Strykers’ Obasi: “Confidence High” Before Sockers Playoff Clash

Empire looks for upset in club’s first postseason match since 2021

Ontario, Calif. — Having punched their first Major Arena Soccer League (MASL) postseason ticket since 2021 by way of an emphatic away win over the Dallas Sidekicks, the Empire Strykers are spending this week diligently preparing for their upcoming single-game elimination clash with hosts San Diego Sockers. With the Strykers’ long history of challenging their arch rivals to fiercely contested matchups, only to lose the vast majority of them, having continued through 2024-25, head coach Onua Obasi and his men are feeling optimistic that their recent upward-trending form can translate into a first-round upset.

Seventh-seed Empire (wins-losses-overtime/shootout losses: 12-10-2) takes on second-seed San Diego (20-4-0) this coming Friday, April 4, at 7:30 PM PST. Broadcast information for the clash at Frontwave Arena in Oceanside has yet to be released. Tickets to the Strykers supporters section are available here.

After seeing several potential playoff-clinching scenarios come and go, Empire left no doubt in its final regular season game at Dallas, dominating its opponent and jumping out to a commanding 8-1 lead before throwing caution to the wind in the final quarter to try and get Justin Stinson and Robert Palmer more goals and assists, respectively, as the pair competed for individual statistical honors.

In addition to a pair of helpers, midfielder Stinson did bag his third straight hat trick, temporarily catapulting himself to the top of the goalscoring charts. The St. Louis native would finish second, trailing Chihuahua Savage ace Jorge Ríos by a single tally. Stinson’s attacking output against the Sidekicks was matched by teammate Jorge DeLeon, who also had three netters and two helpers.

Goalkeeper Brian Orozco, defender Palmer and forward Leonardo Espinoza enjoyed additional standout shifts for the visitors. Orozco boasted a .778 save percentage, conceding a mere two times in his 43 minutes on the turf. While Palmer’s trio of assists saw Empire’s backline anchor set a personal career best and tie for second in the league, the Jamaican also recorded five blocks in the contest. Espinoza earned a total of three points.

Despite the decisive Strykers win, a pair of Dallas defenders managed to shine. Former Empire fan favorite Nestor Hernandez recorded a goal and a helper as well as six blocks, with Moises Hernandez tallying once and getting in the way of three opposition efforts on frame.

“We really didn’t give them much,” recalled first-year MASL head coach Onua Obasi, who on the day accomplished his declared objective of returning the Strykers to the knockout phases following three straight absences. “Up to the fourth quarter, it was a very controlled performance from us. Then we went a little wild because we had enough of a cushion to take a risk and get Justin and Berto the chances they needed to add more points. We could afford to do that in that moment. Overall, I’d say it was definitely a fun game and one that showed we can dominate if we play the way we set out to.”

Obasi’s success this season is all the more impressive when considering he accomplished it after a second straight roster overhaul and while pioneering an exciting style of play that included frequently utilizing the team’s three goalkeepers as part of the attack. While Brian Orozco scored three times and added an assist in 22 appearances, Claysson De Lima collected four helpers and Brandon Gomez put up two goals and two assist, with De Lima and Gomez each playing in 13 games.

“I’d say our performance over the course of the season was pretty much in line with what we had in mind,” offered former defender Obasi. “We dropped a couple that we could have won and won a couple that we could have dropped. It’s probably what you’d expect from a team going through a growth process and lacking a bit of experience. Although we added some veterans, we also played a number of rookies while rotating our squad and implementing a new style. We set out to dominate games in terms of possession and shots. For the most part, I’d say we did that.”

Obasi’s task was only made more challenging by the fact his Strykers squad faced the two best teams in the league, the Chihuahua Savage and the Sockers, in no less than one third of its regular season fixtures. While Empire dropped all of its encounters with the pair of MASL giants, five of them were decided by margins of two goals or less. One of the remaining three, a March 22 meeting in Oceanside, was claimed 10-7 by the Sockers after the Strykers had led 7-5 early in the final period.

“Eight games against San Diego and Chihuahua is a really tough ask,” said Onua Obasi, “which shows in the fact we didn't win any of them. Outside of that, I’d say we took care of business. Winning four out of five against Tacoma and only letting them beat us once on a shootout was probably the biggest achievement. We had kind of earmarked that series before the season as one we needed to dominate.”

In years past, Empire has frequently found itself locked in intense battles for postseason berths with the Tacoma Stars, the Washingtonians traditionally having had the Southern Californians’ number.

In terms of their track record against San Diego, the Strykers aim to begin reversing a historical trend of narrow losses, one of the most gut-wrenching having come in the two teams’ most recent clash at Ontario’s Toyota Arena on March 23. At the time needing a win in order to secure its playoff spot, Obasi’s side came agonizingly close to completing an electrifying rally from 1-6 down in the third period, as it fell via golden goal after finishing tied, 8-8, at the end of regulation time.

In the match, the Strykers bid farewell to retiring club legend Israel “Izzy” Sesay, with a ruckus crowd of 7,387 honoring the longtime team captain and shattering records for highest ever home attendance in franchise history as well as for highest attendance around the MASL in 2024-25.

While Sesay tragically took a painful knock that limited his time on the turf, attackers Mounir Alami, Abdul Mansaray and Justin Stinson enjoyed standout showings in the 34-year-old’s absence. Mansaray managed the rare feat of producing a hat trick within a single quarter, his heroics in the fourth period allowing the hosts to draw level and sending the fans into a frenzy.

“We could have very easily won that game,” said Empire head coach Obasi of the overtime loss. “If we had taken the comeback all the way, we'd be looking at it like, hey, we beat them convincingly last time. I'm focused on performance, and I feel we performed well enough to win, which is what you want as you head into another game against an opponent you’ve faced so many times. The confidence has been high coming into this week. Preparing for Friday should move us further along in that direction.”

The Strykers will be competing in the knockout rounds for the fourth time in the organization’s history, which dates back to 2013. During the MASL’s “COVID season” in the early part of 2021, while still playing as the Ontario Fury, Izzy Sesay and company made a run to the championship series and came within a hair’s breadth of lifting the trophy, as it took San Diego a 1-0 win in the decisive 15-minute mini game to emerge victorious.

For their part, the Sockers are among the most successful clubs in MASL history, having never missed the playoffs and having claimed the title in both 2021 and 2022.

While notably having tied for second in the league in assists (21) and boasting 1.2 points per game (in 23), Robert Palmer is also the Strykers’ undisputed defensive leader. The 36-year-old finished fifth MASL-wide in blocks (51), 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 placed tied for sixth in the league in points per game (2.0 in 21) as well as eighth in both points (41) and goals (25), along with claiming runner-up on Empire in assists (16), Stinson finished second in the MASL in goals (32), tied for fifth in points (5) and for sixth in power play goals (3), and second on his side in points per game (1.8 in 24).

Among San Diego’s main strengths is the fact the team can lean on several key contributors on both defense and offense. Ben Ramin, Kristian Quintana and Cesar Cerda make up a formidable trio in the back, working effectively to protect veteran goalkeeper Boris Pardo, who placed atop the league in goals-against average (4.39 in 16). While Ramin finished eighth in the MASL in blocks (37), Quintana (36) came in at ninth and Cerda (33) at tenth.

The Sockers attack is powered by a quartet of players. While former Fury man Charlie Gonzalez placed tied for fifth in the league in helpers as well as first on the Sockers in points (36) and points per game (1.64 in 22), Tavoy Morgan finished seventh MASL-wide in goals (26) and second on his side in both points (33) and points per game (1.57 in 21). Luis Morales and indoor legend Kraig Chiles tied for third in the league in power play goals (3 each), with Chiles also placing runner-up on San Diego in goals (24). Another ex-Fury ace, Leonardo De Oliveira tied for eighth MASL-wide in helpers (19).

The Strykers hold an all-time record of 9-46 against the Sockers, which includes a 2-9 record in shootout/overtime decisions and a 2-2 record in postseason matches. Not included in the record are two 15-minute mini games. Prior to the one being used to determine San Diego as the winner of the tied 2021 final series, Empire’s rival had already advanced from a tied 2016-17 MASL Pacific Division final series via a mini game victory, that time by a score of 1-0. The two sides’ first ever meeting dates back to the 2013-14 season in the Professional Arena Soccer League (PASL).

After their successful overtime thriller at the Strykers’ home venue, the Sockers most recently downed visiting Tacoma 7-2 to close out their regular season. The two-time MASL champs are currently riding a three-game win streak.

“They have a real all-star quality to them,” said Strykers head coach Obasi. “Any weakness you show, they will punish you. We experienced that firsthand this season. As a young team, we made some mistakes, and they tended to take advantage. It’s important to understand how clinical they are but also that we've been able to dominate against them in terms of the possession and the chances created. They have seven or eight players who can break the game open, so we have to stay in control and minimize our mistakes. We’ve done so for stretches against them. Now the question is whether we can do it for sixty minute or longer.”

Empire takes on host San Diego in the first round of the MASL postseason this coming Friday, April 4. Tickets to the Strykers supporters section may be purchased here.