“Confident” Strykers Hit Road for Clashes with KC, Baltimore

Rising star Díaz González: “It’s a different energy”

Ontario, Calif. — Embarking on back-to-back road games this weekend, the Empire Strykers look to climb further up the standings by continuing to ride the momentum gained from three straight victories, including the recent back-to-back home wins over two Major Arena Soccer League (MASL) title contenders in rivals San Diego Sockers and the first-place Kansas City Comets.

5-6-0 (wins-losses-overtime/shootout losses) Empire first travels to Independence, Missouri, for a highly anticipated rematch with the 8-4-2 Comets on Friday at 5:05 p.m. PST, followed by Sunday’s noon PST clash with the 4-5-2 Baltimore Blast.

The English live broadcasts of the Strykers’ upcoming two meetings will reach U.S. and international audiences via MASL+, the MASL’s YouTube channel, Victory+, SLVR, Unbeaten Network, Sportworld, APEX Sports and National Soccer Network, with several of the platforms also making the action available on demand. In Mexico, the live broadcasts of both matches will air exclusively in Spanish via the FOX Sports lineup of channels.

Empire’s recent pair of victories over San Diego and Kansas City produced one of the most intriguing storylines in club history. Having managed to leave his native Cuba and make his way to the U.S., forward Walter Díaz González missed all of 2023-24 with injury and spent most of 2024-25 working his way back onto the first team. He finally made his full return this season and went on a four-game goalscoring tear and a five-game point streak, both of which are still active. Against the Sockers and the Comets, the former Cuba futsal national team ace lit the attack on fire, bagging a staggering total of five goals and one helper.

In their January 22 rivalry clash with San Diego, the Strykers earned an emphatic 9-5 home win that provided an emotional lift to a side which not long prior had lost five straight nailbiters. The cathartic victory was powered by a comprehensive team display and by breakout performances from three different Empire players. After the trio had struggled to put up points in the opening eight fixtures of 2025-26, Díaz González led the charge with three goals and one assist while Justin Stinson and Mounir Alami earned a goal and two helpers each.

Forward Abdul Mansaray did not record any points, but three blocks to his name were indicative of the Strykers’ strong collective performance on defense.

Comfortably answering questions in English three and a half years after arriving stateside, Walter Díaz González opened up about the emotions he experienced when the final whistle blew.

“I felt so, so happy,” he said. “My first year here playing for Empire Strykers was hard because I had this injury for too long, but I was fighting and growing. I was waiting for the moment for a long time. For me, it was very, very important to my confidence, especially playing a hard game at home. I feel like my confidence grows from that game. I'm very happy to help my team with four points, and I’m very proud of myself.”

In the January 25 meeting with league-leading Kansas City, Empire prevailed 10-6 in front of 3,862 at Ontario’s Toyota Arena. The victory came courtesy of an inspired second quarter, in which they outscored their opposition from the Midwest 6-0. Mansaray and Steven Chávez spearheaded the attacking outburst against the Comets, contributing two goals and an assist each. Claysson De Lima had a standout showing in net, making 11 saves and putting up a 78.6% save percentage.

Walter Díaz González continued his excellent run of form, as he bagged a brace in the match.

“Something is definitely changed,” he said in reflecting on the huge win over the Comets and contrasting it with the recent losing streak. “Like I say, my confidence, grow against San Diego, and I'm pretty sure my teammates felt the same. They are more confident, too. Now, we want to play for the championship. The game with Kansas City show that we have a very, very good, team and a lot of talent. Something did click in everyone. We are in the same page, and we’re fighting for each other. It’s a different energy.”

For the Strykers, backline anchor Robert Palmer has again been a key contributor on both defense and offense. The Jamaican not only ranks third MASL-wide in blocks (25) but also tied for ninth in assists (8) and tied for runner-up on his team in points per game (1.00 in 9 games). Second place in blocks on Empire is held by Filipe Dutra (9).

Like Palmer, netminder Brian Orozco has not only excelled at his core responsibilities. In addition to leading the league in goals-against average (3.81 in 8 games/393 mins) and save percentage (75.8%), the 24-year-old has bagged a goal and two assists for an impressive points-per-game average of 0.38.

Mounir Alami, Walter Díaz González and Steven Chávez have been the Strykers’ most dangerous nominal attackers. While former Morocco youth international Alami tops his team in points (11) and jointly in goals along with Díaz González (7 each), he is tied for second in points per game (1.00 in 11 games played) with Palmer (9 games) and Chávez (10 games). Forward Díaz González leads Empire in the category (1.11 in 9 games) and ranks tied for runner-up in points with midfielders Chávez and Justin Stinson (10 each), Chávez also sitting second in assists (5). Ant Powell is tied for third in the league in power play goals (2).

Having truly turned the page on a bumpy start to their campaign, which saw them drop five straight nailbiters not long ago, Head Coach Onua Obasi’s sixth-place Strykers will be keen to defend the final playoff spot and put a buffer between them and Sunday’s opponent, the Baltimore Blast, just below them as well as bottom-dwelling Utica City FC. While Utica trails by five points with a game in hand, Baltimore ranks even with Empire in games played and points, making Sunday’s clash between Empire and the Blast a true six-pointer.

With a successful road trip, the Southern Californians would also up the pressure on a trio of teams sitting above them in the standings. If absolutely everything were to go the Strykers’ way over the weekend, they could climb past two of the three and all the way into fourth. While San Diego and Tacoma have played the same number of matches as Empire, each holding a five-point advantage, St. Louis has a four-point edge after having played one more game.

Empire aims to make it consecutive playoff appearances, having ended a three-year drought last season by returning to the knockout rounds under then first-year MASL Head Coach Obasi.

In their rematch with the Comets, Obasi’s men face a side that has recorded several impressive wins this season along with its fair share of letdowns. Before its loss at Empire, Kansas City defeated host Milwaukee 7-5.

If one counts a defeat in the 2022-23 play-in round, Head Coach Stefan Stokic’s team has made the playoffs five times running.

The Strykers’ record in the all-time series with the Comets stands at 4-6, including a 1-1 record in shootout/overtime wins and a 1-1 record in playoff encounters. Not included in the count is a 15-minute mini game that was used to decide the 2021 MASL semifinal series, Empire prevailing 2-1 after each team had previously claimed one victory.

Even though both the Strykers (then named Ontario Fury) and Kansas City were inaugural league members in 2014-15, they did not face each other until the 2016-17 campaign. The two sides have not met this season. They squared off only once in 2024-25, with the Comets claiming a 7-5 home win on January 10 of last year.

“That’s a really, really good team,” offered the Strykers’ Díaz González. “They've been playing so good for a long time, and they have a lot of experienced players that been in this league for a long time. Of course, we’re playing to win that game, but we have to respect this team in a good way. They are hard to play always, but of course, it’s going to be more difficult on the road. I never played there in Kansas, but I hear from my teammates they have good fans.”

When asked how his side’s approach might change based on Friday’s fixture being an away game, the Cuban responded, “Nothing is going to be so different for us. Right now, we have a lot of good energy on the team, and we are positive. We keep training the same way. We work hard and we're preparing to this game in a normal way.”

When Kansas City welcomes Empire to Cable Dahmer Arena, the home side can be expected to once again boast a strong defensive collective. The club’s league-wide superiority in the blocks category reflects the fact the Comets have played by far the most games but also the inconsistent way certain stats are kept around the MASL. The official count has Chad Vandegriffe (33) atop the league, with three of his teammates also making the leaderboard in Lesia Thetsane (27; 2nd), DeBray Hollimon (17; tied for 5th) and Guerrero Pino (16; 7th).

Kansas City’s high-flying attack is spearheaded by the club’s explosive duo up top, Zach Reget and Rian Marques. While Reget tops the league in points (27) and points per game (2.27 in 11 games), in addition to ranking tied for third in assists along with Marques (11 each) and for third in power play goals along with another teammate in Ignacio Flores (3 each), Brazilian Marques also sits first in points per game (2.27 in 11 games), third in points (25) and tied for third in goals (14). The Comets’ excellent offensive supporting cast is led by Dom Francis, who is tied for sixth in goals (11).

In Sunday’s meeting with the Blast, the Strykers have a chance to improve on their 3-4 record in the all-time series, which includes a 1-0 record in overtime/shootout decisions. Even though Baltimore — like Empire — is an original MASL member club, the two sides did not face off until the 2017-18 campaign. In last season’s only clash between Empire and the Blast, the Strykers grabbed a dramatic victory in mid-February 2025, downing the visitors from Maryland 4-3 in overtime.

Baltimore has been experiencing a rollercoaster 2025-26 so far. Most recently, the squad led by Head Coach David Bascome, which has gone 1-4 in its last five, recorded back-to-back losses at Utica (4-2) and to the visiting Sockers (10-5).

Having comfortably punched its playoff ticket last season after previously missing out for the very first time, the Blast advanced to the MASL semifinals, where host San Diego proved superior on the day, winning 11-3. Baltimore looks to hoist its fourth championship trophy since the inaugural campaign in 2014-15 and its tenth across different leagues in the organization’s storied 33-year history.

“We haven't talked about them so much, at least not yet,” shared Strykers forward Walter Díaz González in looking ahead. “We're going game by game. Our minds right now [are] in Kansas City. After Kansas City, right away, we're going to talk about the Blast. I think every single team in this league is very competitive. Especially at home, Baltimore is very good. We normally play in a field that is so big. Their field is kind of small, and they've been playing there for a long time. That makes it harder for us.”

The Blast features both an attacking standout who contributes significantly in the back and a defensive standout who contributes significantly on attack. While holding second place on Baltimore in blocks (10), Jonatas Melo ranks fifth in the league in points (21) and seventh in points per game (1.91 in 11 games) as well as tied for fifth in assists (10) and for sixth in goals (11). Meanwhile, defender Oumar Sylla tops Baltimore in blocks (13) but also ranks first in the MASL in assists (13), eighth in points per game (1.78 in 9 games), and tied for ninth in points (16).

The Empire defense will also need to keep a close eye on forward Juan Pereira, who is fifth MASL-wide in goals (12).

Single-game tickets to all Strykers matches at Ontario’s Toyota Arena are available here.