MASL PLAYOFF PRIMER: Friday Night

by Joseph Reina

MASL Playoff Primer

It goes by quick, huh? One second it's November, and before you know it, BAM! It’s April. The regular season is in the books, and the 2025 Ron Newman Cup Playoffs are upon us, so without further ado, let's look at the matchups that await in sunny San Diego this weekend!

*The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the viewpoints or positions of the Major Arena Soccer League.**

@josephreina21

#1 Chihuahua Savage vs #8 St. Louis Ambush


We’ll start with the Bicampeónes, turned 2024-25 MASL Shield winners. Chihuahua’s title defense, despite some imperfections, has been successful, at least up to this point. They dropped just 14 points en route to this prestigious award while accumulating a staggering +104 goal difference.


They played like champions, and their roster, which boasts several of the league’s best, overcame several suboptimal performances to claim victory. Winning is a skill, and that ability will pay dividends in the playoffs. 


Among their superstars is MVP frontrunner Jorge Ríos. The 30-year-old midfielder set the league alight this year with 52 points, but for those familiar with his game, that’s not unexpected. In his second season with the Savage, Ríos was named the MASL Ron Newman Cup Finals MVP thanks to his six goals in his side’s two wins over the Baltimore Blast.


He suffered a severe knee injury in 2023 and missed most of last season, but this year, he’s more than made up for lost time. His electric skill and unparalleled vision allowed him to become the league’s dominant force on set pieces, as he set up the likes of Hugo Puentes, Jaime Alejandro Romero, and so many others.


Make no mistake, Ríos is not alone. This team’s greatest strength is its depth. Nine different players averaged over a point per game while playing at least 12 games. This lack of dropoff between their rotational lines is a key reason why they’re so difficult to beat, but to achieve their goal this season, they’ll need to get past the red-hot Ambush.


St. Louis's tumultuous season began with high expectations. They signed several high-profile players, including Mohamed Ndiaye, Dylan Hundelt, and Franck Tayou, but after three months, it was clear that the squad was not gelling as well as they had hoped. St. Louis accumulated just 12 points from a possible 45 to start the season, and it became clear that change was necessary.


The Ambush traded several players away, including Franck Tayou, and brought in Robert Williamson, Riley Urie, and Colin O’Keefe. Since the trade deadline, St. Louis has accumulated 21 points from a possible 27 and is one of the most in-form teams in the MASL, thanks to a versatile style of play that embraces speed and controlled chaos. 


Capitalizing on that chaos can be difficult, but the team’s attacking trident of Duduca Carvalho, William Eskay, and Lucas Almeida has embraced that role, as all three attackers hit the 30-point mark this season. Since the trade deadline, James Thomas has added a spectacular new prong to their attack with 14 points in his last nine games.


This impressive offensive output, combined with the stability of Ndiaye, Hundelt, and Williamson in defense, makes for a dangerous side to face, especially in this year’s playoff format. They block a lot of shots, roughly 11 per game, and they ensure that their goalkeeper is protected, though they give up shots on par with the league average.


On offense, St. Louis boasts the highest goals per shot in the league, indicating a high level of efficiency, although they also take the second fewest shots per game. Their playstyle creates great shooting opportunities at the expense of volume, but if they want to upset the Savage, that volume will need to increase. Since the trade deadline, their goals per shot mark is actually 0.311, nearly 10% higher than the league-wide average, and that nine-game span featured six games against playoff teams, including Utica, Milwaukee, and San Diego.


While this is the #1 vs #8 matchup, this contest could be among the most entertaining, and if they play their cards right, the Ambush could shock the league. The Savage have taken 25 shots or fewer just five times this season, with three of their four losses following that script. If the Ambush can contain the Savage to fewer than 25 shots, which is much easier said than done, and take over 26 shots on offense, they might have a chance to pull off a major upset.


For the Savage, don’t overcomplicate this. They need to continue overwhelming their opponents in attack, allow their elite defense to keep St. Louis from finding those dangerous shots, and let Diego Reynoso pick up any crumbs that fall through. The margins will be slim, and every little detail will matter, but certainly, this game is far from a foregone conclusion. Kick off the playoffs with the Savage and the Ambush on Friday, Apr. 4, at 7:00 PM EDT.


#2 San Diego Sockers vs #7 Empire Strykers


Now, on to the first of three games overflowing with familiarity. The Sockers narrowly missed out on the MASL Shield by just two points, but it’s fair to say that the two sides are as comparable as it gets in this league. However, now that the regular season is in the books, San Diego will shift its focus to their regional rivals, Empire.


The Sockers are a historic side, and regardless of the outcome, this year will be monumental for the club. Hosting the quarterfinals and semifinals at their arena is a massive accomplishment for an organization that consistently sets the benchmark for what is possible. The event will be an exciting and unique celebration of the indoor game and a thrilling conclusion to what has been a great season. 


On the field, the Sockers started the campaign slowly as they adjusted their new-look lineup to their style, but they found their rhythm along the way. Since their first loss to the Savage at CornerSport Arena, the Sockers have dropped just four points while playing one of the league’s most devastating brands of soccer. Their offense is better than potent, but their defense stands alone.


They conceded just 4.958 goals per game, the second fewest behind only Chihuahua, and they’re in the top four in the league when looking at shots against, shots on target conceded, and opponent goals per shot. Their defensive core of Ben Ramin, Kristian Quintana, Mitchell Cardenas, Luis Ortega, Cesar Cerda, and Drew Ruggles is enough to strike fear into any opponent, and rightfully so.


On the back of their stellar defense, the Sockers beat the Strykers five times this season, extending their unbeaten streak over Empire to 14 games. Despite the lopsided results, this game is a rivalry, and this year, the games have been closer than ever. Three of the contests were decided by one goal, with their most recent match requiring overtime to find a winner, so it’s fitting that the season will end for one of the two sides with a sixth and decisive battle.


This year marks a stark jump for Empire, which has not qualified for the playoffs since becoming the Strykers in 2021. Led by first-year coach Onua Obasi, this team’s fortunes turned around seemingly overnight, thanks to a new tactic that took the league by surprise.


Obasi, who guided Newtown Pride FC to the million-dollar prize at the 2023 TST 7v7 soccer tournament, opted to utilize his goalkeeper as a pseudo sixth attacker for the entirety of the game. Early in the season, it was picked apart regularly and cost the Strykers several games, but as the season went on, the team stuck to their guns, giving the players time to adapt and improve. The system still occasionally leaves Empire susceptible to long-range goals, but they’ve opted to live by the sword and die by the sword. 


This system allowed goalkeeper Brian Orozco to become a unicorn in the sport as he added a very real goalscoring threat, which so often became a promise. He camps on the right wall, adding an option while his teammates find and pick apart gaps in the defense, and every so often, he’ll find himself with the ball at his feet and room to shoot. When that happens, get ready to pick the ball out of the net. This league has seen ball-playing goalkeepers before, but Orozco and the rest of the Strykers Goalkeeper Union each have four direct goal contributions.


This system also helps the team’s attackers thrive in the new gaps created when five players must cover six. Last season, Marco Fabián existed on an island. His 47 points were more than double his next-best teammate's, but that is not the case this year. Justin Stinson enjoyed his best ever campaign, with 43 points, two more than Fabián, while Mounir Alami and Robert Palmer registered 28 and 27 points respectively.


Many around the league consider Empire a dark horse going into the playoffs. I agree with that sentiment, but facing San Diego in the first round feels unlucky for them from a matchup perspective. We could still see an upset, but unlike the other three games featuring regional rivalries, every single regular-season game went San Diego’s way.


Even with Empire’s unique and bold system that could have spurred them on a real run against what feels like any other opponent, San Diego’s defensive fortitude and ability to score from practically everywhere should be enough to advance to Sunday’s semifinal. Tune in to this Southern California rivalry on Friday, Apr. 4, at 10:30 PM EDT.