# Major Indoor Soccer League (1978–1992)

The Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL), known in its final two seasons as the Major Soccer League, was an indoor soccer league in the United States that played matches from fall 1978 to spring 1992.

## History

The MISL was founded by businessmen Ed Tepper and Earl Foreman in October 1977.
The league fielded six teams for its inaugural 1978–79 season. Before folding after 14 seasons of competition, at the conclusion of the 1991–92 season, a total of 24 franchises – under 31 team names (seven teams changed city/name) – had played in the MISL.
Over its life, MISL teams were based in 27 different cities – with two different teams, at different times, playing in Cleveland, Ohio; East Rutherford, New Jersey; St. Louis, Missouri; and Uniondale, New York.
The Houston Summit (1978–80)/Baltimore Blast (1980–92) franchise was the only one to compete for the entire 14 seasons of the MISL's existence. The next longest-lived franchise, and the longest in a single city, was the Wichita Wings team, which played for 13 seasons and missed only the inaugural 1978–79 season. The third longest-lived franchise was the Detroit Lightning (1979–80)/San Francisco Fog (1980–81)/Kansas City Comets (1981–91) franchise, which played for 12 seasons, missing only the first and last seasons.
The San Diego Sockers was the most successful franchise, winning eight of the MISL's 14 overall championships during the team's nine seasons in the league. The New York Arrows won the MISL's first four championships, then folded after the league's sixth season.
The most successful player in the MISL is arguably Steve Zungul, a Yugoslav American striker who was MISL Most Valuable Player six times, was the Scoring Champion six times, the Pass Master (most assists) four times, played on eight championship-winning teams (and one runner-up), and won Championship Series Most Valuable Player four times. Zungul is the MISL's all-time leader in goals (652, nearly 200 ahead of the second highest scorer), assists (471, nearly 100 ahead of second) and points (1,123, nearly 300 ahead of second).
Despite ongoing financial hardships, the MISL had some success. The league averaged a respectable 7,644 fans per game over its 14 regular seasons, and averaged 9,049 fans per game over its 14 playoff runs.
The league changed its name to the Major Soccer League (MSL) in 1990, and then folded in 1992. Four of the league's seven franchises continued to operate: Cleveland Crunch and Wichita Wings joined the National Professional Soccer League; Dallas Sidekicks and San Diego Sockers helped found the Continental Indoor Soccer League.

### Arena football inspiration

The concept was initially so popular that in 1981, it helped pave the way for the creation of another indoor sports league, the Arena Football League, and subsequently the entire sport of indoor "gridiron" football. During the MISL All-Star Game at Madison Square Garden, National Football League promotions director Jim Foster sketched a design of what a football field would look like on the back of a 9x12 manila envelope. That inspiration gave birth to the concept now known as arena football (also indoor football) and the AFL was born six years later. Foster credits the MISL for the inspiration.

## Teams

| Team | City/Area | Arena | Seasons |
| Baltimore Blast Houston Summit, 1978–80 | Baltimore, Maryland Houston, Texas | Baltimore Arena The Summit | 1978–92 |
| Buffalo Stallions | Buffalo, New York | Buffalo Memorial Auditorium | 1979–84 |
| Chicago Horizons | Rosemont, Illinois | Rosemont Horizon | 1980–81 |
| Chicago Sting | Chicago | Chicago Stadium Rosemont Horizon | 1982–83*, 1984–88 |
| Cincinnati Kids | Cincinnati | Riverfront Coliseum | 1978–79 |
| Cleveland Crunch | Cleveland, Ohio | Richfield Coliseum | 1989–92 |
| Cleveland Force | Cleveland, Ohio | Richfield Coliseum | 1978–88 |
| Dallas Sidekicks | Dallas, Texas | Reunion Arena | 1984–92 |
| Denver Avalanche | Denver, Colorado | McNichols Sports Arena | 1980–82 |
| Golden Bay Earthquakes | Oakland, California | Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Arena | 1982–83* |
| Kansas City Comets San Francisco Fog, 1980–81 Detroit Lightning, 1979–80 | Kansas City, Missouri Daly City, California Detroit, Michigan | Kemper Arena Cow Palace Cobo Arena | 1979–91 |
| Las Vegas Americans Memphis Americans, 1981–84 Hartford Hellions, 1979–81 | Paradise, Nevada Memphis, Tennessee Hartford, Connecticut | Thomas & Mack Center Mid-South Coliseum New Haven Coliseum, Hartford Civic Center | 1979–85 |
| Los Angeles Lazers | Inglewood, California | The Forum | 1982–89 |
| Minnesota Strikers | Bloomington, Minnesota | Met Center | 1984–88 |
| New Jersey Rockets | East Rutherford, New Jersey | Brendan Byrne Arena | 1981–82 |
| New York Arrows | Uniondale, New York | Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum | 1978–84 |
| New York Express | Uniondale, New York | Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum | 1986–87 |
| New York Cosmos | East Rutherford, New Jersey | Brendan Byrne Arena | 1984–85 |
| Philadelphia Fever | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | The Spectrum | 1978–82 |
| Phoenix Inferno/Pride | Phoenix, Arizona | Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum | 1980–84 |
| Pittsburgh Spirit | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | Civic Arena | 1978–80, 1981–86 |
| San Diego Sockers | San Diego, California | San Diego Sports Arena | 1982–83*, 1984–92 |
| St. Louis Steamers | St. Louis, Missouri | St. Louis Arena | 1979–88 |
| St. Louis Storm | St. Louis, Missouri | St. Louis Arena | 1989–92 |
| Tacoma Stars | Tacoma, Washington | Tacoma Dome | 1983–92 |
| Wichita Wings | Wichita, Kansas | Kansas Coliseum | 1979–92 |
*Three North American Soccer League (NASL) teams temporarily joined the MISL for the 1982–83 season, as the NASL did not play indoors for that season. As the NASL was folding in 1985, four of its former teams (Chicago, Minnesota, New York and San Diego) joined the MISL in late 1984.
The "Denver Avalanche" had declared bankruptcy and ceased operations after the 1981–82 season, but the franchise still existed and was purchased out of bankruptcy and moved to Tacoma after a dormant season. The MISL, however, considered the Stars a new franchise and, thus, team records did not transfer to Tacoma.
In June 1987, the MISL granted a conditional franchise to NBA Denver Nuggets owner Sidney Shlenker, to commence play in the 1988–89 season. When the tentative "Denver Desperados" attracted deposits on 400 season tickets, rather than the required 5,000 within four months, the franchise was revoked in November 1987.

## Attendance

| Year | Average | Playoffs |
| 1978–79 | 4,453 | 4,766 |
| 1979–80 | 6,102 | 6,691 |
| 1980–81 | 6,839 | 10,740 |
| 1981–82 | 8,735 | 8,848 |
| 1982–83 | 7,895 | 11,536 |
| 1983–84 | 8,868 | 10,252 |
| 1984–85 | 8,696 | 8,511 |
| 1985–86 | 8,680 | 11,983 |
| 1986–87 | 8,714 | 12,514 |
| 1987–88 | 8,439 | 7,771 |
| 1988–89 | 7,765 | 7,557 |
| 1989–90 | 7,765 | 6,584 |
| 1990–91 | 6,566 | 7,264 |
| 1991–92 | 7,844 | 6,825 |
| Overall | 7,644 | 9,049 |

## MISL and MSL Championship Series
### By year

| Season | Champions | Series | Runners-up | MVP | Winning coach |
| 1978–79 | New York Arrows | 2–0 | Philadelphia Fever | Shep Messing | Don Popovic |
| 1979–80* | New York Arrows | 7–4* | Houston Summit | Steve Zungul | Don Popovic |
| 1980–81* | New York Arrows | 6–5* | St. Louis Steamers | Steve Zungul | Don Popovic |
| 1981–82 | New York Arrows | 3–2 | St. Louis Steamers | Steve Zungul | Don Popovic |
| 1982–83 | San Diego Sockers | 3–2 | Baltimore Blast | Juli Veee | Ron Newman |
| 1983–84 | Baltimore Blast | 4–1 | St. Louis Steamers | Scott Manning | Ken Cooper |
| 1984–85 | San Diego Sockers | 4–1 | Baltimore Blast | Steve Zungul | Ron Newman |
| 1985–86 | San Diego Sockers | 4–3 | Minnesota Strikers | Brian Quinn | Ron Newman |
| 1986–87 | Dallas Sidekicks | 4–3 | Tacoma Stars | Tatu | Gordon Jago |
| 1987–88 | San Diego Sockers | 4–0 | Cleveland Force | Hugo Pérez | Ron Newman |
| 1988–89 | San Diego Sockers | 4–3 | Baltimore Blast | Victor Nogueira | Ron Newman |
| 1989–90 | San Diego Sockers | 4–2 | Baltimore Blast | Brian Quinn | Ron Newman |
| 1990–91 | San Diego Sockers | 4–2 | Cleveland Crunch | Ben Collins | Ron Newman |
| 1991–92 | San Diego Sockers | 4–2 | Dallas Sidekicks | Thompson Usiyan | Ron Newman |
*Single-game championship, game score rather than series results.

### By club

| Club | Winner | Runner-Up | Seasons Won | Seasons Runner-Up |
| San Diego Sockers | 8 | 0 | 1982–83, 1984–85, 1985–86, 1987–88, 1988–89, 1989–90, 1990–91, 1991–92 | – |
| New York Arrows | 4 | 0 | 1978–79, 1979–80, 1980–81, 1981–82 | – |
| Baltimore Blast | 1 | 5 | 1983–84 | 1979–80 (as Houston Summit), 1982–83, 1984–85, 1988–89, 1989–90 |
| Dallas Sidekicks | 1 | 1 | 1986–87 | 1991–92 |
| St. Louis Steamers | 0 | 3 | – | 1980–81, 1981–82, 1983–84 |
| Philadelphia Fever | 0 | 1 | – | 1978–79 |
| Minnesota Strikers | 0 | 1 | – | 1985–86 |
| Tacoma Stars | 0 | 1 | – | 1986–87 |
| Cleveland Force | 0 | 1 | – | 1987–88 |
| Cleveland Crunch | 0 | 1 | – | 1990–91 |

## Commissioners

* Earl Foreman (1978–1985)
* Francis Dale (1985–1986)
* Bill Kentling (1986–1989)
* Earl Foreman (1989–1992)

## All-time statistics leaders
### Points

* 1,123 – Steve Zungul (New York Arrows, Golden Bay Earthquakes, San Diego Sockers, Tacoma Stars)
* 841 – Branko Šegota (New York Arrows, San Diego Sockers, St.Louis Storm)
* 690 – Tatu (Dallas Sidekicks)
* 686 – Dale Mitchell (Tacoma Stars, Kansas City Comets, Baltimore Blast)
* 683 – Kai Haaskivi (Houston Summit, Cleveland Force, Baltimore Blast, Cleveland Crunch)
* 682 – Jan Goossens (Golden Bay Earthquakes, Minnesota Strikers, Kansas City Comets, Dallas Sidekicks)
* 664 – Preki (Tacoma Stars, St. Louis Storm)
* 612 – Chico Borja (Las Vegas Americans, Wichita Wings, Los Angeles Lazers)
* 544 – Fred Grgurev (Philadelphia Fever, New York Arrows, New Jersey Rockets, Memphis/Las Vegas Americans, Pittsburgh Spirit, New York Express)
* 542 – Stan Stamenkovic (Memphis Americans, Baltimore Blast)

### Goals

* 652 – Steve Zungul (New York Arrows, Golden Bay Earthquakes, San Diego Sockers, Tacoma Stars)
* 463 – Branko Šegota (New York Arrows, San Diego Sockers, St. Louis Storm)
* 406 – Tatu (Dallas Sidekicks)
* 406 – Dale Mitchell (Tacoma Stars, Kansas City Comets, Baltimore Blast)
* 344 – Jan Goossens (Golden Bay Earthquakes, Minnesota Strikers, Kansas City Comets, Dallas Sidekicks)
* 332 – Preki (Tacoma Stars, St. Louis Storm)
* 331 – Fred Grgurev (Philadelphia Fever, New York Arrows, New Jersey Rockets, Memphis/Las Vegas Americans, Pittsburgh Spirit, New York Express)
* 307 – Andy Chapman (Wichita Wings, Cleveland Force, Baltimore Blast)
* 297 – Craig Allen (New Jersey Rockets, Cleveland Force)
* 297 – Kai Haaskivi (Houston Summit, Cleveland Force, Baltimore Blast, Cleveland Crunch)

### Assists

* 471 – Steve Zungul (New York Arrows, Golden Bay Earthquakes, San Diego Sockers, Tacoma Stars)
* 386 – Kai Haaskivi (Houston Summit, Cleveland Force, Baltimore Blast, Cleveland Crunch)
* 378 – Branko Šegota (New York Arrows, San Diego Sockers, St. Louis Storm)
* 338 – Chico Borja (New York Cosmos, Las Vegas Americans, Wichita Wings, Los Angeles Lazers)
* 338 – Jan Goossens (Golden Bay Earthquakes, Minnesota Strikers, Kansas City Comets, Dallas Sidekicks)
* 332 – Preki (Tacoma Stars, St. Louis Storm)
* 311 – Stan Stamenkovic (Memphis Americans, Baltimore Blast)
* 284 – Tatu (Dallas Sidekicks)
* 280 – Dale Mitchell (Tacoma Stars, Kansas City Comets, Baltimore Blast)
* 271 – Jorgen Kristensen (Wichita Wings, Kansas City Comets)

### Goals against average

(9,500 minutes minimum)
* 4.03 – Zoltán Tóth (New York Arrows, San Diego Sockers, St. Louis Storm)
* 4.09 – Tino Lettieri (Minnesota Strikers)
* 4.14 – Krzysztof Sobieski (Pittsburgh Spirit, Cleveland Force, Dallas Sidekicks)
* 4.18 – Victor Nogueira (Chicago Sting, Cleveland Force, San Diego Sockers)
* 4.21 – David Brcic (New York Cosmos, Wichita Wings, Pittsburgh Spirit, Los Angeles Lazers, Kansas City Comets, St. Louis Storm)
* 4.26 – Slobo Ilijevski (St. Louis Steamers, Baltimore Blast, St. Louis Storm)
* 4.32 – P.J. Johns (Cleveland Force, Tacoma Stars, Cleveland Crunch)
* 4.35 – Jim Gorsek (San Diego Sockers, Los Angeles Lazers, Kansas City Comets, St. Louis Storm)
* 4.3972 – Joe Papaleo (Pittsburgh Spirit, Tacoma Stars, Dallas Sidekicks)
* 4.3979 – Keith Van Eron (Cincinnati Kids, Wichita Wings, Philadelphia Fever, Baltimore Blast, Las Vegas Americans)

## Awards
### Most Valuable Player

| Year | Winner |
| 1978–79 | Steve Zungul, New York |
| 1979–80 | Steve Zungul, New York |
| 1980–81 | Steve Zungul, New York |
| 1981–82 | Steve Zungul, New York and Stan Terlecki, Pittsburgh |
| 1982–83 | Alan Mayer, San Diego |
| 1983–84 | Stan Stamenkovic, Baltimore |
| 1984–85 | Steve Zungul, San Diego |
| 1985–86 | Steve Zungul, San Diego |
| 1986–87 | Tatu, Dallas |
| 1987–88 | Erik Rasmussen, Wichita |
| 1988–89 | Preki, Tacoma |
| 1989–90 | Tatu, Dallas |
| 1990–91 | Victor Nogueira, San Diego |
| 1991–92 | Victor Nogueira, San Diego |

### Scoring Champion

| Year | Winner |
| 1978–79 | Fred Grgurev, Philadelphia |
| 1979–80 | Steve Zungul, New York |
| 1980–81 | Steve Zungul, New York |
| 1981–82 | Steve Zungul, New York |
| 1982–83 | Steve Zungul, New York/Golden Bay |
| 1983–84 | Stan Stamenkovic, Baltimore |
| 1984–85 | Steve Zungul, San Diego |
| 1985–86 | Steve Zungul, San Diego/Tacoma |
| 1986–87 | Tatu, Dallas |
| 1987–88 | Erik Rasmussen, Wichita |
| 1988–89 | Preki, Tacoma |
| 1989–90 | Tatu, Dallas |
| 1990–91 | Tatu, Dallas |
| 1991–92 | Zoran Karic, Cleveland |

### MISL Pass Master

The Pass Master award was given out to the player with the most assists during the regular season.
| Year | Winner |
| 1978–79 | Fred Grgurev, Philadelphia |
| 1979–80 | Steve Zungul, New York |
| 1980–81 | Jorgen Kristiansen, Wichita |
| 1981–82 | Steve Zungul, New York |
| 1982–83 | Stan Stamenkovic, Memphis |
| 1983–84 | Stan Stamenkovic, Baltimore |
| 1984–85 | Steve Zungul, San Diego |
| 1985–86 | Steve Zungul, San Diego/Tacoma |
| 1986–87 | Kai Haaskivi, Cleveland |
| 1987–88 | Preki, Tacoma |
| 1988–89 | Preki, Tacoma and Chico Borja, Wichita |
| 1989–90 | Jan Goossens, Kansas City |
| 1990–91 | Tatu, Dallas |
| 1991–92 | Zoran Karic, Cleveland |

### Defender of the Year

| Year | Winner |
| 1981–82 | Val Tuksa, New York |
| 1982–83 | Bernie James, Cleveland |
| 1983–84 | Kim Roentved, Wichita |
| 1984–85 | Kevin Crow, San Diego |
| 1985–86 | Kim Roentved, Wichita |
| 1986–87 | Bruce Savage, Baltimore |
| 1987–88 | Kevin Crow, San Diego |
| 1988–89 | Kevin Crow, San Diego |
| 1989–90 | Wes McLeod, Dallas |
| 1990–91 | Kevin Crow, San Diego |
| 1991–92 | Kevin Crow, San Diego |

### Goalkeeper of the Year

| Year | Winner |
| 1978–79 | Paul Hammond, Houston |
| 1979–80 | Sepp Gantenhammer, Houston |
| 1980–81 | Enzo Di Pede, Chicago |
| 1981–82 | Slobo Ilijevski, St. Louis |
| 1982–83 | Zoltán Tóth, New York |
| 1983–84 | Slobo Ilijevski, St. Louis |
| 1984–85 | Scott Manning, Baltimore |
| 1985–86 | Keith Van Eron, Baltimore |
| 1986–87 | Tino Lettieri, Minnesota |
| 1987–88 | Zoltán Tóth, San Diego |
| 1988–89 | Victor Nogueira, San Diego |
| 1989–90 | Joe Papaleo, Dallas |
| 1990–91 | Victor Nogueira, San Diego |
| 1991–92 | Victor Nogueira, San Diego |

### Rookie of the Year

| Year | Winner |
| 1979–80 | Jim Sinclair, Buffalo |
| 1980–81 | Don Ebert, St. Louis |
| 1981–82 | Germain Iglesias, Buffalo |
| 1982–83 | Kirk Shermer, Los Angeles |
| 1983–84 | Kevin Maher, Pittsburgh |
| 1984–85 | Ali Kazemaini, Cleveland |
| 1985–86 | Dave Boncek, Kansas City |
| 1986–87 | John Stollmeyer, Cleveland |
| 1987–88 | David Doyle, Kansas City |
| 1988–89 | Rusty Troy, Baltimore |
| 1989–90 | Terry Brown, St. Louis |
| 1990–91 | David Banks, San Diego |
| 1991–92 | Tommy Tanner, Cleveland |

### Newcomer of the Year

This award was given to 'the most outstanding player in his first year of competition in the Major Indoor Soccer League' in order to differentiate it from the Rookie of the Year award.
| Year | Winner |
| 1986–87 | Steve Kinsey, Minnesota |
| 1987–88 | Nenad "Ziggy" Zigante, Wichita |
| 1988–89 | Domenic Mobilio, Baltimore |
| 1989–90 | Claudio DeOliviera, St. Louis |
| 1990–91 | Paul Peschisolido, Kansas City |

### Coach of the Year

| Year | Winner |
| 1978–79 | Timo Liekoski, Houston |
| 1979–80 | Len Bilous, Pittsburgh and Pat McBride, St. Louis |
| 1980–81 | Don Popovic, New York |
| 1981–82 | Dave Clements, Denver |
| 1982–83 | Pat McBride, Kansas City |
| 1983–84 | Kenny Cooper, Baltimore |
| 1984–85 | Peter Wall, Los Angeles |
| 1985–86 | Gordon Jago, Dallas |
| 1986–87 | Dave Clements, Kansas City |
| 1987–88 | Ron Newman, San Diego |
| 1988–89 | Kenny Cooper, Baltimore |
| 1989–90 | Billy Phillips, Dallas |
| 1990–91 | Trevor Dawkins, Cleveland |
| 1991–92 | Gordon Jago, Dallas |

### Championship Series Most Valuable Player

| Year | Winner |
| 1978–79 | Shep Messing, New York |
| 1979–80 | Steve Zungul, New York |
| 1980–81 | Steve Zungul, New York |
| 1981–82 | Steve Zungul, New York |
| 1982–83 | Juli Veee, San Diego |
| 1983–84 | Scott Manning, Baltimore |
| 1984–85 | Steve Zungul, San Diego |
| 1985–86 | Brian Quinn, San Diego |
| 1986–87 | Tatu, Dallas |
| 1987–88 | Hugo Perez, San Diego |
| 1988–89 | Victor Nogueira, San Diego |
| 1989–90 | Brian Quinn, San Diego |
| 1990–91 | Ben Collins, San Diego |
| 1991–92 | Thompson Usiyan, San Diego |

### Championship Series Unsung Hero

This award was given to the player 'in the Championship Series whose impact to his team's success was measured by hustle, determination and leadership.'
| Year | Winner |
| 1987–88 | George Fernandez, San Diego |
| 1988–89 | Paul Dougherty, San Diego |
| 1989–90 | Paul Wright, San Diego |
| 1990–91 | Glenn Carbonara, San Diego |
| 1991–92 | Kevin Crow, San Diego |

## Prominent players

* Ralph Black
* Chico Borja
* Andy Chapman
* Paul Child
* Fernando Clavijo
* Dan Counce
* Kevin Crow
* Steve David
* Rick Davis
* Enzo Di Pede
* Daryl Doran
* Don Ebert
* Pat Ercoli
* Andranik Eskandarian
* Joey Fink
* Jan Goossens
* Karl-Heinz Granitza
* Gerry Gray
* Fred Grgurev
* Kai Haaskivi
* Slobo Ilijevski
* Tommy Jenkins
* Erhardt Kapp
* Zoran Karić
* Michael King
* Jorgen Kristensen
* Mickey Kydes
* Doc Lawson
* Tino Lettieri
* Mark Liveric
* Dave MacWilliams
* Scott Manning
* Pato Margetic
* Hector Marinaro
* Alan Mayer
* Wes McLeod
* Dale Mitchell
* George Nanchoff
* Victor Nogueira
* Steve Pecher
* Hugo Perez
* Ljupko Petrović
* Preki
* Erik Rasmussen
* Kim Roentved
* Carl Rose
* Bruce Savage
* Branko Šegota
* Stan Stamenkovic
* John Stremlau
* Mike Sweeney
* Tatu
* Stan Terlecki
* Zoltán Tóth
* Thompson Usiyan
* Carl Valentine
* Juli Veee
* Peter Ward
* Jean Willrich
* Steve Zungul

## Television and radio coverage

The MISL made inroads on national television in 1982–83. While the spring would see the end of the league's two-year deal with the USA Network, CBS would broadcast a playoff game live from Cleveland on May 7 that drew an estimated four million viewers. One game during the 1983–84 season was televised on CBS (Game 3 of the championship series on June 2) as well.
1984–85 would be the final year the MISL would have games aired on network television, CBS broadcast Game 4 of the championship series live on May 25.