Major League Indoor Soccer
Football league
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Major League Indoor Soccer (MLIS) is an indoor soccer league that began play in 2022 and based in the United States.
| |
| Founded | August 2022 |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Other club from | Canada |
| Conferences | North, South |
| Number of clubs | 13+ (men's, as of 2025–26; expansions ongoing) |
| Current champions | Canadian Crusaders (1st title) (2025-26) |
| Website | www |
History
Major League Indoor Soccer was announced in August 2022 to begin play in December of the same year.[1] The league launched with 12 teams divided among three divisions: East, Central, and South. The league's first game featured Rapid City FC defeat the Cincinnati Swerve 8-1 at GameTime Training Center in Fairfield, Ohio.[2]
On March 29, 2024, the league announced a merger with the National Indoor Soccer League, keeping the Major League Indoor Soccer name.[3]
Bernie Lilavois would be named new commissioner of the MLIS in November 2024.[4]
In July 2025, MLIS announced the launch of Major League Indoor Soccer Extended (MLISX), an amateur league designed to provide a pathway to professionalism for players, coaches, and officials. The league will be operated by MLIS, but each franchise will be independently owned and managed.[5]
Men's teams
- Active
On August 18, 2022, Chicago (Mustangs), Cleveland Crunch, and Grand Rapids (Rapid City FC) were announced as charter teams.[6]
Former NISL team Central Florida Crusaders relocated to Toronto and joined the MLIS ahead of the 2024-25 season as the Canadian Crusaders, the league's first team based outside the United States.[7]
Panathinaikos Chicago would join the MLIS for the 2024-25 season[8], though they would not return for 2025-26.
The league expanded to 13 teams for the 2025-26 season with the addition of Atlético Pro FC, Dallas CD La Cuadra, Boulder United FC Halo, Las Vegas Turf Monsters, Utah Uprising FC, Bridge City FC, and Rockford Thunder.[9] The league would be redivided into two conferences, North and South.
In July 2026, the MLIS announced that the Tampa Bay Terror would be promoted up from MLISX, the first such promotion in league history.[10]
| North Conference | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | City | Arena | Capacity | Founded | Men's Coach |
| Bridge City FC | Sewickley, Pennsylvania | Sewickley Sports Arena | 2,000 | 2025 | Travis MacKenzie |
| Canadian Crusaders[11] | Toronto, Canada | Scarborough Soccer Centre | 2000 | 2022 | Lorenzo Redwood |
| Chicago Mustangs | Hoffman Estates, Illinois | Grand Sports Arena | 2012 | Armando Gamboa | |
| Cleveland Crunch | Cleveland, Ohio | Wolstein Center | 13,610 | 1989 | Antonio Jose Manfut |
| Red Cedar FC | Novi, Michigan | TOCA Soccer and Sports Center Novi East | 2024 | Gregory Louis | |
| Rockford Thunder | Rockford, Illinois | Mercy Health Sports Score 2 Indoor Center | 1,000 | 2025 | Tony Benitez |
| Fort Wayne Flames | Waterloo, Indiana | Classic City Center | 2024 | TBA | |
| South Conference | |||||
| Amarillo Bombers | Amarillo, Texas | Amarillo Civic Center | 4,987 | 2018 | Chad Webb |
| Atletico Pro FC (Atlético Orlando FC) | Orlando, Florida | Sofive Soccer Center Lake Nona | 2025 | Victor Rada | |
| Colorado Foxes | Denver, Colorado | Foothills Fieldhouse | 1990 | Raymundo Reza | |
| Dallas CD La Cuadra | Carrollton, Texas | TOCA Soccer and Sports Center Carrollton | 2025 | Jose Galarza | |
| Las Vegas Turf Monsters | Las Vegas, Nevada | Big League Dreams | 2024 | ||
| Utah Uprising FC | Draper, Utah | Sports City | 2024 | Garrett Losee | |
| Tampa Bay Terror | Tampa, Florida | TBA | 1995 | ||
- Inactive
| Team | City/Area | Arena | Capacity | Founded | Men's Coach |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ohio Extreme | Lima, Ohio | ||||
| Rapid City FC | Grand Rapids, Michigan | ||||
| Colorado Bucks SC | Littleton, Colorado | Foothills Fieldhouse | 2023 |
Women's teams
On March 12, 2024, the league announced a partner Women’s Major League Indoor Soccer (WMLIS) to begin play in 2024–25 season.[14]
Women’s Major League Indoor Soccer (WMLIS)
| East Division | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | City/State | Arena | Capacity | Founded | Joined | Head coach |
| Chicago Mustangs | Hoffman Estates, Illinois | Grand Sports Arena | 2024 | 2024 | Armando Gamboa (HC/CEO | |
| New Jersey Angels | Wall Township, New Jersey | GoodSports USA | Carlos Figueroa | |||
| Summit City Sentinels | Fort Wayne, Indiana | Classic City Center | 2024 | 2024 | Sam Pech | |
| Zoo City FC | Kalamazoo, Michigan | Let's Play Soccer Portage | 2023 | 2024 | Michael Rayburn | |
| West Division | ||||||
| Team | City/State | Arena | Capacity | Founded | Joined | Head Coach |
| Las Vegas Turf Monsters | Las Vegas, Nevada | Big League Dreams | Skyler Goo | |||
| New Mexico Lightning | Albuquerque, New Mexico | TBA | 2019 | 2025 | ||
| Phoenix Pulse FC | Glendale, Arizona | Arizona Sports Complex | 2025 | 2025 | Mike Navarro | |
| Utah Uprising FC | Draper, Utah | Sports City | 2025 | 2025 | ||
Championships
- Men's
| Year | Winner | Score | Runner-up | Site | Host City |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-23 | Grand Rapids City | 16-7 | Omaha Kings | Grand Sports Arena | Chicago, Illinois |
| 2023-24 | Cleveland Crunch | 9-4 | Omaha Kings | Baxter Arena | Omaha, Nebraska |
| 2024-25 | Amarillo Bombers | 10-8 (OT) | Cleveland Crunch | Wolstein Center | Cleveland, Ohio |
| 2025-26 | Toronto Crusaders | 6-4 | Amarillo Bombers | Orleans Arena | Las Vegas, Nevada |
- Women's
| Year | Winner | Score | Runner-up | Site | Host |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | Chicago Mustangs | 8–7 | Summit City United | Wolstein Center | Cleveland, Ohio |
| 2025-26 | Utah Uprising FC | 10-4 | Chicago Mustangs | Orleans Arena | Las Vegas, Nevada |
2025–26 season
as of February 2026[update] (standings subject to frequent change)
The MLIS is in its regular season with two conferences (North and South). Teams play a 12-game schedule, with the top two from each advancing to finals in Las Vegas (March 28–29, 2026).[15]
Points: 3 for regulation win, 2 for OT/SO win, 1 for OT/SO loss.
North Conference
| Team | GP | W | L | OTL | Pts | W% | RW | OTW | GF | GA | Diff | Home | Away | SO | Streak |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| x Toronto | 12 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 33 | .917 | 11 | 0 | 106 | 55 | +51 | 6–0–0 | 5-1-0 | 0–0 | W1 |
| x Cleveland | 12 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 31 | .861 | 10 | 0 | 133 | 67 | +66 | 6–0–0 | 4–1–1 | 0–0 | W4 |
| o Pittsburgh | 12 | 7 | 5 | 0 | 20 | .556 | 6 | 1 | 97 | 81 | +16 | 4–2–0 | 3–3–0 | 0–0 | L1 |
| o Chicago | 12 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 18 | .500 | 6 | 0 | 89 | 91 | -2 | 3–4–0 | 3–2–0 | 0–0 | L2 |
| o Lansing | 12 | 5 | 7 | 0 | 13 | .361 | 3 | 2 | 100 | 129 | -29 | 2–4–0 | 3–3–0 | 0–0 | W1 |
| o Rockford | 12 | 3 | 9 | 2 | 9 | .278 | 2 | 1 | 67 | 108 | -39 | 2–1–2 | 1–6–0 | 0–0 | L1 |
| o Ft. Wayne | 12 | 0 | 12 | 1 | 1 | .028 | 0 | 0 | 69 | 132 | -63 | 0–6–0 | 0–5–1 | 0–0 | L7 |
South Conference
| Team | GP | W | L | OTL | Pts | W% | RW | OTW | GF | GA | Diff | Home | Away | SO | Streak |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| x Amarillo | 12 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 33 | .917 | 11 | 0 | 129 | 57 | +72 | 6–0–0 | 5–1–0 | 0–0 | W2 |
| x Utah | 12 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 27 | .750 | 9 | 0 | 126 | 83 | +43 | 5–1–0 | 4–2–0 | 0–0 | W5 |
| o Orlando | 12 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 27 | .639 | 7 | 0 | 101 | 68 | +33 | 5–0–1 | 2–3–1 | 0–0 | L3 |
| o Boulder | 12 | 5 | 7 | 0 | 14 | .389 | 4 | 1 | 75 | 70 | +5 | 3–3–0 | 2–4–0 | 0–0 | L1 |
| o Las Vegas | 12 | 3 | 9 | 0 | 8 | .222 | 2 | 1 | 59 | 118 | -59 | 0–6–0 | 3–3–0 | 0–0 | L5 |
| o Dallas | 12 | 1 | 11 | 0 | 3 | .083 | 1 | 0 | 44 | 138 | -94 | 1–5–0 | 0–6–0 | 0–0 | L1 |
Legend: x – Clinched playoff spot; o – Eliminated from playoffs.