Empire Pulse to Compete in Inaugural MASL Women’s National Challenge Cup

Empire Pulse to Compete in Inaugural MASL Women’s National Challenge Cup

Five-team national competition will bring professional women's arena soccer to established MASL markets during the 2026–27 season

ONTARIO, Calif. — The Empire Strykers have announced that their newly established professional women's team, Empire Pulse, will compete in the inaugural Major Arena Soccer League (MASL) Women's National Challenge Cup, a new national competition featuring five women's arena soccer teams from across the United States.

The tournament will see Empire Pulse compete against Tacoma Galaxy, San Diego SockersW, St. Louis AmbushW and KC CometsW. The competition represents an important development for women's professional arena soccer, providing female athletes with a national platform to compete while establishing the foundation for a future premier women's league.

Announced in September 2026, Empire Pulse was established as the sister club of the Empire Strykers, bringing a permanent professional women's arena soccer program to the Inland Empire. The team's participation in the National Challenge Cup will mark its first competitive campaign, with home matches set to take place at Toyota Arena in Ontario.

The competition will feature a single, unified standings table, with each participating team playing four opening-round matches. The top two teams will advance to a single-game championship final to determine the inaugural MASL Women's National Challenge Cup champion.

Matches will follow established MASL rules, featuring four 15-minute quarters and the fast-paced, high-scoring action associated with professional arena soccer. Teams will receive three points for a regulation victory, two for an overtime victory and one for an overtime loss. Games tied after regulation will proceed to a five-minute sudden-death overtime period, followed by shootouts if necessary.

The introduction of the tournament comes amid continued growth in women's professional sports nationwide. For Empire Pulse, the competition provides an opportunity to showcase Southern California's women's soccer talent while introducing a new generation of athletes and fans to professional arena soccer.

"Women's soccer has tremendous talent, passion and potential, and we believe arena soccer provides an incredible platform to showcase it," said Jeff Burum, managing partner of the Empire Strykers. "With Empire Pulse, we're creating real opportunities for women to compete professionally, represent their communities and inspire the next generation of athletes. Being part of this inaugural national competition is an important opportunity for our organization, and we're proud to bring it to the Inland Empire."

The Strykers organization has spent the past several seasons developing opportunities for women's arena soccer through showcase matches and community initiatives. Those efforts culminated in the September announcement of Empire Pulse, with the organization seeking to expand professional playing opportunities for women while creating additional pathways into coaching, sports business and leadership.

Empire Pulse will continue preparing for its inaugural season, with additional announcements regarding its roster, coaching staff, match schedule and ticket availability expected in the coming months.

Fans interested in supporting Empire Pulse, attending professional women's arena soccer matches at Toyota Arena or learning more about the team's upcoming season can visit theempirestrykers.com/pulse. Additional tournament information is available through the MASL Women's National Challenge Cup, while fans can follow Empire Pulse on Instagram at @empire_pulse.