Mexican Superstar Marco Fabián Joins Empire Strykers
Landmark deal includes future rights to own, operate MASL team
Ontario, Calif. — The Empire Strykers have signed former Mexican international Marco Fabián to a two-year contract. The deal marks a watershed moment in the history of the MASL, currently in its tenth anniversary season, with Fabián receiving the right to own and operate a team at the conclusion of his time with the Strykers. As per league policy, monetary terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
A genuine star of the outdoor game, Fabián, who has been capped 43 times by Mexico, played in both the 2014 and the 2018 FIFA World Cups. In the early stages of his professional career, the attacker impressed at the 2012 Olympic Summer Games in London, his five goals helping El Tri claim the gold medal.
At the club level, Fabián reached legendary status with Chivas de Guadalajara of his native country between 2007 and 2015, suiting up nearly 200 times for the goats. Other career stops included German Bundesliga side Eintracht Frankfurt and Major League Soccer (MLS) outfit Philadelphia Union as well as three more Mexican first division teams, Cruz Azul (on loan from Chivas), FC Juárez, and Mazatlán FC.
After wrapping up with his current outdoor club, Andorra’s Santa Coloma, Fabián will join Empire training and is likely to feature in the MASL side’s December 15 home opener against the Baltimore Blast. Tickets to the blockbuster event at Ontario’s Toyota Arena may be found here.
Jeff Burum, managing partner of the Strykers, stressed the historic nature of the deal that will see one of Mexico’s biggest stars join the highest level of indoor soccer in North America.
“The Empire region is maturing in its stature as a leading economic driver in Southern California and deserves to have an asset like the Strykers to reflect that reality,” he said. “Our goal as an organization is nothing less than to win championships, and I look forward to bringing the first major league sport national championship to the Empire region soon, so the area gets the due that it deserves.”
Burum continued, “Adding a player of Marco’s caliber, who has had success at so many levels, winning Olympic gold and excelling in the Bundesliga, at the Gold Cup, in the World Cup, and in Major League Soccer, will make a significant impact and help us become the best team in this league.”
In addition to his on-field exploits, Fabián has also been highly active in the community. Most notably, he has helped fund a soccer academy in Guadalajara, Mexico, which provides coaching as well as nutritional and psychological advice under the 34-year-old’s direct supervision.
The newest member of the MASL family shared an optimistic outlook toward his next career move.
“I am excited to once again play soccer at the professional level in the United States, and I am looking forward to the unique challenges and opportunities that the indoor game offers,” he said. “My athleticism and aggressive, attacking style of play will be an asset that I believe will make me very successful for the Strykers. I am going to make the Empire region, which Jeff Burum has told me so much about, proud.”
The Empire Strykers will soon hit the road for their December 9 away meeting with the St. Louis Ambush. The team’s newest star, former Mexican international Marco Fabián, is expected to feature in the highly anticipated home opener against the Baltimore Blast on December 15. Tickets to the clash at Toyota Arena in Ontario are available here.
Headline photo: ProtoplasmaKid / Wikimedia Commons / CC-
BY-SA 4.0
Photo Credit: Espn.com (cover and headline)