San Diego Sockers Repeat As MASL Champs

On Sunday, the San Diego Sockers added yet another championship trophy to their storied history as they defeated the Florida Tropics 4-3 to repeat as Major Arena Soccer League (MASL) champions and their 16th overall title.

San Diego's Kraig Chiles broke a 3-3 tie in the third quarter with a goal in the top corner to give the Sockers the go-ahead goal.  Sockers' goalie Boris Pardo and the San Diego defense clamped down on the Tropics in the fourth quarter for the title clinching win.  Chiles was named the MASL finals Most Valuable Player.

The Sockers won game one of the series in Florida 6-3 after they rallied from a 3-2 deficit to win 6-3.

San Diego finished the regular season with the best record with a 19-4-1-0 record with 66 points.  In the playoffs, they swept the Milwaukee Wave 9-2, 9-3 in the quarterfinals.  It took the Sockers three games to get past the Chihuahua Savage 6-7, 6-2, 4-1.

The Florida Tropics finished with a 18-0-0-3 record with 56 points then swept the St. Louis Ambush 8-4, 6-4 in the quarterfinals and rallied against the Kansas City Comets in the semifinals to win game three 4-2.

The Sockers have been in existence since 1978 when they began as an outdoor team in the defunct North American Soccer League (NASL).  The team has been a member of what is now the MASL since 2009 and have won six titles in the league. They won their first championship in 1982 when they defeated the Tampa Bay Rowdies two games to none for the NASL Indoor title.