The Major Indoor Soccer League , known in its final two seasons as the Major Soccer League, was an indoor soccer league in the United States that played matches from fall 1978 to spring 1992.
The MISL made inroads on national television in 1982–83. While the spring would see the end of the league's two-year deal with the USA Network, CBS would broadcast a playoff game live from Cleveland on May 7 that drew an estimated four million viewers. One game during the 1983–84 season was televised on CBS (Game 3 of the championship series [100] on June 2) as well.
1984–85 would be the final year the MISL would have games aired on network television, CBS broadcast Game 4 of the championship series live on May 25. [101]
For the 1985–86 season, there was a steady national TV contract for the first time since 1983, as ESPN would televise 15 regular-season games and assorted playoff games. [102]
Television network | Television announcers |
CBS [103] [104] [105] | Gary Bender, Kyle Rote Jr., Dick Stockton, John Tesh, and Al Trautwig [106] |
ESPN [107] [108] | JP Dellacamera, [109] [110] Ty Keough, Bob Kurtz, [111] Bob Ley, [112] Seamus Malin, Shep Messing, and Bob Carpenter [113] |
Hughes [114] [115] | Jim Karvellas and Kyle Rote Jr. |
Score [116] [117] [118] [119] [120] | JP Dellacamera and Ty Keough |
SportsChannel America [121] [122] [123] | JP Dellacamera [124] and Ty Keough [125] |
USA [126] [127] [128] [129] [130] [131] [132] | Al Trautwig [133] and Kyle Rote Jr. [134] [135] |
The Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL), known in its final two seasons as the Major Soccer League, was an indoor soccer league in the United States that played matches from fall 1978 to spring 1992.
The Milwaukee Wave is an American professional indoor soccer team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Founded in 1984, they have been the oldest continuously operating professional soccer team in the United States and are seven-time league champions, most recent being the 2018–19 champions of the Major Arena Soccer League.
The Cleveland Crunch are an American professional indoor soccer club located in Cleveland, Ohio competing as a charter member of the Major League Indoor Soccer (MLIS). The rebranded Crunch returned to indoor play as a member of the MASL 2 in March 2021.
The Wichita Wings were a professional indoor soccer franchise based in Wichita, Kansas. The Wings were admitted to the Major Indoor Soccer League as an expansion team on August 21, 1979. They played in the Kansas Coliseum, a venue that featured a 200-by-85-foot field and seating for 9,681 fans.
Alan Mayer is an American retired soccer goalkeeper. He played professionally in the North American Soccer League and Major Indoor Soccer League and earned six caps with the United States men's national soccer team.
Yilmaz Orhan is a former football forward who played professionally in the United States and England.
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.
Jose “Poli” Garcia is an American former soccer player. He spent at least four seasons in the American Soccer League, three in the North American Soccer League and four in the Major Indoor Soccer League. He was the 1979 American Soccer League MVP and earned two caps with the United States in 1975.
Carlos "Chile" Farias is a Chilean soccer forward who has spent his entire professional career in the United States. Over the years, he has played in five indoor and outdoor leagues, including Major League Soccer. He currently plays with the Ontario Fury in the Major Arena Soccer League. He also has a wife, Jacqueline, and two children, David and Favian.
Asghar Shadin "Cha Cha" Namdar is a retired Iranian-American soccer player who spent time in the Major Indoor Soccer League, North American Soccer League and Continental Indoor Soccer League.
Waad Hirmez is a retired Iraqi-American football (soccer) player who spent most of his professional career in the North American Soccer League and Major Indoor Soccer League.
The 1991–92 Major Soccer League season was the 14th and final season in league history and would end with the San Diego Sockers winning their tenth NASL or MISL title in 11 indoor seasons, and fifth MISL title in a row.
The 1988–89 Major Indoor Soccer League season was the eleventh in league history and would end with the San Diego Sockers repeating as MISL champions. It was the Sockers' seventh indoor title in eight NASL and MISL seasons. The Sockers would win seventh games in both the semifinals and championship series.
The 1982–83 Major Indoor Soccer League season was the fifth in league history and would end with the San Diego Sockers winning their first MISL title. It would be the Sockers' second straight indoor championship, as the club had won the North American Soccer League's indoor league the previous spring.
The 1983–84 Major Indoor Soccer League season was the sixth in league history and ended with the Baltimore Blast winning their first MISL championship. The Blast would beat the St. Louis Steamers in the championship series, the third time in five seasons the Steamers would lose in the MISL championship round. This would be the first time the MISL finals would be a best-of-seven series, part of the league's expanded playoff format.
The 1984–85 Major Indoor Soccer League season was the seventh in league history and ended with the San Diego Sockers winning their second MISL title in three seasons over the Baltimore Blast. It was the Sockers' fourth straight indoor title, as they had also won the North American Soccer League's indoor league in the spring of 1984.
The 1985–86 Major Indoor Soccer League season was the eighth in league history and ended with the San Diego Sockers winning their third MISL title in four seasons over the Minnesota Strikers. It was the Sockers' fifth straight indoor title, as they had also won the North American Soccer League's indoor league in 1982 and 1984.
The 1986–87 Major Indoor Soccer League season was the ninth in league history and ended with the Dallas Sidekicks winning their first MISL title over the Tacoma Stars.
North American Soccer League (NASL) was a professional soccer league with teams in the United States and Canada that operated from 1968 to 1984. Beginning in 1975, the league final was called the Soccer Bowl.
The Major Indoor Soccer League, known in its final two seasons as the Major Soccer League, was an indoor soccer league in the United States that played matches from fall 1978 to spring 1992.