January 11, 2025 – Major Arena Soccer League (MASL)
Empire Strikers Press Release
ALLEN, Texas – The Empire Strykers suffered a disappointing 6-7 loss to the host Dallas Sidekicks on Saturday evening. Coach Onua Obasi’s men, playing their second away game in as many days, probably fell victim to fatigue as they fell 3-1 down at half-time and never trailed until Dallas scored the winner in the final quarter. The disappointing result saw the Strykers fall to 3-5-0 in the 2024-25 Major Arena Soccer League (MASL) campaign.
Dallas’ win was thanks in large part to Jamie Lovegrove’s four-pointer, Blas Pérez’s three-pointer and Juan Gamboa’s heroics. Goalkeeper Gamboa kept a clean sheet for 24 minutes, made a change on the grass and made the best save of the game, saving all three points late in the game.
Empire drew first blood in the opening period of the game. Mounir Alami continued his red-hot attacking form, nodding in a fine assist from Alan Perez, who juggled the ball towards him before picking off his team-mate. The Sidekicks leveled things when former MLS ace Blas Pérez scored for Lovegrove, but the Strykers regained the advantage shortly thereafter, with Marco Fabián scoring his 11th of the season. Englishman Abdul Mansaray extended his side’s cushion to 3-1 when he ran down the right flank, touched the ball to himself off the board and fired a strong shot inside the left upright.
Dallas pulled back by a point before the end of the first quarter, when Bradley Valadez scored on Lovegrove’s restart. The Sidekicks’ momentum continued into the second quarter. A beautiful combination play started by Lovegrove on the left made it 3-3, finished by Pérez and former Strykers fan favorite Nestor Hernandez grabbed the assist.
The visitors then jumped back on top and Fabián scored the first of Empire’s second successive shocks. Positioned just right of centre, he took a layoff from two-time FIFA World Cup veteran Momo Gueye and blasted one of his signature right-foot rockets into the top near-side corner. If those watching the match were impressed by Mexico’s net, a truly memorable performance came moments later when Justin Stinson smashed a clever ball off the window to the left of the goal and Munir Alami converted to score from the right. no see. The first acrobatic scissors kick was discovered under the crossbar.
Leading 5-3, Empire saw their opponents take a point back before the end of the first half. Baladez fired a long-range effort from the left inside the near post on the restart directly from the yellow line. Midfielder Fabian could have re-established the Strikers’ previous two-goal lead but failed to convert the penalty. Fabián’s side were punished for a missed opportunity shortly after the break, with former FC Dallas forward David Texeira leveling the score at 5-5.
Empire regained the upper hand once again and were rewarded with a defensive free that allowed Mansaray to apply pressure and end up in an open net. But Dallas equalized once again when Yahir Romero made it six with a wonderful left-foot curler into the far net from the right and sidekick legend Lovegrove completed a hat-trick of assists. Things got worse for the Strykers early in the final period and Lovegrove scored the first goal to give the hosts their first lead of the contest at 7-6.
While the Empire left it all on the field until the final whistle, the Southern Californians faced a self-inflicted obstacle by incurring late blue cards to too many men on the field. Despite this, the Strykers were outstanding in the final minutes of the game. A wide-open Stinson was brutally denied by the fingertips of onrushing netminder Juan Gamboa. Gamboa’s dramatic intervention gave the team a decisive victory as they chased a playoff spot.
The Strykers faced off against St. Louis on Monday night. There’s little time to rest and lick your wounds as you head back home for the showdown with Louis Ambush.
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