World Indoor Soccer League
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| Sport | indoor soccer |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1998 |
| No. of teams | high of 7 |
| Country(ies) |  United States and  Mexico |
| Ceased | 2001 |
The World Indoor Soccer League (WISL) was a United States based indoor soccer league that existed from 1998 to 2001 and consisted of nine teams.
Contents |
[edit] History
After the demise of the Continental Indoor Soccer League, four of its teams decided to create a new indoor league to be called the Premier Soccer Alliance. The teams complemented their schedules with games against international teams. In 1999, two more former CISL teams (the Houston Hotshots and Monterrey La Raza) joined the league, which then changed its name to World Indoor Soccer League.
The name change came about as a result of the "merger" of the US-based Premier Soccer Alliance and an 'English Indoor Football League'. Originally, there was to be a European Division and a North American Division, with 'London United', 'Manchester Magic', 'Newcastle Geordies' and 'Sheffield Strikers' playing in a European division, but that idea was dropped due to rules conflicts between the existing leagues and lack of permission from The Football Association.
At one point in 2000, the World Indoor Soccer League attempted to be the first U.S. pro sports league to sell the sell naming rights of the league. It was looking to be something like "The Pepsi World Indoor Soccer League." Ultimately, this did not happen.[1]
The WISL folded in December 2001 when Dallas, St. Louis, and San Diego agreed to join the MISL.
[edit] Champions
[edit] Season by Season
| Season | Champion | Score / series | Runner-Up |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Dallas Sidekicks | 6 to 2 | Sacramento Knights |
| 1999 | Sacramento Knights | 7 to 6 | Dallas Sidekicks |
| 2000 | Monterrey La Raza | 6 to 5 (SO 3-1) | Dallas Sidekicks |
| 2001 | Dallas Sidekicks | 2-1 | San Diego Sockers |
[edit] By Team
| Team | Championships | Winning years |
|---|---|---|
| Dallas Sidekicks | 2 | 1998, 2001 |
| Sacramento Knights | 1 | 1999 |
| Monterrey La Raza | 1 | 2000 |
[edit] Annual awards
[edit] Most Valuable Player Award
1998- Tatu, Dallas
1999- David Doyle, Dallas
2000- Mariano Bollela, Monterrey
2001- Ato Leone, Sacramento
[edit] Goalkeeper Of The Year Award
1998- Dan Madsen, Sacramento
1999- Brett Phillips, Portland
2000- Sagu (Edilson Xavier), Dallas
2001- Sagu (Edilson Xavier), Dallas
[edit] Coach Of The Year Award
1998 - Tatu, Dallas
2000 - Jeff Betts, Utah
[edit] Rookie Of Year Award
2000 - Clint Regier, Houston
[edit] Defender Of The Year Award
1998- Rusty Troy, Dallas
1999- Iain Fraser, Sacramento
2000- Rob Baarts, Utah
2001- Iain Fraser, Sacramento
[edit] Presidents
Gordon Jago 1998-2001
[edit] Teams
[edit] References
- ^ Cawley, Rusty (2000-05-12). "Soccer league to sell naming rights". Dallas Business Journal. http://www.bizjournals.com/dallas/stories/2000/05/15/story3.html?cat=1&id=5075. Retrieved 2008-07-26.
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