The 2022-23 MASL Awards winners include San Diego Sockers goalkeeper Boris Pardo and coach Phil Salvagio.
Pardo was named Goalkeeper of the Year for the second straight season and third overall, and also was named to the Elite Six team. Salvagio received the Coach of the Year honor.
The Sockers, which have two consecutive MASL championships, will attempt to reach the Ron Newman Cup finals again Friday at Pechanga Arena. They face must-win matches – including a possible knockout game – against the Chihuahua Savage.
The team compiled a 22-2 record this season under Salvagio’s direction, while Pardo made himself an MVP candidate, though Nick Perera of the Tacoma Stars beat him out for the honor.
The Sockers placed two players on the all-MASL Second Team – defenders Cesar Cerda and Juan Manuel Rojo.
Cerda and Mitchell Cardenas also were finalists for Defender of the Year, won by Rafa Alves of the Florida Tropics.
The awards were voted on by MASL teams, broadcasters and media.
The Major Arena Soccer League features teams across North America, with teams playing coast-to-coast in the U.S. and Mexico, and players from more than 30 countries.