Sockers Acquire De Oliveira In Four-Player Trade
The 14-time champion San Diego Sockers have agreed to a four-player trade with the Ontario Fury, acquiring forward Leonardo De Oliveira and defender Juan Gonzalez from Ontario in exchange for goalkeeper Chris Toth and forward Andy Lorei.
San Diego bolsters its offensive attack with the addition of De Oliveira and Gonzalez, as the pair combined to produce 20 goals and 21 assists last year for Ontario. De Oliveira, who is in his fourth MASL season, notched his best statistical campaign in 2016-17 with 31 goals and 20 assists (51 points). In 2017-18, De Oliveira scored 13-15=28 points in 13 games played. In 50 career games with Detroit and Ontario, De Oliveira has recorded 57-55=112 points.
Gonzalez, who is the identical twin of former Socker Felipe, notched 7-6=13 points in 22 games last season with Ontario. During his seven-year career, he has scored 29-26=55 points with the Anaheim Bolts, Las Vegas Legends, Turlock Express and Fury.
Sockers General Manager Sean Bowers stated, "Adding the exceptional scoring talent of Leo and the defensive toughness of Juan to our revised roster will make us even more formidable this season." Bowers continued, "The internal competition for playing time will only help to fuel the team to reach our goal of raising the Ron Newman Cup."
In return, the Sockers see the exit of Toth from the organization that helped launch his career in professional soccer. In 89 career games with San Diego in the PASL and MASL, Toth compiled a 69-17 record with a .748 save percentage. "It was mutual decision to go in a different direction. Chris was looking for a new experience in his career after growing up in the organization, and we helped make that possible with the trade," said Bowers. "We thank Chris for all of the things he has done for the team and we wish him the best in Ontario."
With the departure of Toth, the 2017-18 MASL goals-against average leader Boris Pardo will assume the role of the number one goalkeeper for San Diego. "Having the two best goalkeepers in the MASL was an unprecedented luxury, however it was time to move forward with Boris as our starting goalkeeper. His skills and resume speak for themselves giving us the confidence with our decision," stated Bowers.
Second-year forward Lorei leaves San Diego after signing as a free agent. He played five games with the first team in 2017-18, netting 1-2=3 points, while helping lead the Sockers 2 to the Major Arena Soccer League 2's Western Conference championship. "As a rookie, last season was a learning experience for Andy and he was key to us winning a conference title," said Bowers. "We thank him for his service and hope that he continues his success."