St. Louis Ambush defender Robert Acosta was named Defender of the Year by the Major Arena Soccer League. The league made the announcement, along with the league’s MVP, Coach of the Year, Rookie of the Year and Goalkeeper of the Year today in Monterrey, Mexico, the site of the Ron Newman Cup championship match slated for Sunday.
The 2017-18 season was Acosta’s first with the Ambush and his fifth in professional arena soccer. He previously played for the Norfolk SharX (MISL), Rochester Lancers (MASL), and two seasons with the Cedar Rapids Rampage (MASL). Acosta appeared in all 22 Ambush games, leading the league in blocked shots with 49. Earlier this month, he was named to the league’s All-MASL team for the first time in his career. Rob is a native of Tuscon, Arizona who has played professional and semi-pro outdoor and arena soccer in nine different cities in the U.S. and abroad.
The award announcements were a prelude to Sunday’s Ron Newman Cup duel between the Baltimore Blast and Monterrey Flash, slated for 6:05 p.m. CDT (5:05 p.m. local time in Monterrey). The one-game, winner-take-all battle will determine the league champion for the 2017-18 season. It will be broadcast live on the MASL’s YouTube channel, masltv.
The other major award winners were:
MVP:Â Franck Tayou, Soles de Sonora
Coach of the Year: Mariano Bollella, Monterrey Flash
Goalkeeper of the Year: Chris Toth, San Diego Sockers
Rookie of the Year (tie): Philip Lund, Tacoma Stars and Edgar Gonzalez, Monterrey Flash
The St. Louis Ambush will kick off their 2018-19 season in early December. The season will consist of 24 games, with 12 at home at the Family Arena in St. Charles.Â
