Sockers sign defensive ace Emmanuel Aguire to five-year contract
Credit: San Diego Sockers
After last year’s wild offseason, the San Diego Sockers have slowed it down on the acquisitions front.
However, they did strike a move to sign a rising young star on the defensive side of the pitch as former Rio Grande Valley Barracuda Emmanuel Aguire signed a five-year contract with the Sockers. The deal will keep Aguirre a Socker through the 2023-2024 season.
Born and raised in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, Aguire is a product of the Liga MX academy and played for Club Atlas F.C. until he was 19-years-old.
After that, he rose to the second premier division and partook in international tournaments in Holland, Germany, and Italy. He eventually rose to the Liga MX First Division for Toluca Premier.
After his time in Mexico, the 25-year-old defender made his MASL debut last year with the Barracudas and, alongside new teammates Kraig Chiles and Luis Ortega, earned himself All-MASL Honorable Mention for the season he had. A durable defender, Aguirre started all 24 regular-season games as well as two playoff games against the Monterrey Flash. While he only scored eight total points in the season (five goals and three assists), he led the MASL with 41 blocked shots on defense.
While it has been a slow offseason for the Sockers, they will still return a majority of their playoff squad from last year. Defenders Cesar Cerda and Guerrero Pino, who earned 2nd Team All-MASL and 3rd Team All-MASL honors respectively, will return to anchor the defense while Raymundo Contreras remains the defensive captain.
With the expected rise of Ismael Rojo from the Sockers 2 and (essentially the developmental team for the Sockers) the addition of Aguirre, this move makes the Sockers younger, faster, and stronger on the defensive side of the field.
I am currently attending San Diego State University while working on achieving a major in journalism. At SDSU, I write for The Daily Aztec while also hosting the sports radio show “Picked Off”, for KCR Radio. A loyal fan of San Diego sports, I hope to bring content that you will enjoy reading.