Sockers Announce 2024/25 Roster
• The Sockers begin their quest for the 17th indoor soccer championship with a revamped roster for the new season.
• The core of the squad remains with new faces like former Texas Outlaws dynamic duo of forward Luiz Morales and midfielder Sebastian Mendez and Spanish international Keko Gontan.
• The season opener is against the Tacoma Stars at the accesso ShoWare Center in Kent, Washington on Saturday, December 7 at 6:05 p.m.
SAN DIEGO — The San Diego Sockers are ready to embark on their journey for a record-setting 17th indoor soccer championship with an updated and energized roster for the 2024-25 Major Arena Soccer League (MASL) season. General Manager Miguel “Chiky” Luna officially announced the team’s final lineup today.
Building on a strong core, the Sockers welcome dynamic new talent, including Luiz Morales and Sebastian Mendez, former standouts from the Texas Outlaws, and Spanish international Keko Gontan, a seasoned professional with a history in top European leagues. Key returning players include midfielder Travis Pittman, defender Ben Ramin, and forward Taylor Walter-Bond, alongside team stalwarts like Christian Gutierrez and goalkeeper Boris Pardo.
“We are thrilled to bring back familiar faces and introduce an impressive group of new talent to our club,” said Luna. “This roster showcases depth, skill, and versatility, and every player is poised to contribute to our push for another Ron Newman Cup championship.”
The Sockers’ revamped roster highlights grit, talent, and experience, with a mix of veteran players and emerging stars:
• Boris Pardo (Goalkeeper): A three-time MASL Goalkeeper of the Year and the league’s all-time wins leader, Pardo anchors the defense with his exceptional skills.
• Keko Gontan (Midfielder): A La Liga veteran with experience in Spain and Italy, Gontan brings elite-level talent to San Diego.
• Christian Gutierrez (Forward): Known for his defensive prowess and counter-attack capabilities, Gutierrez consistently delivers under pressure.
• Gabriel Costa (Midfielder): The 2022-23 MASL Newcomer of the Year is a dual-footed scoring threat and creative playmaker.
• Travis Pittman (Midfielder): A valuable depth player with international experience, Pittman returns for another season with the Sockers.
• Luiz Morales (Forward): The 2021-22 MASL Rookie of the Year is set to add firepower to the offensive lineup.
Xavier Snaer-Williams, 0, is an Oceanside native who joined the Sockers program via open tryouts. Snaer-Williams (25 years old) enters his fourth season with the Sockers as the entrenched backup goalkeeper to Boris Pardo. In 2022-23, Snaer-Williams made a career-high eight appearances in the regular season, often finishing out blowout matches in the fourth quarter or second half. In 2021-22, Xavier won both of his starts, earning MASL Defensive Player of the Week honors in doing so. Snaer-Williams is also a keeper for the U.S. National Beach Soccer team and was the youngest member of the squad selected to travel to Russia for the 2021 World Cup.
Christian Gutierrez, 4, is a Tijuana native establishing himself firmly as one of the best defensive forwards in the MASL, a consistent counter-attack threat who can help lock down the opposing offense. In 2022-23, Gutierrez ranked second on the club in goals (23) and sixth in points (25), while adding 20 blocked shots, most on the club from a non-defender. The playoff hero for the San Diego Sockers during their run to the 2021 Ron Newman Cup, “Golden Gutierrez” netted back-to-back overtime game-winning goals to kick off the Sockers’ playoff run, beating Tacoma in the opening round.
Ben Ramin, 5, is a native of Baldwinsville, New York, he began his indoor soccer career with the Syracuse Silver Knights in 2016 and has since played for Utica City FC, the San Diego Sockers, and the Milwaukee Wave. Ramin has appeared in 138 MASL games, recording 35 goals and 26 assists and 141 blocks. During the 2022–23 season with the Milwaukee Wave, he showcased his defensive prowess by leading the team in blocked shots, further emphasizing his all-around impact on the field. Notably, he played with the Sockers in the 2021 campaign helping the team capture the Ron Newman Cup.
Flavio Guzman, 6, played with the Dallas Sidekicks before being acquired by the Sockers on February 6, 2024. Last season with Dallas, Guzman played in 14 games, scored 12 goals and had 7 assists.
Felipe Gonzalez, 7, is coming off his best season as a San Diego Socker. The veteran midfielder returns for his ninth season under the shield, in search of his third championship. Gonzalez appeared in a career-high 21 contests in the 2022-23 season, setting Sockers personal highs in goals (11) and points (20). Felipe demonstrated his clutch gen in the 2022 Ron Newman Cup playoffs with a pair of key goals, including a flying header for the equalizer against Chihuahua in Match Two of the semi-finals. In 2021, Felipe advanced to the Ron Newman Cup Finals for the first time, helping bring home the championship. In his 107-match MASL career, Gonzalez has accumulated 48 goals and 44 assists (92 points).
Drew Ruggles, 8, is a veteran defender with championship pedigree. Ruggles joins the Sockers as a free agent for the 2023-24 season, agreeing to a four-year contract in the summer. Ruggles begins his tenth season in the MASL after spending the past four with the Florida Tropics. The 2022-23 season saw Ruggles set a career-high with 18 goals scored and 40 blocked shots. During his time in Florida, Ruggles won MASL Defender of the Year in 2019-20, participated in the 2022 Ron Newman Cup Finals and was part of the 2019-20 club that finished with the best record in the Eastern Conference. He’s made seven playoff appearances in his previous nine MASL campaigns, reaching three Ron Newman Cup Finals (2022, 2019, 2015).
Tavoy Morgan, 9, has established himself as one of the most dangerous attackers in the MASL, and seeks a return to form as his club chases a third MASL Shield. In the 2022-23 season, Morgan scored a team-high 24 goals along with 11 assists for a 35-point season. He netted four game-winning goals and four on the power play. A member of the MASL Elite Six in 2021-22, Tavoy led the Sockers and finished second in the MASL with 39 goals. His 49 total points also led the Sockers and ranked third in the league. “The Bull” added seven goals in seven playoff matches, helping propel the Sockers to the Ron Newman Cup championship.
Leonardo De Oliveira, 11, finished one point behind Kraig Chiles for the club lead with 40 points, and led San Diego with 27 assists, adding 12 blocks on defense. He began 2023-24 just 25 points away from 300 in his career, and was rewarded for his play with a new five-year contract. In 2021-22, Leo helped lead the Sockers to a second straight MASL championship while earning the league’s Pass Master title with 33 assists. A scorer gifted with both skill and strength, de Oliveira helped lead the Sockers to the 2021 Ron Newman Cup championship, earning playoff MVP honors for his performance.
Travis Pittman, 13, returns to the Sockers for the 2024-25 season after spending two seasons with the club beginning in 2018-19. He played for two years and carved out a spot on the Sockers’ roster as a valuable depth piece. In 2019-20, Pittman was selected for fifteen matches with the Sockers, scoring five goals. In two seasons with San Diego, he has accrued points in 38 matches. Travis was also selected to play for Team USA in the WMF World Cup, held in Perth, Australia in October of 2019.
Luiz Morales, 15, is a forward from Irving, Texas. Morales was the 2021-2022 MASL Rookie of the Year and is also currently on the United States Men's National Futsal Team.
Eduardo Velez, 16, is a mainstay of the Sockers’ back line throughout the 2010s. He has adjusted to a reserve role and will be available if called upon. Starting three playoff contests for San Diego, Velez netted twice in the Sockers’ Pacific Division Final win over Tacoma, including the golden goal in double overtime. In fourteen pro seasons between the MISL, PASL and MASL, Velez has totaled 117-110=227 points in 187 regular season games. A former co-owner and director of operations for Revolucion Tijuana, Velez was the PASL points leader in 2010-11.
Juan Salazar, 17, is left-footed striker tallying four goals and two assists in 14 regular season matches last year as a rookie. He joined the team after being selected in the 2024 MASL College Draft.
Brandon Escoto, 19, is ready to put defenses on notice once again across the MASL as a top attacking midfielder. Hampered by a mid-season injury, Escoto only featured in 19 matches during the 2022-23 campaign, registering (11-15=26) points. The previous season, Escoto finished in the MASL’s top-10 in both goals and assists, finishing with (21-23=44) points, good for T-7th in the league. Escoto added five goals and three assists in the playoffs, including the go-ahead goal in Game One of the Ron Newman Cup Finals. Escoto re-established himself as one of the most dangerous scoring midfielders in the MASL during the Sockers’ 2021 Ron Newman Cup championship campaign.
Charlie Gonzalez, 21, begins his fourth season with the San Diego Sockers with new five-year contract extension that will keep the 31-year-old under the crest for years to come. Signed as a free agent in the 2021 offseason, Gonzalez finished tied-for-second on the club with 23 goals in the regular season, and was fifth on the club with 39 points. Gonzalez arrived from the Ontario Fury , where he powered them to the Ron Newman Cup Finals with 5 goals and a team-high 11 assists in six playoff appearances, leading the club in regular season and playoff scoring. The Fury’s all-time leading scorer, Gonzalez has featured in 144 games over eight seasons overall, netting 136 goals with 93 assists.
Taylor Walter Bond, 23, comes to the Sockers through a trade with the Harrisburg Heat with a 10-year MASL career for Chicago, Cedar Rapids, Tacoma, San Diego, Florida, and Harrisburg. He had 10 goals, three assists for Utica City FC in 2022-23 and received MASL Offensive Player of the Week Award.
Sergio “Keko” Gontán, 25, is a skilled midfielder from Spain with extensive experience across top European leagues. He began his professional career with Atlético Madrid, debuting in La Liga at just 17 years old. Over his career in Spain’s top division, Keko made 250 appearances (caps) in La Liga, playing for notable clubs such as Málaga, Eibar, and Real Valladolid. Keko also gained experience in the 1st division in Italy before transitioning to the United States in 2022, where he joined Sacramento Republic FC in the USL Championship.
Boris Pardo, 27, continues to cement his name in the record books as one of San Diego’s all-time best backstops. A now three-time winner of the top goalkeeping honor in the MASL, Pardo is the league’s all-time leader in wins (112), including a 91-14-5 mark with the Sockers. Boris led the MASL in wins in 2022-23 with a 21-2 record, marking the third time in three full 24-match schedules where he reached the 20-win plateau. In 2021-22, Pardo earned his second straight championship, while picking up his second career award as MASL Goalkeeper of the Year.
Cesar Cerda, 29, is the defensive captain and now a Socker for life, signing a five-year contract extension prior to the 2023-24 season. Cerda, 31, begins his ninth season with the Sockers and eleventh overall in the MASL. A defender who can also score in clutch situations when called upon, Cesar finished second among Sockers defenders in points scored in 2022-23 (4-9=13) and added 20 blocked shots and a team-high 43 fouls to the defense. He was honored with Second Team All-MASL status for the season. Cerda was named a MASL All-Star for his work in the 2019-20 season.
Mitchell Cardenas, 31, signed a five-year contract extension last season, locking in the best defensive backfield in the MASL. In 2022-23, he combined with Guerrero Pino as the primary on-ball defenders, tasked with stopping the opponent’s top scorer. The Sockers held the league to 99 regular season goals, the only club under 100 and a task only the Sockers have accomplished two seasons in a row. Mitchell blocked 21 shots while adding (3-8=11) points on offense.
Kraig Chiles, 37, has played thirteen seasons and earned six championships, three league MVP awards and three playoff MVP awards. Chiles has simply done it all during an indoor soccer career that has cemented his place among the San Diego Sockers’ all-time greats. In 2021-22, Chiles led the club in points-per-match at 2.3, scoring 22 goals with 19 assists (22-19=41 points) in just 18 matches. In the playoffs, Chiles led all scorers with nine goals and 14 points in seven matches, earning Ron Newman Cup playoff MVP. Chiles scored the match-winning goal in Match Two of the Ron Newman Cup Finals. Along the way in 2021-22, Chiles scored his 600th career point between the PASL and MASL.
Luis Ortega, 69, enjoyed one of the healthier seasons of his career with the Sockers in 2022-23, appearing in 21 matches. Able to slide from defender to midfield as the need demands, Peewee scored one goal with four assists on the season, adding in 12 blocked shots.
Gabriel Costa, 70, was the MASL Newcomer of the Year in 2022-23 with Empire Strykers. Costa signed a free agent contract with San Diego in the summer. He shined in his first season as a professional indoor player, netting (18-22=40) points in just 19 matches. Able to shoot and pass with both the left and the right foot, Costa presents a defensive matchup problem every time he steps on the floor. He teamed with Drew Ruggles and Tavoy Morgan as part of Newtown Pride FC in the summer at the TST 7-v-7 tournament, winning the million dollar first-place prize.
Eli Zamora, 90, joined the Sockers for the 2024-25 season in November 2024. He played college soccer for CSU Monterey Bay, where he started 16 of 17 matches as a junior and scored his first collegiate goal and assist, including a match-winner.
The Sockers open their 2024-25 campaign on Saturday, December 7, facing the Tacoma Stars at the accesso ShoWare Center in Kent, Washington. The match begins at 6:05 p.m. PST and will stream live on MASL TV on YouTube.
San Diego’s home opener will take place on Saturday, December 14, when they host Utica City FC at the newly unveiled Frontwave Arena. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. Tickets are available now at sdsockers.com/singlegame or frontwavearena.com.