The Empire Strykers are an American professional indoor soccer team based in

Ontario, California Ontario is a city in southwestern San Bernardino County in the U.S. state of California, east of downtown Los Angeles and west of downtown San Bernardino, the county seat. Located in the western part of the Inland Empire metropolitan area, ...

. Founded in 2013, the team made its debut in the

Professional Arena Soccer League A professional is a member of a profession or any person who works in a specified professional activity. The term also describes the standards of education and training that prepare members of the profession with the particular knowledge and skil ...

at the start of the 2013–14 season. The team plays its home games at the

Toyota Arena Toyota Arena is a multi-purpose arena in Ontario, California, United States. The arena hosts local sporting events and concerts and is suitable for indoor events, including basketball, ice hockey, ice shows, boxing, graduation ceremonies and con ...

under the leadership of general manager, head coach, Jimmy Nordberg. As of May 2014, the league is known as the

Major Arena Soccer League The Major Arena Soccer League (MASL) is a North American professional indoor soccer league. The MASL features teams playing coast-to-coast in the United States and Mexico. MASL is the highest level of arena soccer in North America. MASL players ...

History

In late May 2013, the owners of the now-dormant Anaheim Bolts announced that they would instead field a new PASL team at the

Citizens Business Bank Arena Toyota Arena is a multi-purpose arena in Ontario, California, United States. The arena hosts local sporting events and concerts and is suitable for indoor events, including basketball, ice hockey, ice shows, boxing, graduation ceremonies and con ...

. The team held its first open tryouts on June 28–29. On July 25, team president

Bernie Lilavois Bernie Lilavois (born August 31, 1970 in Far Rockaway, New York) is an American soccer forward who played two seasons in the American Professional Soccer League, one in the USISL, one in the USL A-League, four in the Continental Indoor Soccer ...

announced that "Ontario Fury" was chosen from over 500 fan-submitted entries in a name-the-team contest. The name, logo, and team colors all reflect the passion of local soccer fans and the "powerful elements" of heat and wind that characterize the Inland Empire climate. On September 17, 2022 the team was rebranded “Empire Strykers”.

Ontario Fury II

In 2017, the club started a developmental team known as

Ontario Fury II The Empire Jets are the name of an American professional indoor soccer team based in Upland, California and an outdoor team based in Apple Valley, California. Like their parent club, the Empire Strykers, they're both run by the general manager. ...

that play in the new

Major Arena Soccer League 2 The Major Arena Soccer League 2 is a North American indoor soccer league that serves as the developmental league of the Major Arena Soccer League. History M2 launched in 2017 to "provide an outlet for teams to either reorganize for a re-emergen ...

(or M2, for short).

Year-by-year

* No fans due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

. The Fury began exhibition play on October 26 with a 16–8 win over Toros Mexico. They defeated the Dallas Sidekicks 6–5 in their first regular season game on November 10. The team then suffered roster changes and struggled on the field.

Playoffs

* Fans only allowed in the Ron Newman Cup due to the COVID-19 pandemic, in which the Fury hosted both games and the mini-game.

Personnel

Active players

''As of May 22, 2020.''

Inactive players

Staff

* Jimmy Nordberg – ''Head coach'' * Troy McKerrell – ''Assistant coach''

References

External links

Empire Strykers official websiteMajor Arena Soccer League official website
Major Arena Soccer League teams Professional Arena Soccer League teams 2013 establishments in California Association football clubs established in 2013 Indoor soccer clubs in the United States Sports in Ontario, California Sports in San Bernardino County, California Sports in the Inland Empire Soccer clubs in California {{California-footyclub-stub