The proudest franchise in the sport of indoor soccer, the San Diego Sockers returned to action in 2009 after a five-year hiatus thanks to the leadership and inspiration of local businessmen David Pike, Carl Savoia and Phil Salvagio. It was one thing to bring back the Sockers name, but these men knew the real work would be in restoring the Sockers’ dynastic domination of their sport. Salvagio, a former Sockers goalie and the team’s head coach, carefully crafted a combination of rising young talent and the veteran leadership to guide and train the team.
The Sockers’ return to professional action took place on November 7th, 2009, as a crowd of nearly 3,000 packed the Del Mar Arena to watch the Sockers defeat the Stars of Mexico 9-5. The team’s PASL opener was a thrilling 5-4 overtime victory against the California Cougars, setting the tone for a Del Mar run which saw the Sockers never lose at home, often pulling out victories in thrilling, last second fashion. The Sockers finished the regular season with a league-best 13-3 record.
San Diego’s 11th major indoor title came in the 2009-10 PASL-Pro North American Championships, when the Sockers defeated Guadalajara 9-8 to cap a thrilling weekend of playoff action in Del Mar. Behind new general manager John Kentera, the Sockers reloaded for 2010-2011, improving on their regular season mark with a 14-2 record while nearly doubling attendance. San Diego rolled through the 2011 PASL-Pro North American Championships in Cincinnati, defeating tough sides from Monterrey and Guadalajara on route to their 12th indoor title.
With almost no room for improvement, the Sockers took another step forward in 2011-12, recording the first perfect season in PASL history. A 16-0 regular season campaign included star forward Kraig Chiles’ second consecutive league MVP award, as he set a league record with 46 goals. The Sockers defeated Kansas and Detroit in the Ron Newman Cup PASL Championships, and traveled to Cincinnati to win their third straight U.S. Open Cup. With a four-game sweep of the FIFRA Club Championships in Monterrey, the Sockers finished 24-0 in 2011-12 and captured three major trophies.
The 2012-13 season began with the focus on the Sockers' homecoming, and their pursuit of U.S. pro sports history. The longest winning streak in any U.S. pro sports league, major or minor, was held by the Sioux Falls Storm of United Indoor Football, a run of 40 straight wins. San Diego left the Del Mar locale that had brought them so much early success and returned to their original home, the San Diego Sports Arena (renamed the Valley View Casino Center) with a 37-game winning streak intact.
The reaction was immediately positive both on and off the field. The Sockers drew over 40,000 fans to the VVCC over the course of another undefeated home schedule, including a PASL team record 4,703 on February 10th. San Diego won the first four games of the season, securing their 41st straight win and breaking the pro sports record with a 14-4 victory over Toros de Mexico on November 23rd, 2012. The record-breaking win garnered national attention, including a feature on Fox Sports Soccer and online coverage from ESPN. The Sockers finally saw their streak stopped with a 6-5 overtime loss at Dallas, but not before setting a new U.S. pro sports record with 48 straight victories.
Finishing with the best record (15-1) in the PASL for the fourth straight season, the Sockers entered the Ron Newman Cup playoffs as the host team and with all the pressure of a four-peat bid on their shoulders. The Turlock Express proved to be a worthy opponent in the Pacific Division playoffs, pushing the Sockers by forcing overtime in the opening leg. Kraig Chiles' golden goal in OT gave San Diego a 12-11 win, and they finished off Turlock 13-4 the next night to advance to the Ron Newman Cup semi-finals. There, it again took golden goal "Sockers magic" to move on, as a PASL playoff record crowd of 4,287 saw Chiky Luna's overtime half-bicycle kick find the back of the net for a thrilling 6-5 OT win over the Las Vegas Legends. The next night's Ron Newman Cup championship was another epic battle, with the Sockers prevailing over Detroit for the second straight season, this time by an 8-6 score.
With four consecutive PASL championships, three U.S. Open Cup championships and a FIFRA Club Championship in their trophy closet at the Valley View Casino Center, the San Diego Sockers can truly claim they are a Dynasty Continued. The Sockers, with three-time MVP Kraig Chiles, all-PASL forward and team captain Aaron Susi, all-PASL midfielder Brian Farber and a blend of veteran experience and young legs, the Sockers will go for "One For The Thumb" and a fifth straight PASL title during the 2013-14 season. Make your plans today to join us for all the action!
