Major Indoor Soccer League Kicking Off Again

The National Indoor Soccer League announced today that the league has changed its name to the Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL). 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 Baltimore Blast hosting the Rockford Rampage in a rematch of the 2009 championship game.

"The National Indoor Soccer League (NISL) 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 from a branding perspective, 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 free substitution of players while play continues.

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, commencing on Friday, November 13 with a rematch of the 2009 Championship game when the Baltimore Blast host the Rockford Rampage.

The regular season will conclude on Sunday, March 21 and the postseason is set to start the following weekend with the top three teams qualifying.

The second-and third-place teams will square-off in a home-and-home Semifinal series with the winner advancing to battle the top seed. The top seed will receive a bye in the opening round and will host the Championship Game.

The previous story is excerpted from a press release by the Major Indoor Soccer League and Resolution Sports. Todd Civin is a freelance writer for Bleacher Report , Sports, Then and Now , and Seamheads.  He is a supporter of the children’s book A Glove of Their Own. A Glove of Their Own is the award winning book which teaches pay it forward through sports. Please visit the site and purchase the book under today’s donor code, CVF 113 Covenant House as $3.00 from each sale will help this worthwhile charity.