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MISL changing game plan
League dissolves to restructure operation
By CHARLES F. GARDNER
cgardner@journalsentinel.com
Posted: June 2, 2008
The Milwaukee Wave is without a league, at least for the present, but the indoor soccer franchise expects to play during the 2008-'09 season, Wave chief operating officer Michael Lafferty said Monday.
The Major Indoor Soccer League ceased operations effective Saturday, according to a statement released by the league's management committee. A decision on the future structure of the league or a new league is expected in the next few weeks.
"All teams are operating and it's business as usual," Lafferty said Monday afternoon. "Our (summer youth) camps are in full swing, and all we're waiting to hear now is how the league will be reformatted."
League investors/operators were in contact by e-mail over the weekend and chose to dissolve the MISL, which was formed as a six-team, single-entity league in August 2001. Nine teams played in the league last season.
Charles A. Krause became a major investor in the Wave in 2002 and was named the franchise's managing partner in 2004.
"I know Charlie is excited," Lafferty said. "We're starting with a clean sheet of paper. I'm excited. I wish they had done this four years ago, because we've got to get a model that works. Now we're doing it."
Existing player contracts are void due to the dissolution of the league, and all players are free agents eligible to sign with any team.
"Our intent is to re-sign everybody once the new league is formed," Lafferty said of the current Wave roster. "I'm not the least bit concerned there's going to be an exodus of players."
One Wave player who might be difficult to sign under a revised salary cap is league most valuable player Greg Howes, who also played outdoors last season with the Seattle Sounders. The Wave also has several foreign players, including Brazilians Marcio Leite, Deco and Jonathan Santos.
"If it's going to be a regional league, I don't see how you're going to be able to attract the big names or the international players," said former Wave forward Michael King, who retired at the end of last season as the franchise's all-time leading scorer.
"The fact you've got a number of owners who haven't been able to solidify it, that's the disappointing thing. There comes a point when you can't expect people to act professionally when they're making amateur money.
"We've been pretty lucky here in Milwaukee. We've had a lot of players that have been willing to bite the bullet because of their love and passion for the game."
One reason for the dissolution of the league, according to Lafferty, was the need to shed stockholders from defunct franchises. These stockholders still held voting rights in the MISL, making decision-making quite difficult.
"Now this allows us the opportunity to move forward with a new plan," Lafferty said.
The league played a 30-game schedule last season. Franchises in the disbanded league included Milwaukee, Baltimore, Detroit, Chicago, Philadelphia, New Jersey, Orlando and Monterrey. The California Cougars left the league at the end of the past season to join the Professional Arena Soccer League (PASL-Pro).
"We are considering structural changes that will bring us greater efficiencies, while also allowing long-term growth and expansion of the league," said John Hantz, owner of the Detroit Ignition.
Lafferty said he could envision a league with a revised cost structure and a six-team Midwest and six-team East division.
"There have been potential investors that have come to us and said, 'When you get the league structure fixed, give us a call,' " Lafferty said. "Now we can do that. There are opportunities with arenas that are looking for tenants."
League owners will consider reducing the length of the season, both in terms of months and games. The season might start in December rather than late October, although no final decisions have been made.
Lafferty said he believed all remaining eight teams are committed to moving ahead.
"This allows us to add more teams with a different cost structure, and if we follow through with regional play, it becomes more affordable," he said.
Cross-country travel for league teams and referees was expensive in recent years, Lafferty said, and he indicated a willingness to rely on local referees for league matches in the future.
The Wave has operated as a pro soccer franchise in Milwaukee since the 1984-'85 season and has won four indoor championships - in 1998, 2000, 2001 and 2005.
Wave coach Keith Tozer was in Guatemala with the U.S. national futsal team and could not immediately be reached for comment.
"We are going to play next year," Baltimore Blast investor/operator Ed Hale told Examiner.com. "But we're going to reform the league without a bunch of stockholders from cities that were gone five years ago. That was basically to clean things up."
The Blast won the last MISL title on April 26 at the U.S. Cellular Arena, defeating Monterrey, 14-11.
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