How A Few San Diego Sockers Prepared for MASL Season — on the Outdoor Pitch
As the MASL season approaches, a few of the stars from the San Diego Sockers used the offseason to build for another championship run by joining recent expansion clubs of the NPSL. Two San Diego based NPSL Teams, the Albion SC Pros and North County Battalion each had a successful first season with both clubs making a run in the NPSL Playoffs. The Albion Pros were undefeated in regular season play.
MASL Soccer News: Over the offseason, members of the San Diego Sockers have taken their talents to the outdoor pitch of the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL), as the city’s most wining team gears up for the 2016/17 Major Arena Soccer League (MASL) campaign.
Albion SC Pros and the North County Battalion were the latest San Diego based clubs to join the NPSL for the 2016 season with several players from the Sockers helping to build on San Diego’s winning tradition of great soccer.
During the offseason, Elijah Galbraith Knapp was a member of NC Battalion who were led by manager and midfielder Ryan Guy.
The Battalion lost in the West Region Semifinals versus Sonoma County Sol who went on to play Albion in the region finals.
Matt Clare, Jeff Hughes, Ray Reza and Luan Oliviera provided services to Albion SC Pros with the club finishing as Southwest Conference Champions. The Pros were undefeated heading into the West Region Finals where the expansion club fell to Sonoma County at Mission Bay High School Stadium.
Clare received NPSL Player of the Week honors and was named to the 2016 NPSL Supporters’ XI first team during the 2016 campaign.
The Sockers will be flying into the season ready to run as players remain in form with the help of San Diego’s newest professional soccer clubs. The season is set to kick off at the end of October with the Sockers making an array of changes to revitalize the club for the 2016/17 campaign.
Stay tuned as we dig deeper into the San Diego Sockers’ locker of hidden gems heading into the season.
Related Article: The Players Behind the Sockers
