By Delorean Fleetwood
Oceanside, CA: We finally complete our five part journey with a season review of the big one, M1, the Major Arena Soccer League.
Since being formed out of the old PASL Premier/Pro, the MASL has slowly but surely built the brand and sport back to the glory days that had started with the original MISL and ended with the CISL back in 1997. With only eight teams competing this past season, the league chose to go to a unconferenced format. Meaning all teams competedin a single table, similar to what the National Lacrosse League is doing right now.
To start, the three time defending Ron Newman Cup Champions, the Chihuahua Savage, did not participate, although they revealed they were coming back to M2 next season on Thursday May, 14th. Not only that, but the Harrisburg Heat would self relegate to M2 for 2025-26. The Dallas Sidekicks, also announced they would not play for the upcoming season. The Sidekicks haven’t been active since their initial announcement. Teams would play a 24 regular season schedule for 2025-26.
With league loose ends out of the way, let us meet the eight teams vying for the Ron Newman Cup.
MEET THE MASL
- San Diego Sockers (Frontwave Arena, Oceanside, CA)
- Empire Strykers (Toyota Arena, Ontario, CA)
- Tacoma Stars (accesso Showare Center, Kent, WA)
- Kansas City Comets (Cable Dahmer Arena, Independence, MO)
- St. Louis Ambush (Family Arena, St. Charles, MO)
- Milwaukee Wave (UW Milwaukee Panther Arena, Milwaukee, WI)
- Baltimore Blast (SECU Arena, Towson, MD)
- Utica City FC (Adirondack Bank Center, Utica, NY)
For those that are new to the Ron Newman Cup Playoffs, the MASL does their playoff format a bit differently. All rounds of the Ron Newman Cup Playoffs are usually, a two game format, with a unique twist. The first game is hosted by the lower seed, the second by the higher one, similar to LIGA MX. What does not happen is an aggregate. You might be thinking, wait, how? Simple. If one team wins both games, the winner advances. If the games are split? We play ome additional 15 minute period for the third and deciding game. Known as “The Mini Game” by the fans, this essentially acts like an extra time period you might see in the MLS Playoffs or in the World Cup. Also just like those two, you can score as many times as you want. It’s not golden goal (sudden death). However, if the mini game is tied after 15 minutes, it becomes a sudden death situation. So, yes, you could see the second game of the set go to OT and then play an additional mini game, only for that game to go to OT. The Mini Game has produced some all time classics (see below), and while a true best of three is more desirable, arena dates and availability, often leaves ownership and league brass with little recourse.
The 2026 Ron Newman Cup Playoffs would see the top six teams advance. The top two seeds would get a first round bye, while the 3 seed would play the 6 seed, and the 4 seed would play the 5 seed. As mentioned above, all rounds would feature the home and home, plus the mini game, if needed. If possible, the MASL would try for a best of three for the RNC Finals, in 2025-26.
With our RNC format and league alignment for 2025-26, let us begin our season recap of the MASL.
2025-26 MASL RECAP
It’s safe to say the parity of the MASL season in 2025-26, was a boon and calling card for new investors looking for exciting action, to an arena near them. Utica City had a poor season by their standard, as they are normally one of the toughest places to play. As someone who went to the 2025 MASL Allstar Game in that building, I would know. I experienced it myself. Utica finished dead last with a 5-15-4 record that saw their coach get fired, midway through. The other team that didn’t make the playoffs, was Tacoma. The Stars were anything but, finishing 9-14-1, despite a promising start to the season. Squeaking into the playoffs, with a much better than anticipated 12-11-1, its Empire. The Strykers were arguably the hardest team to figure out during the course of the season. They had stretches of amazing play that resembled a darkhorse contender, while at other times, they displayed exactly what their record says they are, a .500 team.
Our preseason pick for the Ron Newman Cup, Kansas City faltered when it mattered most. The Comets finished just four points back of the top seed, going 12-6-6, finishing behind rivals St. Louis and Milwaukee. Speaking of St. Louis, the Ambush literally did one better and was arguably the hottest team going into the postseason, finishing 13-5-6 to emerge as the true darkhorse in the RNC Playoffs.
Speaking of Milwaukee, the ever talented Wave, edged out their Midwest rivals, to finish 15-7-2, tied with Baltimore on points, but the Blast edged the Wave due to regulation wins. With the three seed in hand, the Wave would be a dangerous foe come playoff time. Baltimore went 14-7-3 and grabbed a first round bye to avoid a dangerous Milwaukee or Empire squad. Alas, San Diego Sockers fans can breath a sigh of relief, knowing the RNC ran through Oceanside. With a 16-6-2 record, the Sockers had the top seed and home field advantage. But, a likely dangerous opposition awaited them. The Sockers were looking to win their first Ron Newman Cup, since going back to back in 2021 and 2022.
With our quick season recap of of the way, let us go to the scoring leaders on the season:
LEAGUE LEADERS
With our leading scorers taken care of, we move ahead to the first round of the Ron Newman Cup Playoffs.
2026 RON NEWMAN CUP PLAYOFFS: FIRST ROUND
We begin our first round action, with Milwaukee vs Empire, in the 3 vs 6. Robert Palmer (assisted by Dayerson Graterol got the Strykers going, just 1:11 into the game, while Barbaro Shelier scored with 1:04 left in the period on a pass from Brandon Gomez, making it 2-0 after the first. Milwaukee struck twice in just 19 seconds to tie it, thanks to Ian Bennett on the power play (assisted by Ricardo Carvalho) and Cam Will (assisted by Alex Steinwascher), at 12:36 and 12:55 of the second, tying things up at the half. Empire saw Justin Stinson (assisted by Mounir Alami) and Graterol (assisted by Palmer), at 2:38 and 5:04 of the 3rd, restore the two goal lead, while Alex scored thanks to his brother, Javier Steinwascher, shorthanded, to cut it to 4-3 heading into the fourth. Empire would ice game one with fourth period goals by Alan Perez (assisted by Palmer) and Issak Somow, giving the Strykers a 6-3 and 1-0 series lead. Robert Palmer led the way for Empire (2G-1A-3A). We head to Milwaukee for game two, with the Wave needing a win.
Milwaukee got off on the right foot in game two, thanks to Andre Hayne scoring on a feed from Mike Da-Silva, giving the home side a 1-0 lead heading into the second. Alex Steinwascher would score 33 seconds into the 2nd quarter, doubling the lead. At 5:13 on the power play, the fabulous Marco Fabian scored on a pass from Andy Reyes, making it 2-1. Super Mario Alvarez would restore the two goal lead, at 9:10 on a pass from Cesar Correa. Empire would erase that lead in just 51 seconds, thanks to Somow (assisted by Alami) and Shelier (assisted by Fabian), at 10:32 and 11:23 into the second. Milwaukee would then restore it, with two of their own in just 56 seconds, courtesy of Max Fernidad (assisted by Javier) and Alex Sanchez (assisted by Alvarez) at 12:39 and 13:35. Alami scored with just nine seconds left, cutting into the Milwaukee lead, 5-4. They would tie it at 6:56 of the third, thanks to Somow from Leo Poldo “Polo” Hernandez. But Milwaukee would score twice in the fourth, courtesy of two Fernidad goals in just 2:19, early in the fourth, giving Milwaukee a 7-5 win in game two. Max Fernidad’s hat trick (3G-3PTS) sends us to the mini game.
The mini game would see Max Fernidad score again, just 5:20 into the match (Alvarez assisted), while Correa would hail the second Wave goal with 1:51 remaining, sending the Milwaukee Wave into the 2026 Ron Newman Cup Semifinals to take on the Baltimore Blast.
Our other first round match-up, featured a battle for the State of Missouri, in the Show Me Series. Mario Falsone scored just 97 seconds into the series (assisted by Ryan Khedoo), while Christian Anderaos tied it up, 6:24 in. James Thomas (from William Eskay) and Falsone (also from Eskay), put the Ambush up at the half, with goals at 4:40 and 11:30 of the second. St. Louis would Ambush the Comets’ defense in the third, scoring fuve times (the latter four by Eskay, who assisted on the first in the barrage), St. Louis led 8-1 going into the fourth. Kansas City would score 3 sixth attacker goals, but it was far too late for the Comets, even as Robert Williamson scored for St. Louis amongst the extra attacker goals, losing 9-4 to their hated rivals at home. Game two was next. Eskay had a night to remember (4G-3A-7PTS), to pace the Ambush.
Ryan Khedoo got the Ambush off and running, just 4:53 into the contest. Nacho Flores would assist on two Kansas City goals by Lesia Thetsane and Dominic Francis, to counter the Christian Briggs goal, making it 2-2 at the half. Flores (twice), and Guerrero Pino scored three times in the third, to give the Comets a 5-2 advantage going to the final period. Falsone, Eskay, and James Togbah scored in just 2:46 to wipe out the Comets lead, early in the fourth, but Rian Marques got his first goal of the match with 5:35 remaining, ultimately proving to be the game winner, as Kansas City took game two, 6-5. Nacho Flores led the Kansas City attack (2G-2A-4PTS) in the win. The Mini Game is next from Family Arena.
Colin O’Keefe and Briggs would send the St. Louis fans home happy, as their goals at the 6:23 and 13:28 mark (the latter on the power play), powered the St. Louis Ambush to a 2-0 win, clinching the series, 2-1. St. Louis would face a tough San Diego Sockers squad in the Ron Newman Cup Semifinals.
With both first round series’ going the distance, we set our sights on the 2026 Ron Newman Cup Semifinals.
2026 RON NEWMAN CUP SEMIFINALS
Our first semifinal series is the 2 vs 3 matchup, the Baltimore Blast vs. Milwaukee Wave. In a very unfortunate turn of events, Baltimore was unable to host game two at SECU, as graduation ceremonies ton precedent at Towson. As a result, the whole series would be played in Milwaukee, at the Panther Arena. Alex Sanchez got the Wave started, scoring on a feed from Mario Alvarez 6:36 into the game. But game one belonged to Baltimore, as they tied it up 55 seconds later, part of six unanswered goals by the Blast, giving them a 6-1 by the 10:41 mark of the third. Milwaukee would answer, making it a 6-5 game with 8:48 to go, thanks to the ever reliable Ian Bennet. Oscar Flores scored to the first two in the Wave rally. Juan Pereira (who had 2G-2A-4PTS), scored with 11 seconds left, lifting Baltimore to a 7-5 win in game one. Game two was next at UWM Panther Arena.
Milwaukee got on the board first in game two, just 4:33 in, thanks to Alex Sanchez. Nearly eight minutes later, Pereira responded, tying it at one. Tanner Hodgson and Pereira would trade goals in the second quarter, making it two apiece at halftime. Baltimore Jonatas Melo scored at the 7:50 mark of the third, giving the Blast a 3-2 lead. Flores (twice) and Correa would score three more, giving the Wave a 5-3 advantage in the final period. Melo scored an extra attacker goal with 25 seconds left, but Milwaukee held on to win game two, 5-4. Oscar Flores led the charge for Milwaukee (2G-1A-3PTS). The mini game was next. Could Milwaukee win two mini games in a row?
Pereira was trying to will Baltimore to another Ron Newman Cup Final by himself, as he scored just 36 seconds into the mini game. Gerardo Perez would tie things up at the 6:21 mark. With 55 seconds left, on a pass from Ian Bennett that initially looked as if though he committed a handball (replayed showed he did not) Andre Hayne would score what eventually works be the game winning goal, lifting the Milwaukee Wave to a 2-1 win in game three, handing them a 2-1 series win, sending them to the 2026 Ron Newman Cup Finals. The Black and Yellow was back.
Our second semifinal series featured a 1 vs 4 matchup between the perennial San Diego Sockers vs the darkhorses of the bracket, the St. Louis Ambush. Cesar Cerda and Nick Perera, scored to open the contest, giving the Sockers an early 2-0 lead. The Ambush scored the next three goals or the contest, the first two by Daniel Torrealba, putting the home side up by one, just 5:51 into the third. Perera scored his second to tie it up, just 87 seconds later. Christian Briggs would take the lead right back, just 2:40 later, only to see the first of three Sockers goals, the first coming just 26 seconds later, icing the game to give San Diego a 6-5 victory in game one. Perera (2G-1A-3PTS) led the way for San Diego, while Christian Briggs had a hat trick in the loss for the Ambush. Game two at Frontwave Arena is next, from Oceanside, California.
The Ambush saw Mario Falsone score just 56 seconds in, to give them the early lead. Luis Morales tied it, at the 3:05 mark. St. Louis would grab three more in the first half (including Falsone’s second), giving St. Louis a 4-2 lead at halftime. Tavoy Morgan and Colin O’Keefe trades goals in the second half to make it 5-3 Ambush with 10:21 left. San Diego would score the game’s final three goals, including a power play, extra attacker goal, with 10 seconds left. Perera would score the series winner in OT, to sweep the series against St. Louis with another 6-5 win. The Sockers moved on to the 2026 Ron Newman Cup Finals.
With the stage set, we moved ahead to the Ron Newman Cup Finals.
2026 RON NEWMAN CUP FINALS
This year, the Ron Newman Cup Finals would be a best of three. Milwaukee would host game one, while the Sockers would host game two (and three, if necessary). The Sockers (16) and Wave (7) are two of the most successful franchises in the sport of arena soccer. Who would come out on top this year? We head to the Panther Arena for game one. Tavoy Morgan and Cesar Correa traded goals, for the only scores of the first half, knotting us at one each. San Diego scored three straight to open the third, pushing them to a 4-1 advantage heading into the fourth. Ian Bennett scored twice in 78 seconds early in the fourth to get Milwaukee within one, but Gerardo Perez scored with 9:25 to go, lifting the Sockers to a 5-4 victory that saw an ugly post game meltdown by fans and both teams alike, after a fan threw a beer can onto the field. Then again, San Diego decided to taunt the Milwaukee fanbase after the win, instead of celebrating in the locker room. The resulting fights ultimately got MASL bad boy, Stefan Mijatovic, permanently banned from the league altogether (Stefan has a long history of negative conduct that needs no introduction and will not be discussed here). With a few suspensions as a result, San Diego heads back home, up one game to nothing in the series, after the win in Milwaukee.
After a scoreless first quarter, Ben Ramin and Sean Callahan scored to give the Sockers a 2-0 midway through the second. Milwaukee would score the game’s final seven goals, including three empty netters, to seal game two by a final of 7-2, setting up a winner take all, game three on Monday April 27th, 2026, at Frontwave Arena in Oceanside, California. Cesar Correa scored two empty net goals to lash all goal scorers in game two.
As someone who attended game three and saw everything unfold, it was safe to say, after the third San Diego Sockers goal on the night, nothing was going to go Milwaukee’s way and that’s too bad the season would end in a blowout. San Diego was fortunate to get the breaks they got against St. Louis to get them to this point. San Diego led 7-1 at halftime. It all started with a bad pass by the keeper, giving the Sockers a near empty net goal to start the game. After a scoreless third, Milwaukee scored twice with an extra attacker to start the fourth, making it 7-3. Three empty net goals, including one assisted by goalkeeper Chris Toth, rocketed the Sockers to a 10-3 win, giving them their 17th title and the 2026 Ron Newman Cup Championship. After being nearly eliminated by the Ambush, they would rally to defeat St. Louis and Milwaukee to choose the deal. Sebastian Mendez had a hat trick in the win.
With the Sockers on top of the arena soccer would once more, the pathway to repeat for San Diego is unlikely, given the parity of the MASL right now. Coupled by the fact San Diego’s performance is unlikely to be repeated. Though one can try and argue the same for Milwaukee, winning two mini games to reach the Finals. But, we like Milwaukee to win it next season. They have more in the tank and a much younger squad, with a coach who will be in year two running the show in Wisconsin. The odds San Diego repeats the Cup with the amount of parity that current runs the league, are pretty low. Kansas City, St. Louis, and Baltimore are just as likely to win it next year. The Comets have been awfully close the last 4 seasons, and maybe a home game for the Blast will do the trick this time? That Ambush team looks scary, too.
Our final Super Six power rankings:
- San Diego Sockers
- Milwaukee Wave
- St. Louis Ambush
- Baltimore Blast
- Kansas City Comets
- Empire Strykers
LOOKING AHEAD
The Major Arena Soccer League announced on April 9th, 2026 that the league would expand to Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania, for the 2026-27 MASL season. An expansion draft was also revealed on May 6th, 2026. Protected players lists were released on May 12th. The expansion draft will take place on May 26th, 2026. As for what the new team will be called? We have an idea…. and a great one too.
The original Pennsylvania Stoners were based out of the old American Soccer League, winning the ASL in 1980. The second team that existed, played in the NPSL, winning the National Championship in 2008. The team will be based out of the PPL Center, in Allentown, Pennsylvania. The Lehigh Valley Phantoms AHL team are the only other tenant in the building. Allentown is only 48 miles North of Philadelphia and 78 miles west of New York, NY. While we have our fingers crossed for the return of the Stoners, we happily await the new Lehigh Valley squad for 2026-27.
Journey’s End
At long last, our arena soccer journey has come to an end. This is not merely goodbye. This is the simple parting before meeting. Sleeping comes before meeting. So when we wake, let us meet at the usual place with our usual friends.
This game has touched and changed so many lives over the years, that its become an unexpected fabric of the community and lives that it has affected. No matter what, there will always be a season waiting to be played. There will be an indoor carpet with posts fashioned with netting and walls and boards to absorb missile shots and passes.
With that in mind, I look forward to hearing and seeing every one of you in the next season and in the following years to come. Thank you so much for your support of this game, these players, and those that make it all happen no matter where they may be. I will see you all soon.
-Delorean G. Fleetwood, CEO, Founder, and Editor in Chief, Starball Sports and Entertainment.
We have a special announcement for you all tomorrow, you don’t want to miss out on it!
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