2016–17 Major Arena Soccer League season
Football league season
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The 2016–17 Major Arena Soccer League season was the ninth season for the league and the third since six teams from the former Major Indoor Soccer League defected to what was formerly called the Professional Arena Soccer League. The regular season started on October 29, 2016, and ended on March 5, 2017.[4] Each team played a 20-game schedule. The defending champions were the Baltimore Blast. The Blast repeated in 2016–17, defeating the Sonora Suns in the Ron Newman Cup, 2–1.
| Season | 2016–17 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Baltimore Blast |
| Matches | 170 |
| Goals | 2,196 (12.92 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Franck Tayou (57 goals) |
| Biggest home win | Sonora Suns 21–2 Dallas Sidekicks (February 16, 2017) |
| Biggest away win | Atletico Baja 3–15 Sonora Suns (November 27, 2016) |
| Highest scoring | Sonora Suns 18–15 Turlock Express (November 12, 2016) |
| Longest winning run | 10 Games: Sonora Suns (11/5/16–1/21/17) |
| Longest losing run | 20 Games: El Paso Coyotes (10/29/16–3/4/17 – full season) |
| Highest attendance | 9,722[1] Baltimore Blast 5–2 Milwaukee Wave (February 4, 2017) |
| Lowest attendance | 187[2] Atletico Baja 9-4 Tacoma Stars (December 4, 2016) |
| Average attendance | 2,746[3] |
← 2015–16 2017–18 → | |
Teams
Of the 20 teams that competed in the 2015–16 season, the Waza Flo, Las Vegas Legends, Brownsville Barracudas, Saltillo Rancho Seco, and Sacramento Surge did not return for the 2016–17 season. The Florida Tropics SC and El Paso Coyotes joined the MASL for this season, bringing the total number of teams in the league to 17.
In the offseason, the Baltimore Blast, Harrisburg Heat, St. Louis Ambush left the MASL, and joined the expansion Tropics to form the Indoor Professional League.[5] The Blast, Heat and Ambush re-joined the MASL in August 2016, with the Tropics being considered an expansion franchise for the MASL.[6] Additionally the Missouri Comets announced in September 2016 that they were renaming themselves the Kansas City Comets.[7]
Standings
Final as of March 6, 2017
2016-17 League Championship
2016-17 Playoff Team
(Bold) Division Winner
Eastern Conference
| Place | Team | GP | W | L | Pct | GF | GA | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern Division | ||||||||||
| 1 | Baltimore Blast | 20 | 14 | 6 | .700 | 113 | 69 | — | 8-2 | 6-4 |
| 2 | Harrisburg Heat | 20 | 10 | 10 | .500 | 116 | 124 | 4 | 6-4 | 4-6 |
| 3 | Florida Tropics SC | 20 | 8 | 12 | .400 | 99 | 138 | 6 | 6-4 | 2-8 |
| 4 | Syracuse Silver Knights | 20 | 8 | 12 | .400 | 137 | 127 | 6 | 5-5 | 3-7 |
| Central Division | ||||||||||
| 1 | Kansas City Comets | 20 | 15 | 5 | .750 | 142 | 92 | — | 8-2 | 7-3 |
| 2 | Milwaukee Wave | 20 | 13 | 7 | .650 | 135 | 103 | 2 | 8-2 | 5-5 |
| 3 | Cedar Rapids Rampage | 20 | 12 | 8 | .600 | 126 | 127 | 3 | 7-3 | 5-5 |
| 4 | Chicago Mustangs | 20 | 11 | 9 | .550 | 124 | 136 | 4 | 4-6 | 7-3 |
| 5 | St. Louis Ambush | 20 | 1 | 19 | .050 | 83 | 150 | 14 | 1-9 | 0-10 |
Western Conference
| Place | Team | GP | W | L | Pct | GF | GA | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southwest Division | ||||||||||
| 1 | Sonora Suns | 20 | 17 | 3 | .850 | 230 | 120 | — | 10-0 | 7-3 |
| 2 | Atletico Baja | 20 | 10 | 10 | .500 | 134 | 167 | 7 | 7-3 | 3-7 |
| 3 | Dallas Sidekicks | 20 | 7 | 13 | .350 | 138 | 144 | 10 | 5-5 | 2-8 |
| 4 | El Paso Coyotes | 20 | 0 | 20 | .000 | 114 | 223 | 17 | 0-10 | 0-10 |
| Pacific Division | ||||||||||
| 1 | San Diego Sockers | 20 | 14 | 6 | .700 | 149 | 90 | — | 9-1 | 5-5 |
| 2 | Ontario Fury | 20 | 12 | 8 | .600 | 148 | 132 | 2 | 6-4 | 6-4 |
| 3 | Tacoma Stars | 20 | 10 | 10 | .500 | 114 | 120 | 4 | 8-2 | 2-8 |
| 4 | Turlock Express | 20 | 8 | 12 | .400 | 132 | 172 | 6 | 7-3 | 1-9 |
2017 Ron Newman Cup
The Ron Newman Cup playoffs began after the regular season ended on March 5, 2017. The top two teams from each division qualified for the post-season, with each round being a 2-game home and home series, with a 15-minute mini-game played immediately after Game 2 if the series is tied.[8]
Eastern Conference Playoffs
Eastern Division Final
Baltimore wins series 2–1
Central Division Final
Milwaukee wins series 2–1
Eastern Conference Final
| Baltimore Blast | 8–7 (OT) | Milwaukee Wave |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
Baltimore wins series 2–1
Western Conference Playoffs
Southwest Division Final
Sonora wins series 2–0
Pacific Division Final
San Diego wins series 2–1
Western Conference Final
Sonora wins series 2–0
2017 Ron Newman Cup Finals
| Sonora Suns | 8–9 (OT) | Baltimore Blast |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
Baltimore wins series 2–1
Statistics
Top Scorers
| Rank | Scorer | Club | Games | Goals | Assists | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Franck Tayou | Sonora Suns | 20 | 57 | 15 | 72 |
| 2 | Ian Bennett | Milwaukee Wave | 20 | 53 | 11 | 64 |
| 3 | Christian Gutierrez | Atletico Baja | 20 | 51 | 11 | 62 |
| 4 | Taylor Bond | Chicago Mustangs | 20 | 40 | 14 | 54 |
| t5 | Kraig Chiles | San Diego Sockers | 20 | 39 | 12 | 51 |
| t5 | Leonardo de Oliveira | Ontario Fury | 19 | 31 | 20 | 51 |
| 7 | Max Ferdinand | Milwaukee Wave | 18 | 18 | 30 | 48 |
| 8 | Cameron Brown | Dallas Sidekicks | 19 | 29 | 16 | 45 |
| t9 | Kenardo Forbes | Syracuse Silver Knights | 20 | 21 | 21 | 42 |
| t9 | Enrique Canez | Sonora Suns | 20 | 32 | 10 | 42 |
| t9 | Tony Donatelli | Baltimore Blast | 20 | 19 | 23 | 42 |
Last updated on March 6, 2017.
Awards
Individual awards
| Award | Name[9] | Team |
|---|---|---|
| League MVP | Franck Tayou | Sonora Suns |
| Goalkeeper of the Year | Chris Toth | San Diego Sockers |
| Defender of the Year | Stephen Basso | Harrisburg Heat |
| Rookie of the Year | Stephen Paterson | Kansas City Comets |
| Coach of the Year | Denison Cabral | Harrisburg Heat |
| Aaron Susi Trophy (Playoff MVP) | Vini Dantas | Baltimore Blast |
All-League First Team
| Name[10] | Position | Team |
|---|---|---|
| Max Ferdinand | F | Milwaukee Wave |
| Franck Tayou | F | Sonora Suns |
| Ian Bennett | M | Milwaukee Wave |
| John Sosa | D | Kansas City Comets |
| Stephen Basso | D | Harrisburg Heat |
| Chris Toth | GK | San Diego Sockers |
All-League Second Team
| Name[11] | Position | Team |
|---|---|---|
| Christian Gutierrez | F | Atletico Baja |
| Kraig Chiles | F | San Diego Sockers |
| Taylor Bond | M | Chicago Mustangs |
| Damian Garcia | D | Soles de Sonora |
| Chris Mattingly | D | St. Louis Ambush |
| William Vanzela | GK | Baltimore Blast |
All-League Third Team
| Name[12] | Position | Team |
|---|---|---|
| Victor Quiroz | F | San Diego Sockers |
| Kenardo Forbes | M | Syracuse Silver Knights |
| Vahid Assadpour | M | Kansas City Comets |
| Ernesto Luna | D | Atletico Baja |
| Stephen Paterson | D | Kansas City Comets |
| Leonardo de Oliviera | GK | Ontario Fury |
All-Rookie Team
| Name[13] | Position | Team |
|---|---|---|
| Lucas Teixeria | F | Florida Tropics SC |
| Elton de Oliveira | D | Baltimore Blast |
| Thiago Freitas | M | Harrisburg Heat |
| Manuel Rojo | D | Atletico Baja |
| Guerrero Pino | M | Kansas City Comets |
| Stephen Paterson | GK | Kansas City Comets |
Attendances
| Team | Home average |
|---|---|
| Baltimore Blast | 6,300 |
| Soles de Sonora | 4,900 |
| Milwaukee Wave | 3,794 |
| Kansas City Comets | 3,740 |
| San Diego Sockers | 3,688 |
| Ontario Fury | 3,024 |
| Tacoma Stars | 2,894 |
| Florida Tropics | 2,778 |
| Chicago Mustangs | 2,623 |
| St. Louis Ambush | 2,574 |
| Dallas Sidekicks | 2,300 |
| Syracuse Silver Knights | 2,300 |
| El Paso Coyotes | 2,205 |
| Cedar Rapids Rampage | 2,193 |
| Harrisburg Heat | 1,449 |
| Turlock Express | 556 |
| Atletico Baja | 319 |