Futsal/Indoor Soccer World News
December 19, 2001

News and information on Futsal/Indoor Soccer from around the world

NORTH AMERICA

MISL, WISL TO MAKE HISTORIC ANNOUNCEMENT
The Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL) will hold a
press conference in conjunction with the World Indoor
Soccer League (WISL) at 12 p.m. CT on Dec. 19, at the
American Airlines Arena in Dallas, Texas. The MISL and
WISL will make an historic announcement regarding the
new direction of professional indoor soccer in the
United States. The event will be followed by a
teleconference at 2:30 p.m. CT for media representatives,
who cannot be in attendance at the press conference.
MISL Commissioner Steve Ryan and WISL President Gordon
Jago are both scheduled to attend this event. For more
information, contact the MISL Office at 203-222-4900.

SIDEKICKS TOP SOCKERS 6-3 IN GAME ONE OF 2001 WISL CHAMPIONSHIP
The Dallas Sidekicks topped the visiting San Diego
Sockers 6-3 in game one of the 2001 World Indoor Soccer
League (WISL) Championship Series on Dec. 15. English
midfielder Nick Stavrou and Irish forward David Doyle
each scored twice to give the Sidekicks a 1-0 lead in
the home-and-home series. The Sockers will host game
two on Dec. 22, at the San Diego Sports Arena and if
the series is tied after the second match, then a
mini-game will determine the winner. The Sockers, who
have 10 indoor titles to their credit, are looking for
their first WISL Championship in franchise history,
while the Sidekicks are the only indoor team to capture
titles in the MISL (1987), Continental Indoor Soccer
League (1993) and the WISL (1998).

2001 WISL Playoff Results/Schedule
Semifinal Series
Dec. 6
San Diego Sockers 7, St. Louis Steamers 5 in St. Louis
Dec. 7
St. Louis Steamers 4, San Diego Sockers 0 in San Diego
Sockers win tiebreaker (1-0), series 2-1 Sidekicks win series 2-0

Dec. 6
Dallas Sidekicks 7, Sacramento Knights 5 in Sacramento
Dec. 9
Dallas Sidekicks 2, Sacramento Knights 1 in Dallas
Sidekicks win series 2-0

Championship Final Series
Dec. 15
Dallas Sidekicks 6, San Diego Sockers 3 in Dallas
Dec. 22
San Diego Sockers vs. Dallas Sidekicks at Sports Arena
in San Diego 7:05 p.m. PT

KIXX, WAVE POST VICTORIES IN TIGHT MISL STANDINGS RACE
Only a ½ game separates the second-place Milwaukee Wave
(9-4) from the leading Philadelphia Kixx (9-3) in the
2001-02 Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL) standings.
The Wave earned their fourth consecutive win of the
season with a 24-17 victory over the visiting Kansas
City Comets (6-8) on Dec. 15. English forward Michael
King led the offense tallying his second hat trick of
the MISL campaign for the Wave, who didn't gain any
ground on the first-place Kixx after Philadelphia hosted
the Harrisburg Heat (5-8) and posted a 13-10 victory on
Dec. 15. In another MISL match, five tallies from
forward Denison Cabral led the Baltimore Blast (6-7) to
a 22-11 win over the visiting Cleveland Crunch (4-9) on
Dec. 15. For more information check the MISL website
at www.misl.net.

KNIGHTS FORWARD TABS WISL MVP HONORS
Sacramento Knights forward Ato Leone was honored on Dec.
12, as the WISL "Most Valuable Player" (MVP) for the
2001 campaign. After also being named the league's
"Offensive Player of the Year" on Dec. 7, Leone captured
his second honor of the WISL campaign after leading the
Knights to another post-season appearance in 2001. The
2001 MVP native of San Vicente, Argentina led the league
this season in both in scoring (25) and total points (42).

CANADA TO HOST OTTAWA WIZARDS IN EXHIBITION MATCH
After posting a convincing 5-2 victory over El Salvador
on Dec. 1, Canada's Futsal National Team will conclude
2001 with an exhibition match against the Canadian
Professional (outdoor) Soccer League Champions Ottawa
Wizards on Dec. 22. The Canada-Ottawa match-up will be
the first encounter of a doubleheader to take place at
the Centre Pierre-Charbonneau in Montréal, Québec at
12:30 p.m. local time. The second match will feature
Sélection Haiti taking on Sélection Peru at 2 p.m. local
time.

BRAZIL

TABOAO DA SERRA WINS 2001 COPA TOPPER INTERNACIONAL DE
SAO PAULO, BRAZIL
Taboao da Serra won the 2001 Copa Topper Internacional
de Sao Paulo, Brazil, going 3-0 and outscoring its
opponents 13-3 on Dec. 15. The four-team one-day
tournament, which featured three Brazilian clubs and
Japan's Futsal National Team, began with Taboao da Serra
shuting out SPFC 3-0, while 7 de Setembro battled Japan
to a 2-2 draw. The second round matches saw Taboao da
Serra blank Japan 2-0 and then SPFC posted a 6-5 victory
over 7 de Setembro. The round-robin competition concluded
with SPFC defeating Japan 6-5 and then Taboao da Serra
topping 7 de Setembro 8-3.

2001 Copa Topper Internacional de Sao Paulo, Brazil
Final Standings/Results
Teams (GP, W-L-T, GF:GA, PTS)
Taboao da Serra-BRA (3, 3-0-0, 13:3, 9)
SPFC-BRA (3, 2-1-0, 12:13, 6)
Japan (3, 0-2-1, 7:10, 1)
7 de Setembro-BRA (3, 0-2-1, 10:16, 1)

Dec. 15
Taboao de Serra 3, SPFC 0
Japan 2, 7 de Setembro 2

Taboao da Serra 2, Japan 0
SPFC 6, 7 de Setembro 5

Taboao da Serra 7, 7 de Setembro 3
SPFC 6, Japan 5

EUROPE

PORTUGAL SWEEPS TWIN-BILL FROM BELGIUM
Portugal's Futsal National Team swept a two-game
international friendly series against the visiting
Belgium squad on Dec. 11-12. Portugal shutout Belgium
3-0 in the opener with tallies from midfielders' Gonçalo
Alves, João Marçal and defender Pedro Costa on Dec. 11,
in Santarém. Portugal completed the twin-bill sweep on
Dec. 12, in Ribatejo, with a 6-1 victory over Belgium.
Forward Nélito led Portugal's offense with three goals,
while midfielders João Leite, Arnaldo and defender Vitinha
each added a tally in the win.

SLOVENIA GOES WINLESS AGAINST HUNGARY
After playing to a scoreless draw in Ptuj, Slovenia in
the opener of the home-and-home international friendly
series on Dec. 13, Slovenia's Futsal National Team
dropped a 3-2 decision to the host Hungary in the second
game in Zalaegerszeg the next day (Dec. 14).

CZECH REPUBLIC CROWNS 2001 FUTSAL CUP CHAMPION
Cigi Caga Jistebník won the 2001 Czech Futsal Cup after
defeating Alfa Liberec in the two-game finals by an 11-5
aggregate score. Cigi Caga opened the final home-and-home
series with a 6-3 road victory over Alfa Liberec on Dec. 8.
Cigi Caga completed the series sweep at home with a 5-2
win on Dec. 16.

ITALY TRAVELS TO POLAND FOR TWO-GAME SERIES
After competing at the 2001 Singapore Tiger 5's
International Tournament, Italy's Futsal National Team
will travel to Poland for a two-game international
friendly series from Dec. 18-19. The first game will
take place in Legnica on Dec. 18, while the second will
have Glogów as the venue the next day (Dec. 6).



Information was researched and compiled by Steven Torres,
who is currently the P.R. Coordinator/Futsal Press Officer
at the United States Soccer Federation.

Futsal is a sport that is a derivative of soccer and
played with five-man teams on a basketball style court,
with no walls and a low bouncing ball, unlike the
traditional sport of U.S. indoor soccer played with
six-man squads and walls. Great soccer superstars such
as Pele, Zico, Ronaldo and Diego Maradona grew up playing
the game and credit Futsal with developing their skills.
FUTSAL® is a registered trademark of the United States
Futsal Federation.