Empire's Orozco Eager to “Bounce Back” at Milwaukee, San Diego

Rising star has made strides this season — in net and on attack

(Photo credit: San Diego Sockers/Ryan Young)

Ontario, Calif. — When the Empire Strykers travel twice to take on the Milwaukee Wave and rivals San Diego Sockers this week, the pair of matches will come with some significant early-season pressure, as the Southern Californians look to stop the bleeding after three straight losses. One of the bright spots of Empire’s campaign so far, goalkeeper Brian Orozco, took the time to share his thoughts on the bumpy first few games and on the tasks ahead.

The 1-3-0 (wins-losses-overtime/shootout losses) Strykers face 3-1-2 Milwaukee on Wednesday at 1:05 p.m. PST and 1-1-1 San Diego on Saturday at 7 p.m. PST. The English-language broadcasts of both fixtures will air in the U.S. and around the world via MASL+, the MASL’s YouTube channel, Victory+, SLVR, Unbeaten Network, Sportworld, APEX Sports and National Soccer Network, with several platforms making the games available on demand as well.

In the U.S., Empire’s clash with the Sockers will also feature in English on FOX Sports 2 (FS2). In Mexico, both upcoming matches will be available exclusively in Spanish via the FOX Sports lineup of channels.

Despite coming off a week in which his Strykers suffered narrow defeats to visiting St. Louis on Friday and at Tacoma on Saturday, netminder Orozco appears to be building on his breakout 2024-25. The Guatemalan American not only boasts a goal and two assists in four games — good for a mind-blowing 0.75 points per game and thus a far higher average than last season’s already impressive 0.18. He looks improved between the sticks as well.

While continuing to thrive offensively under second-year MASL Head Coach Onua Obasi’s innovative tactics, which frequently see the ‘keepers join the attack, Orozco also ranks third league-wide in both goals-against average (4.49) and save percentage (72.7%). The 24-year-old has improved in both statistical categories compared to the previous campaign."

“I've always loved making saves and coming up big,” he said. “That's what a goalkeeper is. Last season was a bit different because of the new system. We're an extra attacker, so I was like, I have to be good with my feet, so I'm gonna do whatever I can to become better at it. My focus was mostly on that.”

The area native continued, “This offseason, I told myself, okay, what if I could become both a very good shot-stopper and very good with my feet? That's my goal now. I want to win the championship, but individually — I’ll be honest — I want to have great performances on both sides of the field and win Goalkeeper of the Year.”

To accomplish those goals, Orozco will need for things to turn around for his Strykers side, which played St. Louis and host Tacoma to fiercely contested affairs but ultimately fell 5-4 and 3-2, respectively.

“We're the only team in this league that has a totally different style,” offered the Empire backstop. “I've heard from many players that they really take the time to study us — more than with other teams. Then, when they play against us, they bring a totally different style than they’ve had in prior years. They come with the mentality of, oh, we just want to shut you guys down, which makes it tough for us.”

In the home loss to the Ambush, the Strykers held the game’s first two leads but gave up four consecutive goals over the course of a 33-minute span starting in the second period. A late rally pulled back a couple of tallies but ended up falling just short.

The away side rode standout performances by goalkeeper Paulo Nascimento and defenders Robert Williamson and Jeff Michaud to victory. While Nascimento recorded the assist on his side’s game winner along with an impressive .813 save percentage, Williamson and Michaud each bagged a brace. For Empire, backline anchor Robert Palmer enjoyed an excellent display on attack, as he added a goal and an assist to a pair of defensive blocks.

“St. Louis did their job very well,” said Brian Orozco. “We outshot them and out-possessed them, but they defended very well, and they created their chances and were very clinical in putting them away. Sometimes, you can’t just say that it was our fault that we lost. Sometimes, it's props to the other team.”

Having flown to Washington State the very next day for a meeting with the in-form Stars, the Strykers battled the well-rested hosts tooth and nail but left it too late again and suffered another defeat by a one-goal margin. In the end, slightly better finishing along with twelve saves and a stunning 85.7% save percentage by ‘keeper Luis Birrueta made the difference for Tacoma.

For Empire, netminder Orozco and defender Robert Palmer enjoyed standout showings. While Orozco bagged a goal and boasted a very strong save percentage of his own at 78.6%, veteran Palmer had two blocks and two assists on the night.

Robert Palmer’s combined performances over the course of the two-day span would earn the Strykers backline anchor MASL Defensive Player of the Week honors — no doubt a small consolation for the club captain and his teammates. However, Brian Orozco put the second of the consecutive losses in perspective.

“We need to do better, and we don't want to make any excuses,” said the fourth-year Empire member, “but it isn't easy playing back-to-back games in twenty-four hours. A lot of the players have a hard time sleeping after a game, so I know some of them didn't get more than three hours. We're here because we’re professionals, and it’s what we chose to do, so our job is to deal with adversity. Still, going into the game with tired minds and tired bodies, it can affect making the right decisions.”

Lack of rest won’t be an issue in Wednesday’s tie at Milwaukee, as the Strykers will be coming off ten days without any fixtures. Both on defense and on offense, the visitors from out west will hope for more key contributions from Robert Palmer and Brian Orozco. In addition to having collected the third-most blocks (13) in the MASL, the 36-year-old Palmer also sits tied for eighth league-wide in assists (4) and has more points (5) and points per game (1.25 in 4 games) than any other Empire player.

Despite his main job being the prevention of goals, Orozco is tied for third-most points (3) and helpers (2) on the Strykers as well as for fourth-most points per game. While teammate Mounir Alami ranks first on the roster in goals (4) and second in both points (4) and points per game (1.00 in 4 games), Justin Stinson and Mexican star Marco Fabián share runner-up in netters (2 each). Steven Chávez sits second on Empire in assists (3), with Alan Perez holding the same position in blocks (3).

Against the Strykers, the Milwaukee Wave will be eager to return to winning ways. Since coming out of the gates flying early in the season, with massive away wins at San Diego and at Kansas City, second-place Milwaukee has experienced a drop-off and most recently fell 10-7 to Baltimore and 7-6 in overtime to Utica. Both defeats came on the road. First-year MASL Head Coach Marcio Leite aims to continue the Wave’s proud tradition, as the 2018-19 champion has never missed the postseason in the league’s eleven-year history.

Milwaukee’s matchup against Empire marks only the fourth-ever meeting between the two clubs. The Strykers lead the all-time series 2-1, with none of the contests thus far having been decided in overtime or a shootout. The Wave defeated the Ontario Fury (today’s Strykers) in 2014-15, both MASL founding members’ second season in the league, followed by Ontario/Empire victories in 2019-20 and during the most recent campaign. Back in late February of this year, the Strykers defeated visiting Milwaukee 10-7. The Californians and the Wisconsinites have never met in the playoffs.

The Wave defense, which has proven vulnerable this season, is highly reliant on strong performances by Cesar Correa and Javier Steinwascher. While Correa is tied for sixth in the league in blocks (8), Steinwascher (7) is tied for seventh. Missouri’s highly potent offense is powered by a quartet of standouts in Alex Sánchez, Mario Alvarez, Max Ludwig and Alex Steinwascher.

While Sánchez ranks second MASL-wide in points (12), third in goals (9), and tied for fifth in points per game (2.00 in 6 games), defender Mario Alvarez sits tied for third in points (11), for seventh in points per game (1.83 in 6 games), and for second in assists alongside Ludwig (6 each). While the 34-year-old Alvarez also shares runner-up in goals on the Wave with Oscar Flores (5 each), midfielder Ludwig is tied for seventh in the league in points (10) and for tenth in points per game (1.67 in 6 games). Alex Steinwascher ranks tied for sixth in helpers (5) and tied for tenth in points (9). Teammate Andre Hayne sits tied for eighth in assists (4).

“We’ve been studying Milwaukee,” said Empire’s Brian Orozco. “It won’t be an easy game at all. They play the traditional indoor style and use the boards a lot. It makes them dangerous. They understand what their system is, and they do very well with it. Everybody on the team does their job, but they have some key players that make a big difference. Shutting down [Alex] Sánchez, Mario [Alvarez] and [Oscar] Flores will be very important, in my opinion.”

The Strykers backstop continued, “We know what we need to do. Now, it's all about executing our game plan and focusing on what we do best. It's an exciting matchup that the whole team is looking forward to. We’re ready.”

The second of Empire’s two fixtures will see Orozco and company clash with their longtime rivals for the third time this season already. The Strykers opened 2025-26 with a rare and much-celebrated 5-4 overtime win at San Diego, but the Sockers avenged the home loss by way of a 6-3 road win about two weeks ago, reestablishing their previous lead in the all-time series at 48-10. While that total includes a 9-3 count in shootout/overtime decisions and a 3-2 edge in postseason matches, it doesn’t include two 15-minute mini games.

The first mini game, which was used to determine who would advance from a tied 2016-17 MASL Pacific Division final series, was claimed by San Diego 1-0. The second, which determined the winner of the 2021 MASL final series, also saw the team from the far south of California prevail — this time by a 2-1 scoreline.

The two clubs’ first ever meeting dates back to the 2013-14 season in the Professional Arena Soccer League (PASL). Empire went 0-6 against the Sockers in 2024-25, with the final defeat coming away and by a 4-2 scoreline in the opening round of the playoffs.

San Diego ranks among the most successful franchises in MASL history, having never missed the knockout rounds and having lifted the trophy in 2021 and 2022. After reaching last season’s final series, which Head Coach Phil Salvagio’s men lost to Chihuahua courtesy of a 7-5 home win and consecutive away defeats (10-6 and 6-0), they look to make it straight victories and put their bumpy first two matches of 2025-26 in the rearview mirror. The disappointing season opener against the Strykers was followed by the equally underwhelming 8-4 home loss to Milwaukee and the 6-3 win at Empire.

“Even though they had a rough start, I don’t think it defines them as a team,” said Brian Orozco. “We saw the true San Diego in our last game. They have a lot of experience and a lot of quality. Are they a beatable team? Of course. Two teams have already proven it. The way to beat them is by not allowing them to play their style. We have to play our game and stick to our plan. If we control the play, we can definitely get a win.”

Defensively, the Sockers have been led this season by legendary backstop Chris Toth and by another veteran in backline anchor Cesar Cerda. Having moved home from Tacoma during the offseason, Toth seems to be poised for yet another outstanding campaign, as he tops the league in goals-against average (3.29 in 2 games) and sits runner-up in save percentage (76.2%). While Cerda is tenth in blocks (6) despite his team having played the fewest matches along with Tacoma and Utica, former Fury/Strykers man Jose Gonzalez (3) is second on the San Diego roster.

Another ex-Fury ace, Charlie Gonzalez, has dominated the Sockers’ attacking output thus far, as he leads his side in points (7), in goals (4), and in assists along with Sebastian Mendez (3 each). Midfielder Gonzalez also sits third league-wide in points per game (2.33 in 3 games). Mendez, Taylor Walter Bond, former Ontario attacker Leonardo De Oliveira, Keko Gontán and Nick Perera all share second on San Diego in points (3 each), with Bond holding the same position in goals (3) and De Oliveira also topping the MASL in points per game (3.00 in 1 game).

In the face of mounting pressure, Empire netminder Orozco closed his remarks with a cautiously optimistic look ahead to the upcoming pair of away games and to the rest of the season.

“[Head Coach] Obasi has mentioned a couple of times that we’ve put one good quarter together, or sometimes two or even three,” said the up-and-comer. “I don't think we’ve put together a full four quarters. There's still details we need to clean up and mistakes we still make. If you look at our roster, we have a lot of new players, so the chemistry is still building. It hasn’t been the ideal start to our season, but I’m positive we're going to bounce back.”

The Strykers’ next home game is a clash with the Tacoma Stars on Thursday, January 8. Information on season tickets may be found here. Single-game tickets to all matches at Ontario’s Toyota Arena are available here.