It was a fun opening weekend for the 2019-20 Major Arena Soccer League season. Out of all six matches, there was no real blowout — in each match, the eventual loser always stayed within touching distance. This made for nerve-racking matches for team-specific fans and incredibly entertaining soccer for those just tuning in.
Two-Game Series Matches
Perhaps the most anticipated match of the weekend, Baltimore Blast and Utica City FC did not disappoint. They clubs started the new season off with a thrilling match on Friday, Baltimore winning 8-7 thanks to a dominant third quarter in front of their home crowd. Utica came back to win the second match of the series on Sunday in front of its home crowd. After going into half time up 3-0, they saw themselves to a 4-2 win.
So here's @BoJelovac casually chipping the keeper from behind midfield. As you do. It's Bo's first of the season. #JoinTheCity pic.twitter.com/oZgdK3r0Lf
— Utica City FC (@UticaCityFC) November 23, 2019
Momo scores his first professional indoor soccer goal in style! A scissors kick from the top of the box and he celebrates like a man who just scored his first @MASLarena MASL goal with a scissors kick. Get innnnnnnn.
3-2 Utica City FC with under 2 minutes left in the half.. pic.twitter.com/b2I6d8D6Ov— Utica City FC (@UticaCityFC) November 23, 2019
You can't sleep on Christian Segura. He puts @UticaCityFC up 3-0 as this game heads to halftime#UTCvBAL pic.twitter.com/oAcUYGUx9H
— MASL (@MASLarena) November 24, 2019
The second two-game series of the opening weekend was in Mexico, where the Monterrey Flash took on the Sonora Soles. Monterrey was huge favorites going into the first match, and while Sonora held its own against the 2019 MASL Ron Newman Cup finalists, the visitors proved too much for the Soles, winning 10-8. The Flash will host the second match in this two-game series tonight.
All Aboard The Express!
The Turlock Cal Express went through a rebrand this past season and whatever they did seems to have worked. After going 3-21 and having a negative 114 goal differential last year (no, that's not a typo), Cal Express started the season off running. After a crazy back and forth match against the Kansas City Comets, the Express scored the golden goal for the extra-time win.
On short rest, Turlock traveled to San Diego to take on one of the best sides in MASL over the past few years. And for the first time in history, Turlock Cal Express beat the San Diego Sockers on their home turf for the biggest result of the weekend.
While the Sockers took the lead early through Brian Farber, Juan Manuel Rojo and Gerardo Jurado scored two for Cal Express within twenty seconds of each other to take the lead. While the Sockers equalized a few different times during the match, after those first three goals Cal Express never trailed again for the duration of the match.
Counter-attack - noun
1: an attack made in response to one by an enemy or opponent.— MASL (@MASLarena) November 25, 2019
If the rest of the MASL season is anything like opening weekend has been, we are in for quite a treat!
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