Tropics take quick jaunt west to meet Ontario Fury Wednesday night

LAKELAND, Fla. – After clinching first-place in the Eastern Division of the Major Arena Soccer League, the Florida Tropics will head to California for a game against the Ontario Fury Wednesday night, March 16.

Kickoff at Toyota Arena is at 10:05 EDT, with the game broadcast live on the  MASL YouTube channel.

The Tropics earned their division title on Sunday, defeating the Tacoma Stars 10-4. Later that day, the Harrisburg Heat defeated second-place Baltimore, meaning the Blast can no longer catch Florida for the top spot in the division.

The top three seeds in the playoffs are each of the division winners, meaning the Tropics would  have home-field advantage for at least the opening round of the post-season (with games around the league scheduled the second weekend of April), and perhaps the semi-finals as well should they secure the second seed. They are still battling San Diego for the top seed overall, with those two teams meeting in San Diego on March 31. 

The “Tropics Blitz” allows for free general admission tickets  as a way of providing a great evening of family entertainment for parents and kids who have had their activities curtailed because of the ongoing pandemic.

Victor Parreiras continues to lead the Tropics in scoring and is among the leaders in scoring in the entire MASL in his bid for league MVP honors. He is tied for second in the league in overall scoring with 41 points with 22 goals and 19 assists. A 12-game streak in which Parreiras scored at least one goal came to an end Sunday in the win against Tacoma. Zach Reget is tied for the team lead in goals with 22. 

Parreiras is tied with Ontario’s Franck Tayou who also has 41 points on 27 goals and 14 assists. 

The Tropics will be back at home Sunday, March 20, when they take on the Baltimore Blast, who are celebrating their 40th season of pro indoor soccer. Central Florida fans can get free tickets to the game.

Vehicles with two or more persons will pay $20 to park, and then be able to take their parking receipt to the RP Funding Center box office for the same number of free tickets to that day’s game as occupants in the vehicle. Single occupant vehicles will pay just $10 for parking. 

For more information, visit www.fltropics.com.