The top two teams in the Major Arena Soccer League square off when the St. Louis Ambush host the Florida Tropics in a pair of games this weekend at the Family Arena. The action kicks off Friday, January 29 at 7:35 p.m. CST with the rematch slated for 3:05 p.m. on Sunday, January 31.
The powerhouse Tropics team has an early grip on first place in the MASL with a 5-0 record. The Ambush are in the second spot in the standings at 3-2. The only two losses the Ambush have suffered were at the hands of the Tropics to open the season in Florida January 2 and 3. Playing on their home turf, St. Louis hopes to turn the tables on Florida this weekend. All five Tropics wins have been at home. This weekend’s series is their first on the road for the season.
Florida’s dangerous offense is led by perennial scoring threat Ian Bennett, who comes into the weekend leading the league in points (13), goals (nine), power play goals (three) and is second in points per game average (2.6). Florida’s Victor Parreiras is another lethal weapon in Florida’s arsenal. He is second in the MASL in points (nine) and tied for the lead in assists (seven). Guilherme Dos Santos is another contributor to the offense, ranking second in the league in goals scored (six) and tied for fourth in points (seven). Those three aren’t the only ones who can score though, as 13 different players have scored goals in Florida’s five games to date. In goals for the Tropics, Hugo Silva leads the league in goals against average (3.34), wins (five) and has the only shutout in the MASL thus far.
Scoring has also been a team effort on the Ambush side, with 12 different players having scored thus far. Duduca Carvalho leads the team in points (eight) and is tied for the team lead in goals (three). Max Ferdinand lead the team and is tied for the league lead in assists with seven. Vadim Cojocov, Ado Jahic and Stefan Mijatovic are tied with Duduca as the leading scorers on the team. Between the pipes for the Ambush, goalkeeper Paulo is third in the MASL in goals against average (5.00) and in save percentage (.725). He is also the only keeper in the league to have achieved the rare feat of scoring a goal.
After this weekend’s series with the Tropics, the Ambush have another two-game set slated for next weekend. The Ontario Fury invade the Family Arena for back-to-back games on Friday, February 5 at 7:35 p.m. CST and Saturday, February 6 at 7:05 p.m. CST. Tickets for upcoming home games are available at the Family Arena box office or online at ticketmaster.com. All Ambush games can also be viewed online at Facebook Live PPV.
