Sockers Opt IN for 2020-21 MASL Season, Will Play on Road

SAN DIEGO, CA—The San Diego Sockers have agreed to participate in the 2020-2021 Major Arena Soccer League (MASL) regular season, joining ten other MASL clubs. The decision comes after a conference call on Monday with the MASL Board of Directors. The MASL regular season may start as early as December 31, 2020, with a final regular season date of April 18, 2021.

The MASL clubs who have decided to participate in the 2020-2021 season are: Baltimore, Dallas, Florida, Harrisburg, Kansas City, Ontario, Rochester, San Diego, St. Louis, Tacoma and Utica. These teams will play a regular season of between 12 and 24 matches in order to be considered eligible for playoff participation. A playoff format will be revealed at a later date.

Mesquite and Turlock have joined Milwaukee, Monterrey and Sonora as clubs deciding not to participate in the 2020-21 campaign due to restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic. These clubs remain active members in good standing in the MASL.

Local and state regulations will be a determining factor in start dates, capacity, and number of games played. Teams that are allowed arena capacity, and have dates will have the ability to schedule and fulfill games as allowed. Standings will be based on winning percentage, since teams will potentially play an unbalanced number of games.

In conference with state and local officials, the Sockers do not believe it will be possible to have home dates at Pechanga Arena or any other local venue during the 2020-21 campaign, and will play their matches outside the state of California in order to fulfill the minimum schedule requirements. While an ultimate decision on home dates has not been made, the Sockers will continue to consult with local health officials and arena management to determine the best course of action possible.

The 2020-21 MASL season begins with the first-ever MASL All-Star Game, to be played on Saturday, December 5 at Cable Dahmer Arena in Independence, Missouri, featuring the West facing the East in a 7pm CST contest. A limited number of socially distanced tickets are now available through www.ticketmaster.com or by calling the Kansas City Comets office at (888) 9-COMETS. Fans out-of-market can enjoy all the action on pay-per-view streaming via Facebook for the cost of $15. Go to the MASL Facebook page: facebook.com/MASLsoccer and select "Events", or click here