With the resurgence of soccer in the Sacramento area due to the FIFA World Cup and the arrival of professional soccer clubs, former Sacramento State Hornets goalkeeper Cesar Castillo found a home with the Sacramento Surge; a team he practiced with last season.

The Surge is a professional indoor soccer team associated with the Major Arena Soccer League (MASL). They currently play in the Pacific Division and are entering their third season, as they formed in September of 2012 and made their arena debut in November the same year.

The 2014-15 season marks Castillo’s first year as an active member on the Surge roster. Despite their 0-4 record to start the season, Castillo believes this team is capable of bouncing back and winning some games. His ultimate goal for the team is to make it to the postseason.

“Going forward as a goalie and as a team in general, we would like to bring our goals-per-game average down, as of right now we’re averaging three goals a quarter which is not very good,” Castillo said. “As a goalie and as a team, [qualifying for the playoffs] I think that’s an objective we should all have in mind.”

This season, the Surge moved to a better facility, playing their home games at Jackson Sports Academy located at McClellan Park in Sacramento. The new arena will create an atmosphere that is better suited for the fans.

Chief Operating Officer and General Manager Ryan Hopping said the new indoor arena will draw larger crowds and is an upgrade from previous years; last season they played their home games at Estadio Azteca Soccer Arena.

“In the past, we played at indoor venues that are more geared towards recreational [sports],” Hopping said. “[With the new arena] we can have a larger audience, necessary dressing rooms for the players, more space to expand for our entertainment, and food service.”


Despite finishing last in the Pacific standings the past seasons, the team has great expectations moving forward with the 2014-15 regular season.

As the new head coach for the Surge, Mark Bickham would ideally like the team to finish with a .500 record or better.

“The team has struggled in the past, and I’m hoping to give some stability to the team,” Bickham said. “My goal this year is we’re trying to become a .500 team this year. Then, next year we’ll have higher expectations but right now we got a lot of young players and they’re just learning the handle of the game.”

Castillo explained the major differences between playing collegiate soccer versus playing for an indoor professional team. Key differences include boundaries and substitutions.

He said the boundaries are a lot different as there is a wall wrapped around the goal, which can make it difficult for the goalkeeper: a shot can go wide, get a solid bounce off the wall and come back to the goal. Also, substitutions play a key difference between collegiate and professional levels. When it comes to indoor soccer, rotating players is important.


“Indoor soccer is more technical has a more fast touch on the ball,” Castillo said. “In college, every 20-30 minutes you make a sub, in indoor you sub every minute, minute and a half. In order to have everyone stay sharp, we try to sub out as much as we can.”

The Surge changed coaches after the 2013-14 season. Hopping felt Bickham was the perfect candidate for the job. And bringing him on board as the new coach was a decision that they wanted and needed to get done, Hopping said.

“Bickham brings a sense of discipline and organization,” said Hopping. “The players are looking for a coach that’s going to be clear with them on their expectations, and he’s definitely proven that.”

The team’s next home game is on Dec. 13 at McClellan Park against the Las Vegas Legends.