Mansaray, Strykers Approach Dallas Trip as “Do or Die”

Southern Californians may need point Saturday to clinch playoff berth

Ontario, Calif. — With their regular season finale at Dallas right around the corner, the Empire Strykers had several days of training to process a bizarre weekend of Major Arena Soccer League (MASL) action that saw the club fall short of clinching a playoff berth despite repeated opportunities in its own games as well as those involving direct competitors. Still in the driver’s seat but more aware than ever of all that can go wrong, the Southern Californians head to the Lone Star State determined to take care of business and return to the knockout rounds for the first time since their run to the final series in 2021.

The 11-10-2 (wins-losses-overtime/shootout losses) Strykers take on the 6-17-0 Sidekicks on Saturday, March 29, at 5 PM PST. The clash at Credit Union of Texas Event Center in Allen will air in English on the league’s official YouTube channel (@MASLtv) as well as on Victory+, Sportworld, National Soccer Network (NSN) and Unbeaten Network.

Last weekend, Empire could have punched their playoff ticket in either of their back-to-back meetings with rivals San Diego Sockers. After losing at San Diego despite leading by two goals in the fourth quarter, head coach Onua Obasi’s men launched a thrilling comeback in the rematch at Ontario’s Toyota Arena, only to fall in overtime.

In the first of the two matches on Saturday, the Strykers held a 7-5 cushion four minutes into the final period but lost their nerve and conceded five unanswered goals for a painful 7-10 defeat. Midfielder Justin Stinson and backline anchor Robert Palmer remained red-hot on the attack, with Stinson tallying three times in the opening half and Palmer bagging his 15th and 16th assists of the campaign. Goalkeeper Brandon Gomez scored his second goal of the season, and defender Bryce Watson celebrated his return to first-team action with a helper and three blocks.

The Sockers boasted strong performances by several players, Charlie Gonzalez leading the charge with four netters and one assist. While fellow midfielder Leonardo De Oliveira collected three assists, defenders Drew Ruggles and Cesar Cerda each earned a goal and a helper.

In its home game against the Sockers the very next day, Empire came agonizingly close to completing an electrifying rally from 1-6 down in the third period, as they fell via golden goal after finishing tied, 8-8, at the end of regulation time. The fiercely contested clash, in which the Strykers bid farewell to retiring club legend Israel “Izzy” Sesay, drew a ruckus crowd of 7,387, shattering records for highest ever home attendance in franchise history as well as for highest attendance recorded by any team around the Major Arena Soccer League (MASL) in 2024-25.

Tragically, longtime team captain Sesay took a painful knock on his special day that limited his time on the turf. Attackers Mounir Alami, Abdul Mansaray and Justin Stinson enjoyed standout showings for the 34-year-old’s side, with Alami earning three assists and his two teammates putting up three goals apiece. Mansaray managed the rare feat of producing a hat trick within a single quarter, as his heroics in the fourth period allowed the hosts to draw level and sent those in attendance into a frenzy. Netminder Claysson De Lima contributed a helper in the game.

For San Diego, defenders Ruggles and Ben Ramin shined along with attackers De Oliveira and Kraig Chiles. While Ruggles recorded a brace and three blocks, Ramin got in the way of no fewer than five efforts on target. De Oliveira and Chiles each had three points in the contest.

The Sockers scored their winner under controversial circumstances, with many feeling Harold Hanson had been fouled in the lead-up to ex-Ontario Fury (today’s Empire Strykers) ace De Oliveira claiming possession inside his own half and finding the back of the net by way of a delicate chip over the head of helpless netminder Orozco.

Following the pair of encounters the Strykers’ Southern California rivals, forward Mansaray reflected on the fact his team had in both contests given up several goals in a row.

“We’re a young team, and game management definitely comes way more naturally with experience,” he said. “It’s all about closing out games when we have a lead and minimizing our mistakes during key stretches. We feel like at times we give away some fouls that can give the other team momentum. It’s something [head coach] Obasi has brought up. He’s shown us film about it, and we’ve worked on it in practice.”

In his overall assessment of Empire’s narrow home loss to the Sockers, British American Mansaray ended on a positive note.

“When you have that many people coming to watch you, you always want to perform and never want to let them down,” offered the London native. “But to be honest, a lot of it was about Izzy. Knowing what he means to the Strykers, how long he’s been here, and that he’s always given his all for the club, the least we could do was to give it our all. That was a big part of the comeback. The fact we didn’t get the win is a bummer, but we assured him that the team is in good hands and that we're working hard to get to the next level. It was important that we fought back and didn't allow San Diego to push us around in our own place.”

Mansaray has steadily increased his attacking output since joining the Fury prior to the MASL’s “COVID season” in 2021. Competing in his fourth campaign with the organization, the 28-year-old is guaranteed to set a new career best for himself by finishing with a points-per-game average of 0.9 or higher.

“To be honest, I was just playing,” he said of his dominant, three-goal performance in the fourth quarter of the home clash with the Sockers. “In any game, I always feel better when I'm getting a solid number of shifts and some good minutes. As the game went on, I started to get some good looks, and toward the end I was able to put a few away. I don’t think there was anything magical about it. At the end of the day, the next game will come, and I don’t want to feel like something special needs to happen for me to score goals. I just need to feel like I’m in the game and put myself in good positions.”

With the next fixture for Mansaray and company a mere day away, the Empire players and staff have departed for what could turn out to be a crucial matchup with Dallas. While a Utica defeat to Kansas City and a Strykers win over the Sidekicks would see the seventh-place Californians retain their outside shot at finishing in sixth, the team’s main focus has to be on finally securing its postseason berth.

If the St. Louis Ambush earns less than two points against the visiting Milwaukee Wave on Friday, Empire clinches. Even if the Ambush were to bag two or more points, Empire would only need a single point at Dallas in order to clinch. The only way for the 2021 MASL runners-up to miss out on the knockout rounds would be a regulation-time loss at Dallas in combination with a regulation-time win by Tacoma in its final match at San Diego on Sunday and a five-point or better yield by St. Louis in its home-and-away series with Milwaukee.

While notably sitting tied for seventh in the league in assists (18) and boasting 1.1 points per game (in 22), Robert Palmer is also the Strykers’ undisputed defensive leader. The 36-year-old is sixth MASL-wide in blocks (46), with Emmanuel Aguirre (15) a distant second on the team roster.

2025 All-Stars Marco Fabián and Justin Stinson form a lethal attacking duo. While Fabián ranks sixth in the league in goals (25), seventh in points per game (2.0 in 21) and tied for fifth in points (41), Stinson sits ninth in points (38), tied for first in goals (29) and tied for third in power play goals (3). With Mexican Fabián as current Strykers runner-up in assists (16), Stinson is second on his side in points per game (1.7 in 23).

Among Empire’s greatest strengths is its unpredictability going forward, as even the three goalkeepers boast significant attacking outputs. Brian Orozco has scored three times and added an assist in 21 appearances, ranking tied for ninth in the MASL in game winners. Brandon Gomez has put up two goals and two helpers in 13, and Claysson De Lima has collected four assists in 12.

The Dallas Sidekicks have been eliminated from postseason contention and will finish in tenth place despite strong defensive contributions by former Strykers fan favorite Nestor Hernandez and Felipe Silva as well as dazzling attacking displays by Jamie Lovegrove. While Hernandez and Silva sit second (68) and tied for seventh (37) in the league in assists, respectively, Lovegrove is eighth in both points (39) and points per game (2.0 in 20), tied for fourth in helpers (19), and tied for third in power play goals (3).

Recently, Lovegrove has received significant support from forward Felipe De Sousa, who has played in his first four games of the campaign in the month of March and ranks second on the Sidekicks in points per game (1.8). While former Major League Soccer (MLS) star Blas Pérez sits second on the team in goals (10) and shares runner-up in points with Silva and Anthony Powell (12 each), he has not seen the turf since late April. Veteran Silva is also second on Dallas in assists (8).

In looking ahead to the clash with the Sidekicks, Strykers forward Mansaray took the opportunity to rally the troops one more time.

“Whenever I’ve talked to any of the guys, we’ve all agreed that playoffs has already started,” he said. “Any game right now is do or die, and any game could be the one that makes or breaks whether we’re successful. We knew we couldn’t wait until the end of the regular season to get into that mindset. We’ve been in that mindset for a while and will stay in it for however long our season continues. We have to remember that every single moment from now on is pivotal, including at Dallas on Saturday.”