Strykers Aim for Fourth Straight Win in Key Clash with Texas

Southern Californians face tough home stretch with playoffs approaching

Ontario, Calif. — With the Empire Strykers riding a three-game win streak and preparing to host an adversary they’ve already beaten twice on the road in 2024-25, it wouldn’t be unreasonable to expect the team’s training sessions to have a laid-back, carefree feel about them these days. However, with the Strykers entering the crucial final stretch of their Major Arena Soccer League (MASL) campaign, the players and coaches throughout the week have been keenly aware of the crucial importance of their upcoming match, given the tasks awaiting in their final five.

The 9-8-1 (wins-losses-overtime/shootout losses) Empire Strykers take on the 3-12-0 Texas Outlaws at Ontario’s Toyota Arena this coming Sunday, March 2, at 4:05 PM PST, with the action streaming in English on CBS Sports Golazo Network and in Spanish on the MASL’s official YouTube channel (@MASLtv). Outside the U.S., the broadcast will be available on Sportworld. Tickets may be found here.

For its most recent outing, Empire defeated the visiting Milwaukee Wave 10-7 in a massive six-pointer. After boasting a 5-1 lead more than halfway through the second quarter, the Southern Californians saw their opponents claw their way back into the contest and eventually level the score inside the final period. With the game on a knife’s edge, backstop Brian Orozco turned hero for the second time in eight days, making several outstanding saves before bagging the winner just as he had in the 4-3 overtime victory over the Baltimore Blast on February 16.

“It was probably a little closer than it needed to be,” Strykers backline anchor Robert Palmer said of the clash with the Wave. “Give them credit, though. If you look at their goals, they scored several of them in the traditional indoor way — on assists off the boards. It shows that they’re a good, veteran team that gave us problems. Indoor soccer is a momentum game. We had it for a while, and then they took it from us. Big props to Brian during that stretch. He had some big plays to keep them from taking the lead. Once he scored, I felt we would get at least one more and kill the game.”

Star attacker Marco Fabián offered a similar analysis as that of his Empire teammate. The two-time FIFA World Cup veteran had a goal and two helpers on the day.

“I think we started really good, a really good game,” he said. “We were really active through the whole team. I think we scored really fast. This is good for us. We can control the game. We can get [keep] the ball. And then in the second half, in the [fourth] quarter […] we received [conceded] like three goals really fast. And then the most important, and I just take that to the next game, is the react of the whole team. The react is really good. […] We are tied seven-seven, I think so, and we’re in control of the game, […] and then we score, and then at the final we win. It’s an important win today.”

When asked whether he felt he was still improving as a six-aside player, having already co-won the Golden Boot in his first MASL season, Fabián smiled and referenced the day’s opponent as part of his answer. Like Jamaican Palmer, the Mexican highlighted one thing specifically about Milwaukee’s offensive efforts.

“I'm still learning,” said the 35-year-old. “I'll give you one big example. Today, and it's really fantastic how the other team played, they played like they all [know] indoor soccer. They scored like four times with play[ing] the boards. That’s amazing because they know how to play the boards. It's my second season, but I'm still learning how I play with the boards. And you can see how you can still learn. But anyway, I'm feeling better. I know more tricks in this indoor soccer. I love indoor soccer. I just have fun every game, and I just want to enjoy more.”

Despite Fabián’s strong showing, Robert Palmer was arguably his side’s standout player against the Wave. The Kingston native shined on both sides of the ball, collecting three blocks as well as two goals and an assist.

In the second quarter, the reigning MASL Defender of the Year touched the ball over the line on a clever play off the glass to the left of the frame by Randy Martinez. Palmer would complete his brace in the closing stages of the match, courtesy of a perfectly struck ball from deep inside his own half that found the open net to round out the final score. Milwaukee had sacrificed its goalkeeper in favor of a sixth attacker.

“It was just what the team needed from me,” said the Strykers captain “When I’m needed in the back to steady the ship, I do that. Today, I had to make some runs and try to get a goal. I felt like I had some momentum going forward, so I kept going and ended up scoring by being in the right place at the right time. On the one from far away, it was all about reading the play, intercepting the ball and deciding to hit it first time. I’m glad I was able to help the team by putting it away. It’s nice to get goals and points, but the important thing is wins.”

By now, Fabián, Palmer and the rest of the Empire squad are laser-focused on maintaining a perfect record in the season series with Texas. The Strykers have already beaten Sunday’s adversary twice away from home, with the Outlaws falling 5-10 in their season opener on December 21 and getting thumped 1-10 on February 20.

“After playing them and watching them against other teams, we realized they capitalize on counterattacks a lot,” said defender Palmer. “The big thing the second time around was making it less in their favor by controlling the possession and not making it so transitional. We also did a good job of putting away our chances. We scored at important times in the game and kept them from scoring and getting back into it. In the first game, we gave them some dangerous set pieces and allowed them to score on a power play.”

Maintaining a firm grip on its playoff position, head coach Onua Obasi’s team looks to ride its momentum to a fourth straight victory, which could turn out crucial to finishing in the top half of the table. Empire faces a brutal home stretch to its regular season, as it takes on the mighty San Diego Sockers twice on the road and once at home while also having to travel to Washington State for a meeting with a red-hot Tacoma Stars side looking to leapfrog the Strykers in the standings.

Currently edging out Milwaukee solely by way of the head-to-head tie breaker, Onua Obasi’s sixth-place Empire has an opportunity to put pressure on not just the Wave but also fifth-place Utica City FC. While the Wave and Utica each have two games in hand, Friday’s loss at St. Louis now sees UCFC with only a one-point advantage over its competitor from Southern California. If nothing else, by going 3-0 against the Outlaws in 2024-25, the Strykers would take a crucial step toward finalizing their return to the knockout stages following three consecutive absences.

While sharing second place on Empire in assists with Andy Reyes (11 each), Robert Palmer is also his side’s undisputed defensive leader. The 36-year-old is fourth in the league in blocks (37), with Emmanuel Aguirre (12) a distant second on the Empire roster. Meanwhile, 2025 All-Stars Fabián and Justin Stinson form a lethal attacking duo, with Fabián’s powerful right foot and exquisite vision perfectly complementing Stinson’s dazzling footwork.

Mexican Fabián spearheads the offense, as he ranks third in the MASL in goals (22), fourth in both points (37) and points per game (2.2 in 17), and tied for fourth in assists (15). In addition to sitting tied for eighth in the league in goals (17) and tied for ninth in points (25), St. Louis native Stinson is second on the Strykers in points per game (1.4 in 18). Fabián and Stinson rank tied with others for fourth MASL-wide in power play goals (2).

Among Empire’s greatest strengths is its unpredictability going forward. Even the side’s three goalkeepers boast significant attacking outputs. While Brian Orozco has bagged three goals in 16 appearances, sitting tied for seventh in the league in game winners, Claysson De Lima has collected three helpers in eleven, and Brandon Gomez has put up a goal and an assist in eight.

After a turbulent offseason, the Strykers’ next opponents, the Texas Outlaws, found themselves without legendary head coach Tatu and with a mere five players who had regularly seen the field as the side made it back-to-back playoff appearances in 2023-24. Unsurprisingly, the group now guided by Ed Puskarich dropped its first nine games of the current campaign as it attempted to make do with a roster featuring eight rookies and eight others who had previously played fringe roles across the league, five of them returning after not having laced up in the MASL since 2022-23 or prior.

No longer the bottom-dweller of the MASL, Texas looks to build on its recent momentum, having collected three wins in its last six. Among the side’s successful outings have been a shocking overtime upset of host Milwaukee and most recently a 13-11 comeback victory over the visiting Dallas Sidekicks, with the lopsided home loss to the Strykers sandwiched in between. The Outlaws now have a realistic shot at leapfrogging the tenth-place St. Louis Ambush as well as ninth-place Dallas. While both the Ambush and the Sidekicks are currently seven points ahead, they have played one more game and two more games, respectively.

After already missing his team’s first two meetings with Empire of 2024-25, David Ortiz, the only remaining veteran who had a significant impact as a member of last season’s Texas attack, is expected to again be out with injury.

Defensively, the Outlaws lean heavily on the work of Stephen Gonzalez, who ranks fifth in the MASL in blocks (31), with Suriel Arauz (19) sitting runner-up on the pair’s team. Even further back, netminder Jesus Rivera does his utmost to prevent opposition netters, as he is third in the league in saves (200).

The Texas offense is jointly led by a quartet of players. While first-year MASL forward David Stankovic ranks tops on his side in both points (17) and goals (14) as well as third in points per game (1.1 in 15), Steven Chavez sits first in assists (10) and second in points (16). Erik Macias leads the Outlaws in points per game (1.3 in 10) and shares second place in helpers with Billy O’Dwyer, Daniel Torrealba and fellow veteran VcMor Eligwe (4 each). While midfielder O’Dwyer is also second on the team in points per game (1.3 in 8), he has missed Texas’s last three games without any reason given.

Eligwe ranks tied for second in the MASL in power play goals (3), with O’Dwyer (2) being among those tied for third with Empire’s Fabián and Stinson.

The Empire Strykers take on the Texas Outlaws on Sunday, March 2. Tickets are available here.