Major Award Winners, First and Second Team All MASL 2 picks announced

DES MOINES, Iowa -- Major Arena Soccer League 2 commissioner Chris Economides honored the major award winners and First and Second team All Star picks this afternoon at SIG Sportsplex in Des Moines prior to the start of the 2025-26 playoffs.

Award winners were selected by league officials and select team representatives from each of the league's three divisions. The winners are listed below.

MVP -- THIAGO FREITAS, HARRISBURG HEAT

 A long time standout in the sport, Freitas has terrorized defenses, especially as a playmaker, for many years in both the MASL and MASL 2. In 79 career regular season MASL games, mostly with the Heat, he has 44 goals and 67 assists for 111 points. This year, he was the top scorer overall in the league by a wide margin, and second in goals along with first in assists as well. He played three seasons in MASL 2 for the Iowa Demon Hawks, appearing in 30 total games with 44 goals and 74 assists.

DEFENDER OF THE YEAR -- ELIZANDRO CARDOSO, UNITED ELITE KRAJISNIK

Cardoza has been a standout at both ends of the floor, scoring 11 goals and adding eight assists in h is first season of MASL play. During his club's push to the playoffs, he had 10 point in United Elite's final four games. 

COACH OF THE YEAR -- GENONI MARTINEZ, MEXICO CITY

Martinez, who has reached almost unparalleled success on the field and as a coach. A player for more than two decades, he suited up for many clubs between 1994 and 2016 – including a MASL championship in 2015-16 as a player/coach for the Monterrey Flash. He has also played for the Cleveland Force, Wichita Wings and St. Louis Steamers among other teams, appearing in  a remarkable 599 career regular season and playoff games with 528 goals and 495 assists. He spent a total of eight years playing for the Monterrey clubs and also won a MASL championship in 2023-24 as the coach of the Chihuahua Savage. Martinez, at age 51, also suited up for one game for Mexico City this past season.

GOALKEEPER OF THE YEAR -- DIEGO REYNOSO, MEXICO CITY

He is second on the list of all time winning goaltenders in the MASL with 117 career victories, and has split time with Valdavinos in goal. He started in 2014-15 in the MASL with the Monterrey Flash, and has also played for Sonora and Chihuahua as well. He has a career GAA of 4.86 and an even .700 saves percentage. He was the leagues rookie of the year in 2024-15 when he won a title with Monterrey, which went to the league finals in four straight seasons from 2014-2018. He had a 4.46 GAA last year for the Chihuahua Savage in leading them to a MASL title last spring as well.

FIRST TEAM ALL STARS

JEANDERSON PEREIRA, IOWA DEMON HAWKS

Pereira has been one of the top forwards in the sport the last two years,  A longtime standout outdoor soccer professional in his native Brazil, and even for a season with the MLS Portland Timbers, Pereira quickly adapted to the indoor game in 2024-25, recording 41 goals and 23 assists to earn All First Team MASL 2 honors. This season, he scored 25 goals which was tops in the league. He also recorded 12 assists for 37 points overall, second best in MASL 2 in 2025-26. 

JESUS PENALVER, OKC CERTIFIED LIONS

 Has had an excellent season with 21 goals in nine games. Had 19 goals in seven games last year as a member of the MASL 2 champion Chihuahua Savage 2.  In his two years in league play,  he has appeared in 16 games with 40 goals and 11 assists. Had three goals and one assist in last year's playoffs, including a goal in the Savage's title game win over the Demon Hawks. Had a five-game stretch early in the 2025-26 season where he had at least three goals in each game.

FRANCESCO PAGANO, UNITED ELITE KRAJISNIK

 One of about a half-dozen players who also suited up for the Utica City FC in the MASL. He appeared in 11 games for “The City” scoring four goals and adding three assists. He only dressed for time for United Elite, but what a difference maker he was when he was suiting up, scoring 18 goals and adding six assists. Pagano is a home grown talent, graduating  from Fayetteville-Manlius High School where he was a two-time United Soccer Coaches All-American, two-time First Team All-State selection, two-time All-Region honoree, and CNY Player of the Year in 2019, He was also named the 2020 New York State Gatorade Player of the Year after tallying 45 goals and 17 assists during his time with the FM boys varsity soccer team. Pagano played at Syracuse University and for the Orange, appeared in 35 games over two seasons. He also played collegiately at Coastal Carolina and LeMoyne.

DEVAN DIGRADO, MINNESOTA BLIZZARD

The Blizzard had an impressive finish to their second season in MASL 2, and DiGrado had plenty to do with that. A local talent, he was the club's leading scorer with 16 goals and 24 points. His 24 points were tied for fifth best in the league in 2025-26. Last year, he 24 goals and 15 assists. He is a native of Prior Lake, Minnesota, and played his college soccer at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota.

ALVARO LUEVANO, OKC CERTIFIED LIONS

Playmakers are often overlooked, and Luevano is one of the best in the league, as he finished the year with 15, second only to league MVP Thiago Freitas. He also added five goals. He has previously played for Chihuahua and El Paso in MASL 2, and in 26 career MASL 2 games, has 33 goals and, impressively, 45 assists.

RAINER HAUSS, IOWA DEMON HAWKS

Has served as the team's primary backstop after a strong MASL career, which included backstopping the Florida Tropics to the 2021-22 MASL championship series against the San Diego Sockers. In five playoff games that spring, Hauss was spectacular, logging a 3.81 goals against average and saves percentage of .822, both elite level numbers … Was MASL 2 2023-24 Goalkeeper of the Year … Had a goal against average of just over three this MASL 2 season, best in the league, and was tops in saves percentage and tied for the league lead in wins with 11.

SECOND TEAM ALL STARS

ROLANDO ROJAS, IOWA RAPTORS

Rojas has played the game a very high level for a number of seasons, including 2025-26 when he scored 19 goals and had seven assists. Coming into the season, had played with both Chicago and Raptors in MASL 2 with 13 goals and four assists in 16 games. 

GUILLHERME LOPES, IOWA DEMON HAWKS

A native of Brazil, he has helped pick up the scoring slack for the Hawks with the loss of some of their past high flying stars, scoring 13 goals and adding 10 assists. He hits the playoffs with a streak of six straight games with at least two points in each, including a four-goal performance against the Iowa Raptors on March 21, and three-point games (two goals and one assist) in each of his team's final two regular season starts.

VCMOR ELIGWE, TEXAS SPURS

There are few more pure, physical target forwards in the game than Eligwe, who has a long history in the MASL and now MASL 2. HIS MASL career spanned 144 regular season games where he scored 100 goals and added 43 assists. This year with Texas, who was one of the most improved teams in the second half, he had 11 goals and six assists in just seven starts. 

LUIS BRAMBILA, TURLOCK CAL EXPRESS

Turlock is a long-time MASL 2 staple, and is always a tough out thanks to players like Brambila, who had 12 goals and eight assists in 2025-26, which was tied for 10th best in the league this year in total points. In parts of three seasons with Turlock, Brambila has appeared in 20 games and scored 20 goals with nine assists. Had his best night of the year in mid-February with four goals and three assists in an 11-6 home win over Guadalajara. 

BRYAN MENDOZA, MEXICO CITY

Mendoza was the leading goal scorer on a team that won 11 games, scoring 11 goals and adding eight assists in just eight games played.  He saved most of his big performances against their chief in country rivals, scoring four goals in a March 20 win over Guadalajara and three goals February 15 against Soles De Sonora. 

HUGO SILVA, HARRISBURG HEAT

Silva has been one of the top netminder in MASL soccer for many years, and serves as the player/coach for the Heat. In 100 regular season MASL games, primarily with the Florida Tropics as well as with Harrisburg, he has played in 122 regular season games with 58 wins and goals against of 5.77 and a career saves percentage of .697.  This year, he was in goal for 11 of Harrisburg's 12 victories, and for good measure scored a goal and had four assists.