Chiles Named As An Assistant Coach
The MASL Ron Newman Cup champion San Diego Sockers—presented by Kaiser Permanente—today announced the addition of legendary Sockers scorer Kraig Chiles to head coach Phil Salvagio’s staff for the 2026-27 Major Arena Soccer League season. Chiles, who due to a knee injury transitioned from player to assistant coach at the end of last season as the Sockers drove to the championship, returns on a permanent basis to the Sockers’ bench.
“The San Diego Sockers organization is ingrained in my DNA,” said Chiles. “I’m looking forward to taking my next step with this organization and helping to build another championship-caliber team both on and off the field.”
“We have always looked at Kraig as a coach on the bench even while he was lighting up the scoreboard, so it was only natural to have his soccer mind right next to us as we go for another championship,” said Sockers general manager and assistant coach Chiky Luna.
Chiles, 42, came to the Sockers organization in time for its 2009-10 restart, heading indoors after a season in MLS with Chivas USA, following up a decorated career as the striker at San Diego State University. As a young player, he helped lead the Sockers to four consecutive PASL championships, winning three straight league MVP awards along the way. In 2012-13, Chiles set new PASL records for goals (56) and points (72). In 2016-17, he surpassed Sockers legend Branko Segota (298) as the all-time goal-scoring leader.
Chiles’ game-winning assist in the final minute of the Knockout Game in 2021 helped lead the Sockers to their first MASL Ron Newman Cup championship. The following season in 2021-22, Chiles was named Ron Newman Cup Playoff MVP, netting the game-winning goal in Match Two of the Finals against Florida and leading the club with nine goals and 14 points in seven playoff starts. In 2024-25, Chiles crossed the 500-career goal mark, while scoring 24 goals in 21 regular season matches. For his career, Kraig scored 20+ goals in 15 consecutive full seasons (omitting the 10-game 2021 COVID season), and holds the San Diego all-time records with 512 goals and 758 points. He finished his final season as an active player with his name all over the MASL league record books, ranking third all-time in goals (309) and fourth all-time in points (479).
“The journey continues; Kraig is like a brother to me, and he will always be a Socker,” said head coach and owner Phil Salvagio.
Seventeen-time indoor champions throughout the club’s history dating back to the 1980s, the San Diego Sockers claimed their third MASL Ron Newman Cup championship in 2025-26 and will be looking for their second repeat championship campaign in 2026-27. The league schedule is expected to be announced shortly after Labor Day. Season tickets for the upcoming season are available for purchase by visiting frontwavearena.com or sdsockers.com.