De Lima, Empire Expect “Early Playoff Game” vs. Blast

Strykers host key clash with three-time MASL champs Sunday

Ontario, Calif. — After not competing for over a week due to the Major Arena Soccer League (MASL) All-Star Game, the Empire Strykers are looking ahead to this weekend’s match against the visiting Baltimore Blast with fierce determination and a sense of urgency. Having dropped consecutive home fixtures to the Chihuahua Savage, the Strykers players and technical staff appear keenly aware that bouncing back with a win over the mighty Blast could be key to maintaining their confidence and optimism heading into the final stretch of the regular season.

Nearly two thirds of the way through their 24-game schedule, points are of the essence for head coach Onua Obasi and his men, as their playoff participation may well come down to the wire.

6-8-1 (wins-losses-overtime/shootout losses) Empire takes on 10-2-0 Baltimore on Sunday, February 16, at 4:05 PM. The action will stream exclusively in English on CBS Sports Golazo Network and in Spanish on the MASL’s official YouTube channel (@MASLtv), with international streaming partners to be finalized in the next few days. Tickets may be purchased at www.TheEmpireStrykers.com.

Despite outshooting the visiting Savage 30-20 in the first of their back-to-back meetings with the Mexicans on February 2, the Strykers fell 5-11 courtesy of some ruthless efficiency on the part of the opposition, as the away team capitalized on several mistakes. While Empire midfielder Marco Fabián recorded a trio of points, defender Robert Palmer continued his hot offensive streak with a pair of helpers. However, Chihuahua would prevail thanks to its trademark team chemistry and several outstanding individual performances.

While Savage attacker Jose Gilberto Lopez put up four points in the contest, his teammates Pedro Castaneda and Carlos Hernandez each had three. Notably, defender Arturo Valle not only shined with three blocks but also chipped in two assists. Behind Valle, veteran netminder Diego Reynoso had an excellent showing, allowing a single goal in 30 minutes on the turf and boasting an .875 save percentage.

The Strykers dropped their second straight home match to Chihuahua on February 5, putting in a much improved effort before losing a nail-biter 5-6 in regulation time. The defeat featured standout performances from Empire forward Alan Perez and Savage defender Luis Medrano. While Perez bagged a hat trick, Medrano earned an assist and led his side’s backline with three blocks.

Although disappointed with the final score, most of the fans at Ontario’s Toyota Arena likely would have left impressed with the Strykers’ fighting spirit, as the team managed to make it a close contest after falling behind 0-3 within the opening eight minutes.

“We went into the second game more hungry because of the tough loss in the first game,” said Strykers goalkeeper Claysson De Lima, who saw the turf in both matches. “Even though we still started kind of slow, we then showed what we can do and played much better. We were able to keep the ball and control the play a little bit more. That made a big difference, and I think it’s a good sign for the rest of the season.”

Picking up where it left off against Chihuahua would go a long way toward Empire bagging a crucial win in its upcoming meeting with the Blast. In his remarks about Sunday’s East Coast vs. West Coast showdown, the Strykers netminder highlighted three of Baltimore’s four most productive attacking players of 2024-25 thus far, including former teammate Jesus Pacheco. The Southern California native became a fan favorite with Empire and the Ontario Fury, as the club was previously named, between 2019 and 2023, logging a total of 84 appearances and proving instrumental alongside De Lima in the MASL final series run of 2021.

“The Blast is a very good team with some very special players, such as Pacheco, (fellow Brazil native) Juan (Pereira) and Bruno (Henrique), their target forward,” offered De Lima. “Bruno holds the ball up really well. Baltimore has shown that they’re very difficult to play against, but we’ve been preparing well for this game. It’s a big game that feels like early playoffs for us. We will have to be at our best to beat them.”

Notably, the Blast offense is led by Bruno Henrique but also by Chad Poarch, a defender capable of pushing up into the midfield. The duo jointly ranks tied for tenth in the league in points per game (both 1.8 in 11) and shares the team lead in points (20 each), with Henrique also tied for tenth in the MASL in assists (10). Poarch tops Baltimore in goals (13) and shares second place in helpers with Pacheco (7 each). Pereira ranks runner-up on the roster in netters (12).

A key reason for the Blast’s success through 12 games has been its stingy defense. While Patrick Thompson and Elton de Oliveira have earned stellar blocks totals (17 and 14, respectively), the Maryland-based side features two formidable backstops who have split the time in net nearly evenly: Julian Rodriguez and Mike Zierhoffer. While the 26-year-old Rodriguez is second in the league in goals-against average (4.22 in 6) and third in save percentage (.742), indoor veteran Zierhoffer follows narrowly behind in both categories.

Coming off a 9-3 away win over the Milwaukee Wave and a 3-8 defeat at Utica City FC, third-place Baltimore is taking aim at the second-place San Diego Sockers and league-leading Chihuahua. While trailing San Diego by a single point, having played one fewer match, head coach David Bascome’s side currently sits seven points behind the Savage with three games in hand. Having missed the MASL playoffs for the very first time last season, the Blast looks to hoist its fourth championship since the inaugural campaign in 2014-15 and its tenth across different leagues in the organization’s storied 33-year history.

Meanwhile, continuing to find themselves in a postseason position despite their back-to-back losses to the defending champs, the seventh-place Strykers look to keep a quartet of playoff hopefuls at bay. While the Dallas Sidekicks trail by four points, having played one more game than Empire, the St. Louis Ambush, Tacoma Stars and Harrisburg Heat all hold between one and three games in hand and could crank up the pressure by getting favorable results in upcoming matches.

By beating Baltimore, the Strykers would retain their outside shot at returning to the top half of the standings while taking a major step toward finalizing their return to the knockout stages following three consecutive absences.

The Empire backline is anchored by captain and reigning MASL Defender of the Year, Robert Palmer, who is fourth in the league in blocks (32), with Emmanuel Aguirre (9) a distant runner-up on the pair’s side.

Meanwhile, 2025 All-Stars Marco Fabián and Justin Stinson form a formidable attacking duo, with Stinson’s dazzling footwork perfectly complementing Fabián’s powerful right foot and exquisite vision. Fabián is his team’s undisputed leader on offense, as he ranks fourth in the MASL in both points (29) and points per game (2.1 in 14) as well as tied for second in goals (19) and tied for tenth in assists along with fellow Strykers midfielder Andy Reyes (10 each). In addition to sitting ninth in the league in points (22) and tied for sixth in goals (16), Stinson is second on Empire in points per game (1.5 in 15).

Among the squad’s greatest strengths is its unpredictability going forward, as even two netminders boast significant attacking outputs. While De Lima has three helpers in ten appearances, Brandon Gomez has a goal and an assist in seven.

In his look ahead to the clash with the Blast, 2021 MASL Goalkeeper of the Year De Lima did his best to help prevent pregame jitters among his less experienced teammates.

“Of course, we feel that we have to make the playoffs,” said the man from Rio De Janeiro. “Because of the two losses against Chihuahua, I think you could say there’s a little bit of pressure now to beat Baltimore. But honestly, we come to every match feeling that it’s a must-win, so this isn’t really that different. We just do our best to prepare in training, and we listen to the coach. If we execute our game plan, the results will come.”

Empire returns to action against the visiting Baltimore Blast on Sunday, February 16. Tickets are available here.