 | |
| Founded | 1989 |
|---|---|
| First season | 1993 |
| Folded | 1997 |
| Country |  United States  Mexico |
| Number of teams | 15 |
| Last champions | Seattle SeaDogs |
| Most championships | Monterrey La Raza (2 titles) |
| TV partners | Prime Network FSN Southwest |
The Continental Indoor Soccer League (CISL) was a professional indoor soccer league that played from 1993 to 1997.
In the summer of 1989 Dr Jerry Buss, the owner of the Los Angeles Lakers and California Sports, told his executive Vice President, Ron Weinstein, he was closing the doors on the Los Angeles Lazers of the Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL) and that if he ever wanted to "create a professional indoor soccer league that played in the summer months, out from under the shadow of the NBA, NFL, NHL, NCAA Football and NCAA Basketball", he would support the endeavor. [1] One year later, in late 1990, Ron Weinstein incorporated the Continental Indoor Soccer League with his business partner Jorge Ragde. They drafted all the necessary franchise documents to bring the league into fruition and create what was the first professional sports league to operate under the "single entity" formula in 1991. [2] Buss later took a leave of absence from the project and was temporarily replaced by Phoenix Suns owner, Jerry Colangelo, who joined as one of the inaugural members of the league. [3]
Colangelo and Weinstein took the lead role in working to attract NBA and NHL owners. Through Buss's and Colangelo's cooperative efforts they orchestrated two CISL meetings in conjunction with their own NBA Board of Governors meetings. The first was held in 1991 in Marina Del Rey and the second in New York City in 1992. CISL was launched with 7 teams committed to begin playing in the summer of 1993 with another eight contracted for 1994. [4]
Monterrey La Raza made the CISL the first US league to have a team from Mexico participating. In 1995, a second Mexican team entered the league, the Mexico City Toros. [5]
By the end of the 1995 season, the third year of the league, 50% of the teams were already profitable. In 1996, CISL signed a three-year agreement with FOX Sports to televise a game of the week nationally in prime time. That same year, the Indiana Twisters became the next expansion franchise admitted to the league.
In the fall of 1997, the surprising demise of the league took place primarily due to differences of direction between the NBA/NHL owners and three of the leagues non NBA/NHL teams: Dallas, Portland and Houston. They collaborated in an effort to leave the CISL and form their own league, The Premier Soccer Alliance. It is the opinion of many executives within the sports world, that indoor Soccer has never again reached the pinnacle of the CISL since operations formally ceased in the winter of 1998. [6]
The Continental Indoor Soccer League Championship Trophy was titled the "Lawrence Trophy" named in honor of the commissioner and founder's father, Lawrence Albert Weinstein.
| Season | Champion | Series | Runner-Up |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Dallas Sidekicks | 2–1 | San Diego Sockers |
| 1994 | Las Vegas Dustdevils | 2–1 | Dallas Sidekicks |
| 1995 | Monterrey La Raza | 2–1 | Sacramento Knights |
| 1996 | Monterrey La Raza | 2–0 | Houston Hotshots |
| 1997 | Seattle SeaDogs | 2–0 | Houston Hotshots |
| Team | Championships | Runner Up | Champions | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monterrey La Raza | 2 | 0 | 1995, 1996 | |
| Dallas Sidekicks | 1 | 1 | 1993 | 1994 |
| Las Vegas Dustdevils | 1 | 0 | 1994 | |
| Seattle SeaDogs | 1 | 0 | 1997 | |
| Houston Hotshots | 0 | 2 | 1996, 1997 | |
| Sacramento Knights | 0 | 1 | 1995 | |
| San Diego Sockers | 0 | 1 | 1993 |
The World Indoor Soccer League (WISL) was a United States–based indoor soccer league that operated from 1998 to 2001 and consisted of nine teams.
The Dallas Sidekicks were one of the longest operating professional soccer teams, either indoor or outdoor, in the United States, based in Dallas, Texas, and operating from 1984 until suspending operations following the 2003–04 season. The team was founded as a member of the original Major Indoor Soccer League. Over the years, the team played in four other leagues. The team's most famous player was Tatu, who was known for throwing his shirt into the stands after every goal. The team hosted the 1989 MISL All-Star Game. The team was one of the most successful franchises in indoor soccer history, making the playoffs in 16 of their 19 seasons of play. In the playoffs, the team made it to the championship game/series eight times, winning four titles.
The Anaheim Splash was a U.S. indoor soccer team that played in the Continental Indoor Soccer League (CISL). It was founded in 1992 as the Los Angeles United, but was sold after the season. The new ownership moved the team to Anaheim, California and renamed it the Anaheim Splash. The team folded in 1997, along with the CISL.
Antonio Carlos Pecorari, commonly known as Tatu, is a Brazilian football coach and former player, and one of the most accomplished indoor football players of all time. He is currently the head coach of the Texas Outlaws, formerly the Mesquite Outlaws, in the Major Arena Soccer League. His nickname means "armadillo" in Portuguese.
Ralph Black is a Scottish-American retired soccer defender who spent most of his career in indoor soccer.
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Danny Pena is a retired U.S. soccer defensive midfielder. He spent most of his career, both indoors and outdoors, with teams in the western U.S.
The Seattle SeaDogs were an indoor soccer team based in Seattle, Washington, United States. They played in the Continental Indoor Soccer League (CISL) from 1995 to 1997 with home games at Mercer Arena and KeyArena. The team were owned by the Ackerley Group, who also operated the Seattle SuperSonics, and were announced in 1993 amid a wave of new professional soccer teams in the Seattle metropolitan area.
Michael Collins is an American former professional soccer player who played as a midfielder. Collins played for at least twelve teams in nearly half a dozen leagues over his seventeen-year career. He also earned two caps with the United States national team in 1988. Collins currently serves as president and general manager of California United Strikers FC.
The original Monterrey La Raza was a professional indoor soccer team based in Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico. The team was founded on December 29, 1992, as a member of the Continental Indoor Soccer League. After the CISL folded, the La Raza took one season off and attempted to join the National Professional Soccer League before joining the World Indoor Soccer League in 1999. The team folded after it was expelled from the WISL before the 2001 season due to the lack of progress on building Arena Monterrey.
Mirko Castillo was a Peruvian soccer forward who spent his entire professional career in the United States. He played two seasons in the American Soccer League, tying Ricardo Alonso as the 1990 league leading scorer. He then played two seasons in the American Professional Soccer League and over a dozen years playing in five indoor leagues.
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Terry Woodberry, also spelled as Terry Woodbury, is a former English-American football (soccer) midfielder who spent his entire career playing indoor soccer in the United States. He was also a member of the U.S. Futsal team which took second place at the 1992 FIFA Futsal World Cup.
Rene Ortiz is an American former soccer player. He spent most of his playing career in indoor soccer with two seasons in the Western Soccer Alliance and one season in Major League Soccer. He currently coaches the Mexican national arena soccer team and the Hilltop High School soccer teams.
Juan de la O is a Mexican indoor soccer goalkeeper who played in several U.S. indoor leagues. He was the 1997 Continental Indoor Soccer League Goalkeeper of the Year.
Erich Geyer is a German former football (soccer) defender who spent most of his career in the North American Soccer League and Major Indoor Soccer League. Following his retirement from playing, he coached for over twenty years.
Nicholas Stavrou is an English football midfielder and coach, who played thirteen years of professional indoor soccer with the Dallas Sidekicks. He currently serves as head coach of Fort Worth Vaqueros FC in the National Premier Soccer League and as the assistant coach for the Mesquite Outlaws of the Major Arena Soccer League.
The 2012–13 Dallas Sidekicks season was the first season of the new Dallas Sidekicks professional indoor soccer club. The Sidekicks, a Central Division team in the Professional Arena Soccer League, played their home games in the Allen Event Center in Allen, Texas. The team was led by general manager and head coach Tatu with assistant coaches Mike Powers and Caesar Cervin.
Colin Rocke is a retired Trinidad-American association football forward who played professionally in the Continental Indoor Soccer League and USISL A-League.
John Olu-Molomo is a retired American soccer defender who played professionally in the Continental Indoor Soccer League and National Professional Soccer League.