Can history repeat itself?

No one needs to remind Kristian Quintana that the opportunity to win championships doesn’t come very often.

So, when the Dallas Sidekicks loaned the veteran defender to the Chihuahua Savage last season, he made the most of it and helped the team capture the Major Arena Soccer League title.

Fast forward to this year and Quintana has found himself in another unique situation. The Sidekicks traded him to the San Diego Sockers for the Ron Newman Cup playoffs on Feb. 21.

Quintana has embraced the chance to take another victory lap in the final game of the season.

"It's not always easy to have the opportunity to win championships," he said. "When you do, you've got to take advantage of it. That makes me really excited that I could be getting another championship this year."

The second-seeded Sockers, who will host the quarterfinals and semifinals at Frontwave Arena in Oceanside, Calif. from April 4-6, will meet long-time rival Empire Strykers, the seventh seed, on Friday at 10:30 p.m. ET.

The 35-year-old Quintana can't wait for the postseason to begin.

"I'm extremely hungry," he said. "I think about it every single every single day. You don't always get an opportunity to win championships back-to-back. If I can do that, it will be amazing to win back-to-back. I always wanted to be among the top players of the league. It has taken me time and winning a championship with that, as well. I have worked a lot of years just to make it to this point. And now that I can see a second championship right there down the road motivates me even more to keep going to get it."

Quintana, who grew up in the Dallas suburb of Garland, Texas, has played for the Sidekicks for most of his eight-year MASL career. He wasn't seeking a trade.

He has forged a reputation as a hard-nosed defender who reads the game well, excels in the air and makes interceptions while taking on the league's top forwards.

"I was a little bit surprised, because I was focusing on Dallas trying to make it to the playoffs," Quintana said. "Since we saw that it was a little bit difficult [we were] wondering where we could end up and have a run to the championship. So, I was a little bit surprised. But at the same time, I was excited for an opportunity and to try to make history and win a new championship this year."

The Sidekicks, who finished in 10^th place, asked the 6-2, 175-lb. defender if he would be amiable to a trade.

"I was asked if I had any thoughts about it, and if I will be interested in joining them and how soon could I do that?” Quintana said. “I immediately said yes, and everything went from there and got a contract with San Diego."

When Quintana joined Chihuahua for its 2024 playoff run, he didn't have much of a transition period. He played three regular season matches with his new teammates before the postseason.

"It was a really exciting time," he said. "They have always been one of the top teams in the MASL. When the opportunity came, I said, yes. I'm going to take it and that gets me closer to winning a championship. We had a really good chance to win the whole thing.

"I had to get used to the guys and their playing style. Everything was just happening really fast. I was really motivated to be there and have a chance to play in the final and win a championship. Thank God, everything went according to plans, and we made it to the final and won a championship. Making it happen was awesome.”

Chihuahua defeated the Kansas City Comets to capture the Ron Newman Cup.

The Savage players were given championship rings by the club. Quintana had to wait to receive his in a pregame ceremony with the club president and team owner, when the Sidekicks played in Mexico on Jan. 17.

"They thanked me for the time being there and all the effort that I made," he said.

Now, Quintana is on the other side, trying to secure another ring and the championship playing for the Sockers and denying the Savage a second title.

"Hopefully, we can make it happen," he said.

Quintana said that his transition to the Sockers has been quite smooth. Since he joined the team, San Diego has registered a 7-1 mark, losing only in Chihuahua, 12-2.

"It's been easy," he said. "They play a little bit differently. In Dallas, I was a little bit more of an organizer of the team and had to tell people what to do. But here, everyone pretty much already knows their roles and what is supposed to be done on the field. It's a little bit easier to get along with the guys on the field, to connect and have that chemistry on and off the pitch. I’ve just got to follow directions and defend the best that I can, and then give the ball to the creators, to the playmakers, and just let them do their job."

The Sockers will have the home-field advantage at Frontwave Arena, where they were a perfect 12-0 this season. The two semifinal winners will meet in the MASL championship series, which will be held in the team's respective arenas.

"Whenever you play at home, you always have a little bit of advantage," Quintana said. "You are used to the arena, the way the ball moves, bounces off the walls and stuff like that. You also have the fans that are backing you up. They are cheering for you to give you the extra boost, the extra motivation to play. But you also have that motivation and responsibility within you to protect your house, pretty much to protect the arena and the people that you play for."

While defenders don't get the glory unless they score or produce a spectacular defensive play, Quintana has known his value and taken his role seriously.

He was rewarded with a spot in the MASL all-star game in February.

"Defense is an art, and pretty much, defense wins championships," he said. "If you have a strong defensive set of mind, then you're going to have a really good chance of winning the championship, regardless of if you can score a lot of goals. But if you are giving up a lot of goals in your end as well, it doesn't help out. So, defense wins championships.

"I learned a lot through the years, not just with the Sidekicks, but also learning how they play in Chihuahua and learning the new style here. I always had to play against the best target player from the other team. I have been getting used to all the big players and just pretty much work my butt off to win the ball and prevent them from scoring."

If you hadn't guessed it by now, you know that Quintana loves indoor soccer.

"I fell in love with indoor soccer because it was just a very fast paced sport," he said. "There are a lot of dynamics. There are a lot of touches on the ball. That's what I liked to do when I was playing outdoors, having a lot of touches on the ball. Indoors gave me an opportunity to touch the ball all the time, going no more than 20 seconds without the ball. I'm always helping out, either defending or attacking or building a play. It was always constant movement and touches of the ball."

Quintana would love to keep touching the ball for at least for another five years.

He is far from retiring.

"I pretty much want to play until I'm 40," he said. "If the body says I can't take it anymore in a year or two, then I'm going to have to stop. But that's the plan to play as long as I can, as long as my body can handle it."

But before that, Kristian Quintana has one thing on his mind. He wants to earn another MASL championship ring for the second year in a row.

Michael Lewis can be reached on X (formerly Twitter) and Bluesky at @Soccerwriter.