Sockers 2019-20 Promotional Schedule Announced

The San Diego Sockers are proud to unveil their promotional schedule for the 2019-20 Major Arena Soccer League (MASL) home season. The inclusion of new theme jerseys, a 1989-90 Sockers 20-year reunion, the addition of a Media Game and a charity Sock Toss event highlight the twelve-game home schedule at Pechanga Arena San Diego. 

“We are excited to present a fun variety of experiences for our great season ticket members and patrons who support the Sockers at Pechanga Arena San Diego,” said Sockers chief marketing officer Craig Elsten, “We’ve worked hard behind the scenes to make every home match a special event unto itself, both inside and outside the arena.”

The season will begin on Sunday, November 24 at 5:05pm, when the Sockers play host to the re-named California Express (formerly Turlock). The club will honor the eight Sockers players and two Sockers coaches who helped lead Mexico to a WMF World Cup championship in October in a pre-match ceremony. Fans in attendance will receive a 2019-20 schedule magnet. 

The Sockers are designating December as their “Season of Giving”, with a variety of charitable endeavors to benefit San Diegans, offering patrons the opportunity to participate at Pechanga Arena San Diego. 

A new addition for the 2019-20 campaign is Star Wars Night, taking place on Sunday, December 29 when the Sockers welcome in Soles de Sonora. The Sockers will wear Star Wars-themed jerseys for the first time in franchise history, and those jerseys will be available via fan auction after the match, with profits benefiting the San Diego Food Bank. The Sockers will also team up with the San Diego Food Bank for a food drive prior to the Sunday, December 22 match against the Tacoma Stars. 

On Friday, December 13, when the rival Ontario Fury visit for the first time this season, fans will be asked to bring a pair of new, wrapped socks and/or underwear to the match for the first annual Sockers Sock Toss. When the Sockers score their first goal of the match, fans will be invited to toss the socks and undergarments they brought on the field, where they will be collected and then donated to the SD Rescue Mission. 

Halftime on December 13 will also feature the first-ever Sockers Media Game. The exhibition will feature Old Media (traditional print/radio/TV outlets) vs New Media (podcasts/apps/digital media) battling it out for supremacy on the floor. Captains and teams will be announced closer to the event. Fans in attendance will receive a Sockers-themed cup, the first of two designs for 2019-20. 

“We wanted to split the field for our annual Celebrity Game and create two events which can each be better unto themselves,” Elsten noted of the Media Game creation, “By thinning the total numbers on the field, we hope to create more competitive and watchable matches, while allowing our Celebrity Game to stand alone as a star-studded event.”

The Celebrity Game will feature athletes, local stars of the past and present, and will take place on Leap Day, Saturday, February 29 when the Sockers host the defending MASL champion Milwaukee Wave.

This coming season serves as the 20th anniversary of the 1989-90 champion Sockers, and the team will honor them by wearing 1989-90 home white retro jerseys twice on the field, beginning with Retro Night on Sunday, January 5 against the Ontario Fury. The ’89-90 champs will be honored on the field prior to Alumni Night, to be held on Sunday, March 15 vs the Tacoma Stars. The Sockers will wear their ’89-90 retros that night as well, with a jersey auction to be held after the match. 

Other key promotional theme nights include the return of Military Appreciation Night on March 8—when the Sockers will wear military-themed jerseys as they host Tacoma—Family Fun Day on January 19 against the Mesquite Outlaws, and Fan Appreciation Night on March 22 against Ontario. 

Among the giveaways for the season, Local artist Travis Peterson is designing new Sockers trading cards, which will be given away in two flights this season, on December 22 and February 12. Team posters will be handed out on Retro Night (January 5), and fans at Fan Appreciation Night will receive a giveaway Sockers T-Shirt. 

More details, themes and surprises will be announced closer to the start of the season. A complete current list of the promotional schedule can be found below. Season memberships and single-game tickets for the full 2019-20 MASL campaign are now on sale, and can be purchased over the phone at (866) 799-GOAL, or online at SDSockers.com.