Major Indoor Soccer League (2008–)
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| Countries |  United States |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2008 |
| Number of teams | 7 |
| Current champions | Milwaukee Wave |
| Most championships | Baltimore Blast, Milwaukee Wave, & Monterrey La Raza (1 each) |
| Website | http://misl.uslsoccer.com |
 2011-12 season |
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The Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL), formerly known as the National Indoor Soccer League, is an indoor soccer league which began play in 2008.[1][2] It is the third league to be known as the Major Indoor Soccer League. Originally, five teams had been announced to play in the inaugural season; four who were in the previous Major Indoor Soccer League and one formerly in the American Indoor Soccer League.[3][4] However, the Orlando Sharks (formerly of the MISL) were forced to go inactive because of scheduling conflicts with Amway Arena. Later, the Massachusetts Twisters were brought in from the AISL to take the Sharks' place. The MISL is the top-tier indoor soccer league in the USA.
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[edit] History
The NISL was one of three leagues that organized in late 2008 after the demise of the second MISL; the other two being the PASL-Pro (an offshoot of the Premier Arena Soccer League) and the Xtreme Soccer League. The NISL and the XSL were more closely related, with both leagues first announcing four former MISL teams respectively and using the same game rules as the MISL.
In early July 2009, the XSL announced they were going on a one-year hiatus due to a lack of monetary backing which left the NISL as the highest indoor soccer league in the United States of America.
The NISL announced on July 13, 2009 that an all-star team of players from the Baltimore Blast, Rockford Rampage, and Philadelphia KiXX would play in a six-a-side outdoor exhibition match against an all-star team from Bermuda's Island Soccer League on July 19, 2009.[5]
The NISL was attempting to get numerous teams from the folded XSL to join for the 2009-2010 season, and succeeded in acquiring the Milwaukee Wave as a result.[6] However, the Massachusetts Twisters would not return for 2009-2010.[7] The only former NISL team still playing in the MISL today is the Baltimore Blast. The rest of the 2010-2011 season lineup would be made up of expansion teams, with the exception of the Wave.[8]
Shortly before the league launched its 2009-2010 season, the opportunity arose to purchase the rights to the "Major Indoor Soccer League" name; the league successfully acquired the rights and immediately rebranded itself as the newest MISL.[9]
On July 18, 2010, the MISL played another All-Star Game against Bermuda's Island Soccer League. The Wave's Hewerton Moriera had 3 goals and 2 assists and the Philadelphia KiXX's Richardino added 2 goals and 2 assists in the MISL All-Stars' 8-3 win.
It was announced on August 18th, 2010 that the MISL is expanding into Missouri (Kansas City) and Omaha starting with the 2010-11 season.
The league is looking to expand to former MISL/NPSL markets like St. Louis, Hartford, Harrisburg, Dallas, and Newark. The league is also looking to expand to newer markets like Boston, Tulsa, Minneapolis, Denver, and Raleigh.[10][11][12]
An update to the official MISL "about" web page on October 6, 2010 acknowledged that the league was composed of only five teams, with the Rockford Rampage and reigning champion Monterrey La Raza no longer active league members. On October 15, 2010, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported the exodus of the Philadelphia KiXX and the addition of a Chicago franchise.[13]
In May 2011, United Soccer Leagues announced it had entered into an agreement with the MISL to operate the indoor league beginning with the 2011-12 season.
On September 27, 2011, the MISL announced that the Chicago Kick failed to secure a suitable venue in time and would not play in the 2011-2012 season. The Kick will try to join the league for the 2012-2013 season.[14][15]
[edit] Commissioner
| Name | Years |
|---|---|
| David Grimaldi[16] | 2008-2011 |
| Chris Economides | 2011-present |
[edit] Teams
[edit] Active
| Team | City/Area | Arena | Joined | Head Coach |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern Division | ||||
| Baltimore Blast | Baltimore, Maryland | 1st Mariner Arena | 2008 | Danny Kelly |
| Norfolk SharX | Norfolk, Virginia | Norfolk Scope | 2010 |  Jon Hall[17] |
| Rochester Lancers | Rochester, New York | Blue Cross Arena | 2010 | Bill Andracki |
| Syracuse Silver Knights | Syracuse, New York | War Memorial at Oncenter | 2010 | Tommy Tanner |
| Central Division | ||||
| Milwaukee Wave | Milwaukee, Wisconsin | U.S. Cellular Arena | 2009 | Keith Tozer |
| Missouri Comets | Independence, Missouri (Kansas City area) | Independence Events Center | 2010 |  Kim Røntved |
| Wichita Wings | Park City, Kansas (Wichita area) | Hartman Arena | 2010 | LeBaron Hollimon |
[edit] Defunct
| Team | City/Area | Arena | Founded | Joined | Folded | Current Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago Riot | Chicago, Illinois | Odeum Expo Center | 2010 | 2010 | 2011 | Folded |
| Massachusetts Twisters | West Springfield, Massachusetts | The Big E Coliseum | 2003 | 2008 | 2009 | Folded |
| Monterrey La Raza[18] | Monterrey, Nuevo León | Monterrey Arena | 2007 | 2008 | 2010 | Folded |
| Orlando Sharks[19] 1 | Orlando, Florida | Amway Arena | 2007 | 2008 | 2008 | Folded |
| Omaha Vipers[20] | Omaha, Nebraska | Omaha Civic Auditorium | 2010 | 2010 | 2011 | Folded after joining the PASL-Pro |
| Philadelphia KiXX[21] | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Liacouras Center | 1995 | 2008 | 2010 | Folded |
| Rockford Rampage[22] | Rockford, Illinois | Rockford MetroCentre | 2005 | 2008 | 2010 | Folded |
- Never played a NISL/MISL game
[edit] Expansion Teams
| Team | City/Area | Arena | Founded | Joining MISL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago Kick | Chicago, Illinois | TBA | 2011 | 2012-2013 |
[edit] Championships
| Season | Date | Champion | Score | Runner-Up | Host | Playoffs MVP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008-09 | 4/11/09 | Baltimore | 13-10 | Rockford | Baltimore | Sagu |
| 2009-10 | 4/04/10 | Monterrey | 12- 6 | Milwaukee | Milwaukee | Chile Farias |
| 2010-11 | 3/25/11 | Milwaukee | 16-7 | Baltimore | Baltimore | Marcel Feenstra |
[edit] Average attendance
| Year | Games | Total | Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008-09 | 41 | 170,696 | 4,163 |
| 2009-10 | 50 | 188,005 | 3,760 |
| 2010-11 | 50 | 199,123 | 3,982 |
| 2011-12 | 81 | 323,087 | 3,988 |
| Seasons | Games | Total | Average |
| 3 | 141 | 557,824 | 3,956 |
[edit] References
- ^ Orlando Business Journal, September 10, 2008. "Orlando Sharks join new indoor soccer league, will play 18-game schedule". Accessed 1 October 2008
- ^ Baker, Kent, 10 September 2008. The Baltimore Sun, "Blast joins downsized new league". Accessed 1 October 2008.
- ^ The Associated Press, 10 September 2008. "Blast owner announces new league". Accessed 1 October 2008.
- ^ Welsh, Sean. 10 September 2008. Baltimore Examiner, "A new league Blasts off: National Indoor Soccer League to house Blast, 4 others". Accessed 1 October 2008.
- ^ http://www.nislnet.com/news/?article_id=115
- ^ http://www.nislnet.com/schedule/results/
- ^ http://www.nislnet.com/nisl/about/
- ^ http://www.misl.net/misl/about/
- ^ "The new face of indoor soccer". MISL.net. 2 November, 2009. http://www.misl.net/news/?article_id=124. Retrieved 4 November, 2009.
- ^ [1]
- ^ [2]
- ^ [3]
- ^ http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/sports/105058354.html
- ^ Rochester Democrat and Chronicle "MISL drops Chicago team" Accessed 28 September 2011
- ^ http://misl.uslsoccer.com/home/567258.html
- ^ http://www.nislnet.com/nisl/directory/index.html?staff_id=1
- ^ http://misl.uslsoccer.com/home/567387.html
- ^ http://www.misl.net/misl/about/"[4]". Accessed 6 October 2010.
- ^ Ruiz, Stephen. 23 October 2008. Orlando Sentinel, "Orlando's indoor soccer team will skip this season, focus on returning in 2009". Accessed 31 October 2008.
- ^ http://www.pasl-pro.com/news/?article_id=237
- ^ Walker, Don. 15 October 2010. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel"", "Changes ahead for Wave, MISL". Accessed 15 October 1010.
- ^ http://www.misl.net/misl/about/"[5]". Accessed 6 October 2010.
[edit] External links
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