That site has been up for about 4 years now. They keep moving back the start date, although I think they're pretty committed to beginning play in August 2004. It apparently is another attempt to revive summer indoor soccer in smaller markets. I'm assuming the ASL is shooting for minor league status, like the EISL of 1997 and 1998. C. Richard Melvin's name appears on the site. If memory serves, he was an owner of the American Soccer League's New Jersey Americans in 1977 or so. I hope they get off the ground. More soccer is always better than less. Now if only the Pro Futsal League would start up again...
Greeeeeeeeeat! All we need is another crap soccer league full of crap players passing off as pro. Dont these morons realize working together is better than working apart? Guess not there have only been 10 soccer league like this the last 10 years
We need a pro futsal league. That game works wonders on your technical skill. All these hockey/lacross leagues trying to pass off as soccer. These guys are terrible. I wonder what they get paid ?
No, MISL is indoor soccer. Futsal is a sport that definitely needs to be in the american market and we need to get rid of these other sorry indoor leagues. Pro futsal should be something that the USL looks into if they wanted to revive the I-League.
I think the major difference between Futsal and American indoor is that there are touch lines in Futsal. So you can't just bang the ball off the boards so your teamate can get the rebound. You have to concentrate on short, properly weighted passes. It's more like outdoor soccer on a smaller field.
But,also, doesn't futsal use basketball courts as opposed to MISL or similar? Wouldn't this be an advantage for futsal in spreading in popularity in the U.S.?
The Professional Futsal League won't be starting back up. At least not anytime soon. Several of us are looking at Regional Amateur Leagues as an alternative until an I-League type structure can exist. There is another group that has taken our concept and is giving it a shot. Their website is http://www.profutsalleague.com/ From the looks of their website and lack of updates, I believe they are having even less success than we did. Would love to see futsal make more progress in the US
OK, i have no idea what the difference is between futsal and indoor. I went to a few washington warthogs games when they were around. Can someone give me a breif description of how futsal is different?
Here's a quick rundown of the differences between futsal and the US version of indoor: Futsal is five-a-side, whereas indoor is six-a-side. Indoor soccer is played on a hockey rink (or hockey rink-sized area) covered with artificial turf, and the dasher boards still in place. Futsal is played on a court whose size is between that of a regulation basketball court and a handball court (team handball, that is). Indoor soccer uses the boards as ice hockey does, whereas there are no walls in futsal. Indoor soccer uses a regulation, usually size 5 soccer ball, whereas futsal uses a special, low-bounce ball which is just a tad smaller than a size 4 (used to be about a size 2-3, until FIFA changed it--just FYI). Indoor soccer goals are built into the boards (or, rather, fit into the boards), and are anywhere from 6'6" x 12' (MISL 1) to 8' x 14' (MISL 2). Futsal goals are free-standing, and measure 2m x 3m (roughly 6'6" (6'7" to be exact) x 10' (9'10"). That's more or less hitting the high points.
This site has been up for awhile. I think almost two years. They keep saying they will start some time during the next year. The site now lists Aug. 2005 as the launch of the league. It's like a lot of the software that some start ups tried to sell during the bubble, pure vapor ware. In spite of the merits of playing futsal to improve skill. I don't think that a pro league is very viable in this country. But then again who thought there would 2 arean football leagues and ton of minor league hockey leagues. I'm all in favor of a pro bocce league.
I've never played futsal but have seen it on TV and it gets awfully boring fast with its repetitiveness. It's almost as bad as watching volleyball. Watching a bit of indoor on FSW last season, it seemed to have quite a bit of action, but it was almost more spectacle than sport. It attracts a family crowd but they're not really outdoor soccer fans. They're probably the same people who go to arena football or indoor lacrosse games. It's fun and it's cheap so people go. I have played a bit of indoor soccer and it's a fun game. The ball stays in play all the time so there's a lot of action and everybody gets a lot fo touches. It's a great game for places where you can't play outdoors in the cold of winter or the heat of summer. I don't give a rat's ass that FIFA has approved futsal as their "official" indoor game. My guess is that futsal will slowly gain a few more players in the US. Indoor will still limp along as a niche spectator sport but will continue its explosive growth for the recreational leagues.
Indoor soccer is far more watchable than futsal or its outdoor counterpart. Both futsal and outdoor make for lousy tv. Neither one will ever be major sports in the US. The MLS is still getting lousy ratings on TV and always will because most Americans are not enthralled with a sport where there is very little scoring and a lot of the greatest plays don't result in anything on the score board. 1-0 scores and pointless passes and clears just don't fiore up most sports fans. Only indoor soccer works for tv and provides the action that might be appealing to both soccer and sports fans in general. The MISL has suffered from bad owners, not a bad product. At various times Cleveland, St. Louis, Milwaukee, Dallas, and other cities have demonstrated what indoor soccer can do if marketed properly. Outdoor soccer and futsal are just another reason to change the channel.
OK, someone has to help me out with the poll question at this site ... can Charleston win the first ASL championship? I'm really torn. Without seeing a roster, a coaching staff or even tangible proof of their existence, I can only assume that they have the depth to contend in the regular season but lack the star quality to win in the playoffs. OK, I'll take the bait. Outdoor soccer can be frustrating because you may have to wait a considerable amount of time to see a breathtaking display of skill that creates a wave of euphoria. In indoor soccer, that wait is an eternity.
Clearly, it's the coach's fault. And I don't know what the hell their GM has been thinking. The 15-year-old stud forward they tried didn't work, either.
Clearly this this was written by someone who never saw Zungle, Tatu, Marinaro, and Karic play the game in their prime. And keepers that like Vaccarro, Nogeuria, and Letteri. But, maybe you are the type that finds statistics like the number of cornerkicks taken exciting. When 2-0 or 3-1 might be considered a blowout, most Americans would rather SLEEP in front of their TVs with golf or tennis on the screen than turn on an MLS game!
I've seen Tatu and Marinaro, though I suppose not in their prime. (I do have a vague memory of them being on the "Prime" network at one time, though.) I covered the MISL finale this season. It was entertaining in stretches, and all but the last couple of goals came from very nice plays. But does any of that compare to seeing a live outdoor game? No. Indoor doesn't work all that well on TV, either, which is why you don't see networks lining up to throw cash at the MISL. Like hockey, it loses a lot in the transition because the camera can't keep up with everything. And sadly, it's not as good as hockey when you see it live. I give the indoor game its due. I'd challenge you to find anyone else in the national media who has written about it more than I have, and if Baltimore weren't such a difficult rush-hour drive from my house, I'd go more often. But it's just not the same as outdoor. There's no buildup. The crowd doesn't have a chance to anticipate that a goal might be coming. And it's clumsier, with the walls and the lack of space making it difficult to maintain possession. It's a nice winter game. But when the snow melts on the fields, take me outside.
ASL officials have always been out to keep Charleston from winning. And all the players from the as-yet-unnamed Georgia team are diving whiners. You're just jealous of Charleston's history of dominance.
Respectfully disagree. At least, it used to be better. I haven't seen an indoor game in years. Hopefully I will see about 36 of them this winter.
Well, these are your opinions, and I suppose they come from Cleveland, where there does appear to be little support for 'outdoor soccer.' Those of us who do enjoy it -- on tv and at the stadiums -- disagree, since our experience has been of another kind. To categorically state that soccer (which means the outdoor game, only the indoor needs the location modifier, since it is the offshoot of the tree) makes for lousy TV says more about you than about the game. You state that 'most Americans' don't watch soccer. The fact is a significant number do watch it, on tv and at the stadiums, and the changing demographics of the country suggest that the number will continue to grow. The rest of your tirade brings up the old saw of 'very little scoring' which is generally true, but not always true -- just as it is not always true that baseball is a high scoring game. As for the remark about pointless passes and clears, I'll agree with that, while arguing that the level of play in MLS has risen significantly; the passes are generally sharp and well-intentioned, and clears are what they should be, last ditch efforts to prevent a goal. You have your own agenda; no amount of arguing to the contrary will change your mind, nor will examples of fan enthusiasm in pubs and stadiums, nor statistics on rising viewership and overall attendance at games. But I can't sit back and let you speak for me; I am not among the throng you call 'most Americans,' most definitely I am not. In fact, I have yet to meet such a critter.