MISL News Release
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
TAMPA, Fla. – The Major Indoor Soccer League approached the 300,000 mark for total attendance in the 2011-12 season as the Baltimore Blast set a new season-high for single-game attendance on Saturday night with 9,644 fans packed into 1st Mariner Arena for their contest with long-time rival the Milwaukee Wave.
The MISL has now seen 294,242 fans come through its turnstiles this season with 10 games remaining in the league’s regular season. That’s an increase of more than 95,000 fans from the 2010-11 season, with some of the league’s new franchises faring just as strongly as the league’s established clubs.
One of the newcomers - the Wichita Wings - saw another sellout in its home finale against the Rochester Lancers this past weekend. The ownership group led by Wink Hartman saw more than 45,000 fans attend games in the team’s first season back in the MISL after reviving a franchise that had lain dormant for 10 years.
The Rochester Lancers have also seen big crowds flock to Blue Cross Arena, and are expecting more this weekend for a pair of games against the Wings as they make their final push for a place in the MISL Eastern Division Finals against the Baltimore Blast. So far the Lancers have seen more than 56,000 fans attend the team’s first 10 games, a number surpassed only by traditional power Baltimore.
On the field, the final playoff place could be decided this weekend as the Lancers battle the Syracuse Silver Knights for the second playoff berth in the Eastern Division. The Lancers can seal the berth with a pair of wins against the Wings, with just one win required if the Silver Knights fall against either the Milwaukee Wave on Wednesday night or Wichita on Saturday.
Elsewhere, MISL fans will get a preview of the MISL Central Division Finals as the Wave head to face the Missouri Comets for a pair of games this weekend at the Independence Events Center on Friday and Sunday. The two teams will meet on Friday, March 9 in Missouri and Sunday, March 11 in Milwaukee for a place in the MISL Championship Series, and the fierce rivalry shared between the two teams is sure to be on display in this precursor to the postseason.
All of this week’s slate of seven games will be available on MISL Live (www.misllivesoccer.com), the league’s free online video service.