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MISL Returns November 3, 2009 – The National Indoor Soccer League has changed its name to the Major Indoor Soccer League. The league released its 2009-10 schedule in mid-October and will move forward as planned, under the new name. The season will open in Baltimore on November 13 with the Blast hosting the Rockford Rampage in a rematch of the 2009 Championship. “The National Indoor Soccer League name served our league and teams very well during our 2008-09 inaugural season,” said MISL Commissioner David Grimaldi. “Recently, the opportunity to acquire the Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL) name and trademarks presented itself and we seized it. While changing league names after one year is not something we would normally consider, we felt confident it would benefit our league and our sport. The MISL name and brand has tremendous historical significance, having been the name of the first professional indoor soccer league in North America. It is immediately recognizable in the worldwide soccer community and has terrific brand value. It pays tribute to our long heritage and was an opportunity we could not pass up.” The original MISL-style of professional indoor soccer was introduced in the United States in 1978 and is now in its third lifespan. Indoor soccer was developed to appeal to sports fans around the world. The fast-paced, fiercely competitive game is played on artificial turf on a hockey-rink-sized field surrounded by dasher boards and Plexiglas. MISL games feature multi-point scoring in which all goals scored are worth two points, except those goals scored on shot attempts from on or beyond the 45-foot arc surrounding the goal, which are worth three points. The indoor game is known for its creative dribbling, pinpoint passing, acrobatic goalkeeping, rugged defensive play, as well as action-packed power plays and substitutions “on the fly.” The MISL will consist of five member clubs in 2009-10: the Baltimore Blast, La RaZa de Monterrey, Philadelphia KiXX, Rockford Rampage and the Milwaukee Wave. The regular season will run for 18 weeks from Friday, November 13 through Sunday, March 21, with the postseason starting the following weekend involving the top three teams. The top seed will receive a bye in the opening round and will host the Championship Game.
For additional information on the Major Indoor Soccer League (www.MISL.net), contact Amy Keller at (410) 558-4294 or akeller@baltimoreblast.com.
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