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New League For Baltimore Blast Finalized

By Richard Smith

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The Baltimore Blast finally have their new league. We reported previously that it appeared most of the existing teams from the last version of the Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL) and the entire Professional Arena Soccer League (PASL) were merging into one big indoor soccer league.

Well that became true, as the various owners met in Baltimore over this last weekend and hashed out a new entity called the Major Arena Soccer League (MASL). The MASL is 24 teams with the possibility of adding more teams prior to the June 1, 2014 deadline established by the league to play in the 2014/2015 season. Rumors are that the Cleveland Freeze are trying to become the 25th team. And Oxford City Football Club has already announced that they are adding two teams in an unnamed city in south Florida and Sioux Falls, South Dakota for next year. So this is one large league.

The Blast do regain a regional rival with the Harrisburg Heat, as well as old rivals such as the Dallas Sidekicks and San Diego Sockers.

Here are the 2014/2015 teams and divisional makeups:

East

Syracuse Silver Knights
Rochester Lancers
Harrisburg Heat
Baltimore Blast
Detroit Waza Flo
Cincinnati Saints

Midwest

Milwaukee Wave
Chicago Mustangs
St. Louis Ambush
Tulsa Revolution
Missouri Comets (Kansas City)
Wichita B-52’s

Southwest

Dallas Sidekicks
Texas Strikers (Beaumont)
Hidalgo La Fiera FC
Brownsville Barracudas FC
Saltillo Rancho Seco (Mexico)
Monterrey Flash (Mexico)

West

Tacoma Stars
Turlock Express (CA)
Las Vegas Legends
Ontario Fury
San Diego Sockers
Mexico Toros (Tijuana, Mexico)

Questions still exist:

  • Is a 24-26 team league feasible?
  • Detroit, Cincinnati, Turlock and Las Vegas play in small arenas. Will they need to move to bigger facilities? And if Cleveland joins, will they likely need a larger building as well?
  • 2013/2014 PASL Champion Chicago has no existing arena lease deal in place. Where will they play?
  • Tijuana and Saltillo actually play in arena style fields that are outside. Is this ideal? And how difficult will the international travel to the three Mexican teams be for the new league?
  • The Tacoma Stars may be in for a legal battle with the Stars name and logo. Will that play itself out in time for the season to begin?
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