The San Diego Sockers will begin its search for a 17th championship on Sunday, Dec. 3 at Pechanga Arena San Diego against the Tacoma Stars. The Sockers fell short last season after losing dramatically to the eventual champion Chihuahua Savage in the semifinals on a golden goal and hope to lift the Ron Newman Cup yet again, just like in 2022, when they defeated the Florida Tropics in the final.
“The San Diego Sockers have a rich history of winning championships and this year is no exception,” said general manager Sean Bowers. “As an organization, we expect to continue our pursuit for excellence by winning our 17th championship.”
The Sockers will play 24 regular season games split evenly between home and away including three versus Chihuahua with their first meeting being at home on Jan. 14. The longest road trip will go from Feb. 1 when they take on the Mesquite Outlaws before traveling to face the Dallas Sidekicks on Feb. 3 and closing out in Mexico with a second head to head meeting against the Savage on Feb. 9 before returning home to face the Outlaws on Feb. 15.
“The expectations are the same as every other year, which is compete for the championship,” said San Diego Sockers captain Kraig Chiles. “We’re returning a majority of our team and feel good about the 2023-24 season.”
The 39-year-old veteran and former San Diego State University midfielder also played in Major League Soccer for Chivas USA and has been a mainstay for the team, led by head coach and owner Phil Salvagio, since it returned to the league in 2009.
Among the two biggest additions to the club this season are Diego Costa and Drew Ruggles. Costa is a younger player who brings skill and quick footwork to an already amazing midfield along with Drew Ruggles who has already won championships and brings added stability to the defensive backline. During the recent MASL combine and draft held in late October, the Sockers selected defender Maxwell Rodriguez as another addition to the roster with goalkeeper Boris Pardo, who won goalkeeper of the year honors last season, returning as well along with goal-scorer Tavoy Morgan.
Photo courtesy: Eddie Trujillo
