San Diego Sockers Match Preview v KC Comets

KEY PLAYERS

San Diego Sockers:

Tavoy Morgan: Tavoy had a four-goal game on January 5 and has a three-game point streak. He needs to continue to bolster his play to keep the Sockers offense humming. When Morgan is on, so is the team.

Gabriel Costa: He is on a three-game point streak and is heating up to help supply firepower to the Sockers attack. He is valuable in creating chances for his teammates.

Mitchell Cardenas: The solid defender has shown his offensive abilities with a three-game point streak, including a goal against Tacoma on Friday.

Kansas City Comets:

Rian Marques: Leads the team in scoring 12-8=20. Marques is known for his knack for finding the back of the net, whether through open play or set pieces. He scores but also assists his teammates, showcasing his well-rounded offensive skills.              

Zach Reget: The veteran offensive leader is tied for second on the team with 6-2=8 and has been in excellent form since joining the Comets. Last season, he tallied 35 goals and 13 assists for 48 points.

Phillip Ejimadu: In his second season, Ejimadu has been the primary keeper for the Comets. He is 5-0-1 and has a stellar 3.64 GAA. Last year, he played in 10 games and started in four.  

STRATEGIES

San Diego Sockers:

Defense First: The Sockers will need to focus on their defensive solidity, aiming to control the game from the back to stop the high-flying Comets offense.

Quick Transitions: They will look to exploit the Comets' defense with quick transitions and counter-attacks.  

Set-Pieces and Power Plays: Creating and converting on set-pieces will be key for San Diego, as well as finishing power-play opportunities (50% success rate) to offset Kansas City’s scoring.

Kansas City Comets:

Be Aggressive: The Comets might adopt a more aggressive approach, pressing high up the pitch to disrupt the Sockers' build-up play.

Control The Midfield: They will need to rely on their midfield to control the Sockers transition offense and create their own scoring opportunities

FORM

San Diego Sockers: The Sockers have a five-game winning streak after an opening night loss in Tacoma. San Diego won its first road game on Friday in Tacoma and is 4-0-0 at home with wins over Utica City, Tacoma, Empire, and Chihuahua.

Kansas City Comets: The Comets are 5-0-2 and have won three of their last four games, including the past two matches against Empire and St. Louis.

PREVIOUS 2024/25 MEETINGS

This is the first of three meetings this season. San Diego will travel to the Midwest for two games on 2/7 and 3/9.

SOCKERS LAST TIME OUT // @ TACOMA, 9-5 WIN, JAN 10, 2025

Drew Ruggles notched a hat trick, and four others had two points each to pace the San Diego Sockers (5-1-0, 14) to a 9-5 victory over the Tacoma Stars (1-5-1, 4) at the accesso ShoWare Center in Kent, WA. San Diego has now won five straight after their opening night loss to the Stars.

COMETS LAST TIME OUT // v EMPIRE, 7-5 WIN, JAN 10, 2025

The Kansas City Comets (5-0-2) held the Empire Strykers (3-4-0) on Friday night for their first victory of 2025 with a 7-5 win at Cable Dahmer Arena. Behind a big four-goal second quarter, the Comets turned the tables and gained control to overturn a 1-0 first-quarter deficit. Comets captain Nacho Flores led the way with his first two goals of the season as the Comets drove past the unique strategy implemented by the Strykers.

2023/24 TEAM REVIEW

San Diego Sockers:

The San Diego Sockers had a strong 2023/24 season, finishing with an impressive record of 18 wins, 5 losses, and 1 overtime loss, securing 52 points and clinching the Western Division regular-season title. This performance highlighted their dominance in the league, continuing their legacy as one of the most successful teams in indoor soccer history.

Kansas City Comets

The Kansas City Comets had an eventful 2023/24 MASL season. They finished third in the Eastern Conference with a record of 14 wins, 6 losses, and 4 overtime wins, accumulating 50 points12. The team scored 158 goals while conceding 132, resulting in a goal difference of +261. Key players included Zachary Reget, who led the team with 35 goals and 13 assists, and Ignacio Flores, who contributed 13 goals and 18 assists. The Comets made it to the playoffs but ultimately lost in the Championship.

SAN DIEGO SOCKERS NOTEBOOK

LET’S GO STREAKING - TEAM

Sockers have won 5 straight games...won 4 straight home games...won 1 away game....scored 4+ goals in 6 consecutive games...scored 3+ goals in 6 consecutive games...allowed 3+ goals in 6 consecutive games...Power play opportunity in 6 straight games...No penalties in 1 game...

LET’S GO STREAKING - INDIVIDUAL

Pardo has won 4 straight games...Snaer-Williams has won 1 game...Cardenas, Costa, and Morgan have 3-game point streaks...Cerda and Gontán have 2-game point streaks...

CERDA, COSTA & MORALES NAMED MASL ALL-STARS

Twenty-four players, including the Sockers Cesar Cerda, Gabriel Costa, and Luiz Morales were named to the MASL All-Star Game, which will be played in February in Utica, NY.

THREE DOT NOTES...

Seven different players, the most this season, had an assist at Tacoma on 1/10...San Diego has three hat tricks this season (Morales 12/7, Morgan 1/5 & Ruggles 1/10)...The Sockers are averaging 3,251 at Frontwave Arena (1,587 last year in their final season at Pechanga Arena) in their first four games...Snaer-Williams earned MASL GK of the Week honors for week 5...Bond, Gonzalez C, and Costa each have a GWG...Sebastian Mendez notched his first point as a Socker with an assist against Tacoma on 12/10...Former Sockers Emmanuel Aquirre, Gerardo Jurado, and Andy Reyes return to San Diego to face their old teammates...Travis Pittman, Eli Zamora, and Eddie Velez are the only rostered players not to suit up for a game...The crowd of 4,508 on 12/14/24 (home opener) was the largest ever to watch a sporting event at Frontwave Arena in its short history, including the USA vs Mexico soccer and the San Diego Clippers G League...The season-opening loss in Tacoma was the first since 1/29/21 at Kansas City...Sockers signed forward Omar Lahbiki to the team with a one-year contract on December 10 and he made his debut on 12/20 vs Tacoma...During the off-season. the Sockers acquired M Sebastian Mendez and F Luiz Morales from Texas...Returning to San Diego are F Taylor Bond (UCFC), M Travis Pittman (Free Agent), and D Ben Ramin (Milwaukee)...Other free agent signings include Spanish international M/F Keko Gontán and D Eli Zamora...Brandon Escoto is away from the team due to immigration issues...