MISL News Release
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
TAMPA, Fla. – The Major Indoor Soccer League recorded a bumper week of attendance as its fans celebrated the holidays watching the top indoor soccer league in the world in action. From a sold-out arena in Wichita, Kan. to the biggest crowd of the season in Milwaukee, Wisc., more than 30,000 fans attended the league’s seven games, moving the league’s overall attendance past the 150,000 mark as it comes to the midway point of the season.
The defending MISL champion Milwaukee Wave’s visit to the Blue Cross Arena to face the Rochester Lancers drew the biggest attendance of the week, with almost 7,000 fans packing in on December 27 to see a hard-fought contest between the two playoff contenders. The Lancers drew more than 12,000 fans in their two contests, and are averaging almost 5,500 fans per game in their inaugural season.
Milwaukee also had strong attendance for its final game of 2011 as more than 5,300 fans came to see its 2011 MISL Championship rematch with the Baltimore Blast. Another big crowd is expected this Friday night as the Wave host their Central Division rival the Missouri Comets at 7 p.m. CT at U.S. Cellular Arena for what should be another great clash between the historic rivals.
The other great rivalry in the MISL Central Division also saw big crowds in attendance last week as the Comets and Wichita Wings each saw more than 4,500 fans attend their home-and-home series. Fans from both sets of supporters groups attended both contests, making the three-hour drive to support their team on the road, and they were rewarded with a pair of great games that saw both the Comets and Wings take victory at home. The Wings’ 12-10 victory in front of a sold-out Hartman Arena crowd of 4,695 concluded dramatically, with Edvin Worley’s goal 1 minute, 36 seconds from the end grabbing his side a crucial win.
“We are delighted with the quality of the action during the holiday week, and with the number of fans that made the MISL part of their holidays,” MISL League Director Chris Economides said. “The league is on course to increase its total attendance by more than 100,000 fans this season, and with the great entertainment our teams provide we’re sure the fans will be back for more this season and in the future.”
Big attendances are expected again this weekend as the push for the playoffs in both divisions sees Syracuse and Rochester make the trip to 1st Mariner Arena in Baltimore to face the Eastern-Division leaders the Blast, while Missouri faces a pair of crucial road games in Milwaukee and Wichita as it tries to cement its playoff position in the Central Division. All four games are scheduled to be available on MISL Live (www.misllivesoccer.com), the league’s free online video player.