and targets, goals are the name of the game. Assists are great and will be accounted for, but the ability to score cannot be understated. That’s why I created this scatter plot to compare the league’s best points scorers based on their shooting percentages. 

When analyzing the top forwards based on points per game and shooting percentage, Rian Marques, Hugo Puentes, Franck Tayou, and Juan Pereira jump off the page, but the question is, how should Kelvin Oliveira be compared to them? The Brazilian set the league ablaze during his time in Utica but, crucially, has only played in 12 games. While it isn’t confirmed whether he’ll rejoin his side for the playoffs, Kelvin absolutely made his mark, averaging 3.5 points per game and dazzling all who saw him play.

By comparison, Marques, Puentes, and Tayou all played at least 16 games already and are regular contributors for their respective sides. Additionally, Marques and Puentes are two of the best at what they do on teams that are currently at or near the top of the league standings. For an award as comprehensive as this, only featuring in half of your team’s games does not exactly bolster his resume.

Into the midfield we go, and here, we have a trio with impressively similar characteristics. Among the league's top-scoring midfielders, Jamie Lovegrove, Marco Fabián, and Jorge Ríos are the only three players to average two or more points per game. I’ll take a second to highlight the first two because they have been sensational this season. Lovegrove has already surpassed his record for points in a single campaign, while Fabián’s impressive inaugural season set a lofty standard that he’s managed to match in 2024/25. The two are also key to their teams’ success, and especially their relative improvement from last season to now. 

This trio is in another league when it comes to points, averaging over two per game, but all three get to that figure in a slightly different way. Of the three, Ríos is, by far, the most effective on both offense and defense thanks to his 0.8 blocks per game, but crucially, he makes the most of the game’s most predictable moments. Ríos leads the league with five power-play goals, and his expertise when standing over a dead ball cannot be overstated.

After missing nearly all of last season due to injury, Ríos announced his triumphant return with staggering consistency. He currently leads the league in points with 46, and on the league’s best offense, he manages to stand out. Only twice in 20 appearances has he failed to tally either a goal or an assist, and he’s been there when it mattered with three game-winning goals. He passes both the eye test and the numbers test with flying colors, and for me, he’s one of the strongest candidates for the league’s highest individual award.

Now, let’s take a look at the most underrated position on the turf. Defending is a controversial topic in this league because there are so many roles, and nobody can completely agree on what the best defender looks like. Is it an elite scorer? The league leader in blocks? Well, let’s look at a chart showing off the league's best defenders sorted by points per game and blocks per game, so you can make the call yourself. 

In years past, the player who finishes the season with most blocks has won the league’s defender of the year award, but defending is so much more complicated than that. It involves tracking runners, staying goalside, blocking passing lanes that are exponentially larger thanks to the walls, and for many, turning defense into attack.

So, honestly, pick your poison. Defenders like Chad Poarch, Breno Oliveira, and Jaime Alejandro Romero are beasts on offense, while Chad Vandegriffe stands alone in the blocked shots category. Robert Palmer is as close as we have to a unicorn this season with one point and over two blocks per game to his name, but when you take both stats into account, you run the risk of ignoring the players who are extremely good, and potentially better, in either category.

Moving swiftly on from that subjectivity, let’s take a look at Erik Bergrud’s favourite statistic. Goalkeeping is one of the most important factors in a team's success, and yet, so often, it is overlooked. Here, you'll see a chart illustrating the relationship between each goalkeeper's save percentage and their goals against average. Phillip Ejimadu and Julian Rodriguez have similar archetypes, but the goalkeeper role has taken on a new meaning in the MASL this year. 

Empire’s Brian Orozco is averaging 0.426 points per 60 minutes played, the best in the MASL, thanks to his side’s revolutionary tactical play to use him as a sixth attacker for the entirety of the game. He’s also a handy shot-stopper, though his inclusion on this list is admittedly primarily due to his forays into attack.

For a more traditional net-minder experience, Chris Toth has continued to set the bar when it comes to indoor soccer goalkeeping. He boasts the highest save percentage in the league while facing the second-most shots of any goalkeeper. He’s made some ridiculous saves that have kept Tacoma in the playoff race, and the numbers are clear. He’s the league’s best shot-stopper, he contributes in attack, and he does more goalkeeping than almost anyone else in the league.