Strykers’ Obasi, Stinson, Palmer, Fabián Receive MASL Honors

Forward Alami one of three finalists for Newcomer of the Year

Ontario, Calif. — The Major Arena Soccer League (MASL) today announced its individual awards for the 2024-25 regular season, recognizing Onua Obasi of the Empire Strykers as Coach of the Year and midfielder Justin Stinson as a member of the “Elite 6,” the most outstanding players from across all teams. The Elite 6 are part of the MASL First Team, which consists of 12 players and includes Empire defender Robert Palmer. While midfielder Marco Fabián made the MASL Second Team, forward Mounir Alami was one of three finalists for Newcomer of the Year.

The announcements were made during MASL Mondays, the weekly news and highlights program on CBS Sports Golazo Network. Winners had been determined via a league-wide vote, with representatives from each team casting ballots.

Onua Obasi led the Empire Strykers to their first playoff appearance since 2021 — following a bold hire by the Strykers front office, which was unbothered by the fact their new man had himself been a player in the league just a few months prior and had never coached at the highest level of the sport. After parting ways with former head coach Paul Wright late in the offseason, the Empire front office opted to take a chance on a young up-and-comer whose main claim to fame at the time was having guided Newtown Pride FC to its 2023 triumph at The Soccer Tournament (TST).

Heading toward its third edition this summer, TST is a prestigious small-sided tournament featuring many of the best MASL players alongside recently retired stars of the outdoor game.

Obasi received plenty of attention during his first campaign in charge of the Strykers, reaping praise for his highly organized, detail-oriented method of coaching and his groundbreaking tactics. The former defender challenged the conventional wisdom of indoor soccer by frequently pushing his goalkeepers up the field as additional attackers, an approach that saw his side claim four times as many wins (12) as it did during the previous campaign, record a goal differential of +20, and score the fifth-most goals (165) of all 12 teams, with Baltimore in fourth having tallied a mere two more times than the Southern Californians.

In Obasi’s system, all available rostered players were called upon to contribute, with the 36-year-old managing the intense mental and physical strain of the compact MASL season via an intricate rotation system, which also extended to the team’s netminders. Thanks to the innovative tactics, all three of the men tasked with guarding the net boasted significant offensive outputs. While Brian Orozco scored three goals and added an assist over the course of 22 regular season appearances, Claysson De Lima collected four helpers and Brandon Gomez put up two netters and two assists, the latter two having each taken to the turf 13 times.

In addition to the 23-year-old Orozco, several other players enjoyed breakout campaigns and/or statistical career highs under Obasi’s leadership, prominent examples including Golden Boot runner-up Stinson, joint assists runner-up Palmer, midfielders Randy Martinez and Antonio De La Torre, and forwards Alami, Leonardo Espinoza and Abdul Mansaray.

2025 All-Stars Stinson and Fabián formed a lethal attacking duo throughout the season. While Stinson finished second MASL-wide in goals (32), tied for fifth in points (5) and for sixth in power play goals (3), and second on Empire in points per game (1.8 in 24), 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 his team in assists (16).

In addition to finishing tied for second in the league in assists (21) and boasting 1.2 points per game (in 23), Robert Palmer also served as the Strykers’ undisputed leader in the back. The veteran placed fifth in the MASL in blocks (51).
A former Morocco youth international in traditional soccer, 25-year-old pro indoor rookie Mounir Alami impressed with 16 goals and 12 assists across 22 appearances, good for an average of 1.3 points per game.