Courtesy: AOL Sports


Defunct MISL Should Give Futsal a Try

The Major Indoor Soccer League announced today that it has ceased operations as of last Saturday and is planning to reorganize itself for a relaunch later this year. I think I speak for most Americans when I say, "We still have a Major Indoor Soccer League?"

Well, we had a Major Indoor Soccer League. The team owners say this shutdown is just for housecleaning and restructuring purposes, but they would say that to convince what few fans they still have that they're not dead yet.

Then again, if this league really wants to make a splash on its return, it should abandon its walled-in game and start playing futsal.

I've written here previously about futsal, which is the FIFA-mandated 5-on-5 indoor soccer game. It is played on a basketball-like court without walls, and it emphasizes ball-handling and passing skills much more than the current indoor game MISL plays. If MISL relaunched itself as a futsal competition, it could become a league that develops creative soccer players capable of lighting up MLS (or any other league on this planet) with their skills. The league's teams could also schedule matches against the best clubs and national teams from around the world to attract new fans.

MISL already has a TV deal in place with Fox Soccer Channel. I bet that channel would love to show some futsal to its growing audience. It would be a vast improvement over the current MISL game, which, quite frankly, is painful to watch.






Posted by Luca Ranocchiari --> luca.ranocchiari@futsalplanet.com