It is interesting that we haven't heard one thing from Atletico Baja's potential move within Mexico. Oh, by the way, their website has been down since 8/11/2017.
Don't know if anyone has mentioned it but its seems the Colorado Blizzard are moving from Colorado Springs to Denver to play at the Coliseum (8000 or so seats, but an old arena) and play in MASL. Does this even up divisions? https://www.eventbrite.com/e/colorado-blizzard-major-arena-soccer-league-tryouts-tickets-37770219744
Other teams have stated they were joining the masl in the past, so I will believe it when I see them actually play in November. They say they are playing 6 home games in Denver Col., what about the other 4 home games (22 game season). Kind of like what Toronto is doing, which is taking this year off and preparing to enter the league possibly next year. Hopefully Colorado will field a competitive team and have some success.Thanks for the article, very interesting. Also can't believe we have not had any news on any veteran player signings for St. Louis. Kansas City has been shaky in the off season and now we are hearing the Sidekicks are gone. There are some very good vets on both these teams. Tacoma just signed 3 talented players from KC. There must be a reason no players are signing with the Ambush, possibly low salary offers. It's a shame because St. Louis has one of the better fan bases in the league and has the potential to draw many more fans with a winning/competitive team. I feel sorry for SteveCo and the rest of the Ambush's fans Not sure if this has been posted, but some positive news for KC from 9/11/17. https://www.thebluetestament.com/20...as-city-comets-are-returning-for-2017-18-masl
Rochester is definitely out BCA , SMG Management, City of Rochester never got back to them with a lease agreement or better dates. Dallas folding will be announced on Monday, Comets cant play or sign players until the $118,000 in season ticket holder funds are returned to the Comets.
I don't expect the Ambush to win more than a few games this year. They will slightly improve their talent and on-field performance due to Hewerton being a much better coach than our prior coaches, but it will be a factory of sadness in Saint Louis once again in the MASL. The ownership group are very nice people but they have not matched words with actions (the owners talked about 'new directions' and building a winner for months now). If the owners copied what Delmont did with Harrisburg last season and built a veteran team that contended for the playoffs, we could easily average 4,000+ a game. As it is, we will be lucky to average half that number. Hiring Hewerton Moreira as head coach gave us a momentary feeling of hope, but his interview with a local radio show indicated that he was relying a lot on 'open tryouts' to staff the team. *Sigh* The frustration for fans is that I have heard from several of my contacts who regularly talk to MASL players that veteran players WANT to come to Saint Louis. The soccer coaching and private training market is really hot in Saint Louis, lots of opportunities to plug in to various soccer academies and youth clubs and get paid to coach. But the Ambush are likely offering peanuts to play, and don't seem to be putting a talented team together. What veteran player wants to sign somewhere and go 4-18 (or worse)? I am more of a Rampage and Wave fan at this point. I have lost most of my 'fan connection' with Saint Louis, until more winning happens. Waiting 4 years for 'next year' has worn us down. I reflect on what it must be like to be a Cleveland Browns fan - how sad they have been for so long. The difference is that indoor soccer teams like the Ambush that keep piling up losses don't tend to survive (surprised we are still even around right now).
My first thought when I saw that the three Comets players had signed with Tacoma was 'why didn't the Ambush sign these guys?' Saint Louis is 4 hours down the road. I was disappointed that we didn't sign Taylor Bond, though Bond was pretty smart to join a Rampage team that is getting better every day. Clearly, the Ambush ownership is not attracting veteran free agents, not even Comets players, even after hiring an actual professional indoor soccer coach in Hewerton. It also makes us wonder how competitive the Comets will be this coming season - are more guys leaving? I would not be surprised to see a few more of the Comets better players suiting up for the Rampage and Wave this year. I am glad the Comets are coming back but you can't win consistently without veteran talent.
That's exactly what I was thinking, STL 4hrs away from KC and STL signing none of their players. I will completely baffled if no vets sign by November. Surprised Hewerton would even come to STL if they weren't willing to sign some experienced talent. STL would be much improved if they would add former Dalllas players Brown and/or Lovegrove, and one or two of KC players like Gibson, Assandpour, Sosa, Stokic Rodriquez,Perez, or Harris. Even signing two experienced players would be better than none. Can't blame you at all for now following the Wave and the Rampage. MKE has a great history of winning indoors teams, but who would of thought Cedar Rapids having better talent than STL and STL not even trying. Look at expansion FLA last year, great season and was put together rather quick!
I still expect at least one Comet, and even a couple Mustangs, to sign with the Ambush. Hewerton was late in signing a number of our" Old Milwaukee Lite" team last year as I recall. St. Louis is a great market. I am hoping to come down for an Ambush and Blues weekend if it works out on the schedule this year.
The movement of the calendar and Hewerton are the two factors working in favor for the Ambush. Some veteran players who want to be in the league may eventually accept less pay as the season gets closer (or even after the season starts). I don't think any decent veteran players wanted to play for previous coach (and still part-owner) Tony Glavin, but guys would be willing to play for Hewerton. We need a Harrisburg-style roster flush, with veterans signed as replacements, but won't get it . I would not be surprised either, to see the Ambush sign several veteran guys. It won't be enough to make the team capable of winning half its games and competing for the playoffs. Maybe Hewerton has a master plan and the team will sign 10 experienced guys next week, but from what I have seen and heard from my conversations with various people in/around the Ambush and local sources, my expectations are fairly low (maybe 4 to 6 wins) for the upcoming season. If they prove me wrong by winning a lot, I will be thrilled, but not holding my breath.
That Denver Coliseum is nicknamed the Colosseum in hockey circles as it is pretty old. Its a ways out of town and to my knowledge the last pro team there was the Denver Cutthroats in the penultimate season of the CHL It was in need of some serious upgrades in 1987 when I was there with the IHL Denver Rangers. And..........Thats putting it politely.
Worrying about the division makeup seems to be way down the list of concerns about now, doesn't it? Dallas goes, Chicago goes, Rochester doesn't come in, Kansas City will get by with a little help from their friends and St. Louis will be bad again. (What phase are we in now? Phase IV? I have lost track.) Oh, but Monterrey is back. And RGV. And Baltimore is playing on a college campus. Yay.
Here's the 2017-2018 MASL information you have been waiting for... http://www.maslsoccer.com/news/masl-announces-conference-and-division-alignments-
Letter from the MASL Commissioner: http://www.maslsoccer.com/news/from-the-desk-of-commmissioner-schaub
The MASL2 concept could work out, as long as most the games are local/regional travel with limited long distance road trips. There are plenty of amateur indoor soccer teams in Chicago or St. Louis (if the Ambush ever demote down to the 2nd league), for example, to fill out a mostly local game schedule with a couple road trips mixed in. I wouldn't be surprised to see more growth of MASL2 over time, with the 'top league' contracting somewhat. Financially surviving in 4000+ seat arenas is not easy. Maybe it could be a place where a team can 'reorganize' to return later to the regular MASL but I think that will be less common. Honestly, if a team is unwilling or unable over time to hire enough real professional players to be competitive in the 'top' MASL, they belong in MASL2. The top league would be better off without teams that go 2-20 every year.
Honestly MASL should announce that they will be the first national American soccer league to institute promotion/relegation, even if it is just one franchise swap at a time and even if it is a voluntary/financial reasoned drop. The amount of free publicity and press in soccer circles would be really good for the sport in a marketing sense. The incessant pro/rel fanboys would pop chubbies and probably start attending just to show support for the decision. Might be just a small group of hardcore outdoor fans, but the league needs them anyways. EDIT: I know that one argument against this is that it may be hard to find investors for new franchises if they drop, but let's face it, the relegated team will most likely be one that opts for relegation at this point. Even if not, it ensures the quality of play will have some enforcement.
I agree, most of the MASL 'relegation' will be voluntary/financial based. The issue that could arise with official promotion/relegation is that the MASL2 team that achieves enough to promote upward is not financially ready or willing at that time to meet the requirements of the 'top' MASL. Maybe the team is doing well in an 800-1000 seat rec center and wants to continue in the 2nd level league. Why force them upwards? Teams in MASL2 that attract enough investors will take the leap and move up when they are ready (such as Tacoma did successfully). The MASL isn't providing revenues to any teams, unlike the top professional leagues in Europe, so relegation and promotions for MASL will likely be based on the individual team's financial/owner support. If managed correctly, MASL2 can keep at least a lower level of pro indoor soccer active in desirable markets. It could be more attractive to potential owners to take over an existing team in MASL2; if they decide to move up to the regular MASL, it is easier than building a team and fan base from scratch. Or an owner could run the team at the 2nd level for a while and move up later if more sponsors and investors step forward. An existing MASL team could even own an MASL2 team as a development squad. I don't know if that is allowed but it should be.
Nah, let 'em. Good luck. This sport could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot someone and not get noticed. The prawns would not say, "Oh, I don't care for indoor soccer, but now that the Chicago Mustangs could win MASL2 and get promoted back to the level they could not afford before, I am all over it."
"Prawns" as in potential owners? Hey, why doesn't the league contact that GolTV owner who offered $2 Billion for the TV rights to MLS if they put pro/rel in place and say they can have MASL broadcast rights for like 1/100,000th that and the league will institute pro/rel for them.
Don't see Colorado Blizzard in the MASL alignment, I guess they will be in MASL2? Glad to see Chicago is moving to MASL2, hopefully they stay there for good. They are much more suited for a 500-1000 facility, not the Sears Centre. Chicago just doesn't draw more than a 1000 for indoor soccer, I'm guessing just too much competition there from other sports NHL,NFL,NBA, etc. Turlock, in my opinion, should be in MASL2 also. Anyone have any ideas what teams may be in MASL2. The Commish is saying 8 to 12 teams. I read Cincinnati, Houston, Chicago and I'm guessing possibly Colorado, Detroit, Georgia, and Baja. Next season, would not mind seeing a watered down version (more of the backups,2nd,3rd, and 4th string) of the MASL1 teams play one or two away games VS MASL2 teams.
No. Pro Rel Advocates With No Sense. a) It was $4B. b) It was a grandstanding play and not at all serious, because MLS cannot even entertain such offers, by contract, until 2021. c) MASL broadcast "rights" are worth nothing because the potential audience is super-small. Whatever this MASL2 is or is supposed to be, its teams (whoever they are) would be unlikely to be able to afford playing even at the MASL level (which is why, HELLO, they're at the MASL2 level, whatever that is). If you promote the MASL2 champion to the MASL, well, good luck. No one cares. Indoor soccer has not been a serious sporting competition in many years.