IE Business Daily Business news for the Inland Empire.
The Major Arena Soccer League (MASL) Empire Strykers’ Sunday game against the San Diego Sockers will stream live exclusively on CBS Sports Golazo Network.
This is the first time in more than 20 years that a MASL game has been broadcast nationally, and it is one of the rare instances when the Empire Region is featured nationally. The broadcast is an opportunity to expose the Golazo Network’s vast audience of soccer fans across the United States to the thrill and skill of the highest level of professional indoor soccer.
The channel streams live for free on CBSSports.com, the CBS Sports app for connected TV devices, the CBS Sports mobile app, Pluto TV, and Paramount+.
The Strykers’ rivalry clash with the Sockers kicks off at 4:05 p.m. PT Sunday, March 17, with tickets available at www.tixr.com/groups/theempirestrykers.
“Sunday’s game on the CBS Sports Golazo Network represents a major milestone for our league, as it represents the first time the MASL will be on this highly respected, nationally streamed network,” Commissioner Keith Tozer said. “This allows our league to showcase the best indoor soccer players in the world and continue to grow the MASL audience.”
The matchup features the 2021 and 2022 title-winning Sockers against a Strykers squad led by former international, two-time FIFA World Cup veteran and Olympic Gold medalist Marco Fabián. Among Fabián’s teammates are fellow ex-El Tri ace Miguel Ponce, French Ligue 1 and MLS alum Claude Bilal Dielna and teen phenom Kai Garza. At 16, Garza is believed to be the youngest player to take the field or record a point in MASL history, having earned an assist in their March 10 match at San Diego.
“This is the kind of thing that puts the region on the map separately from our relationship with being a community near Los Angeles and Orange County,” said Jay Prag, lead economist from the Drucker School. “This broadcast lends a tremendous amount of credibility to the quality of entertainment options in the region and adds credibility to the sport – national networks don’t make these decisions lightly, and it is a big win for the Strykers, the City of Ontario, and the Empire Region as a whole.”
Now that the Auto Club Speedway has been removed from the NASCAR circuit, possibly permanently, another sport and venue to shine the spotlight on the Empire Region is sorely needed. The MASL and Strykers could fill that void starting this Sunday.
One of the most prominent sponsors of the Strykers is National CORE, a leader in the affordable housing industry.
“National CORE and our affiliate nonprofit, the Hope through Housing Foundation, are known across Southern California, Texas and Florida for our innovative approaches, deep array of resident services and high-quality affordable housing. Now, our message and mission will reach new audiences across the nation,” said Jill Van Balen, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Communications at National CORE.
Tim Kolacz, the co-host of the ‘Soccer in 60” radio program heard in the Empire region on KMET that covers the Strykers as well as other soccer teams and leagues, believes this is a massive opportunity for the team and the league.
“If you can get this exciting sport in front of soccer and non-soccer fans alike, they will love it. It is a fast-moving, exciting and physical game that today’s sports fans will grow to love,” he said.
