By Delorean Fleetwood:
Cleveland, Ohio: The 2025-26 Major League Indoor Soccer season begins today. After a season that saw arguably one of the biggest upsets of the century to capture off 2024-25, what started out as nine teams vying for the crown now has grown to 13 across two conferences. In this first part, we will cover the North Conference.
CLEVELAND CRUNCH
What can we say? Last year was set up perfectly for a storybook finish for the then defending champs. With the MLIS Finals being held at the venue that turned them into powerhouses back in the NPSL days as the host arena, the Crunch had a great chance to further show the indoor soccer community this side of Greg Suttie’s mustache what we all have missed since the 90s.
That didn’t happen as the Amarillo Bombers stunned the five time champions in OT to win their first championship. The Crunch have a lot more teams than just Amarillo that will be looking to take their rightful place among the MLIS Elite this season.
Cleveland returns familiar faces such as Gabriel Pewu, who made the Crunch heavy title favorites. The Crunch also made arguably the best move any team made off the pitch this past off-season with the announcement of playing all their 2025-26 home games at a place that should draw more fans this upcoming season.
The Wolstein Center and the Crunch announced back on August 27th that all six MLIS home matches would be played at the iconic venue that made them a City of Champions three times in the NPSL days. With a larger arena capacity and a fanbase being built once more, Cleveland is a heavy favorite to make the MLIS Finals this season. The Crunch will kick off their 6th season since returning to play and fourth in MLIS December 6th against Red Cedar.
RED CEDAR FC
Based out of Novi, Michigan, Red Cedar will look to improve upon last season’s winless campaign (still not nearly as bad as the Lima Ohio based Extreme did in 23-24, but that’s not saying much) where they were mercilessly outscored 187-53 for a staggering goal differential of minus 134. Cedar will make their home arena once more at the TOCA Soccer and Sports Center in Novi East, just 25 miles northwest of downtown Detroit.
While last season was certainly not one to remember for the NW Detroit natives, Red Cedar will get a chance to show they have improved when they take on the Summit City Sentinels in Waterloo, Indiana November 15th.
SUMMIT CITY SENTINELS
Nestled just 30 miles northeast of downtown Fort Wayne in the small 2000 resident community of Waterloo that acts as the only Amtrak stop in NE Indiana, lies the home of one of the rising teams in indoor soccer. While their women’s team made themselves well known last season in the WMLIS, the men’s teams will look take the next step in the MLIS hierarchy this season.
The Sentinels will make their home arena just across the way from DeKalb High School at the Classic City Center in Waterloo.
Summit City turned a 4-8 season last year with a goal differential of minus 70 being outscored 132 to 62. Only Red Cedar gave up more goals and scored less than Summit City.
Despite their porous back line of yesteryear, it’s a whole new ballgame for Summit City as the Sentinels take on Red Cedar November 15th at the CCC.
CHICAGO MUSTANGS
With Panathinaikos Chicago no longer in the league after their tumultuous exit, the Windy City hangs on the squad that makes their home at the Grand Sports Arena in Hoffman Estates, Illinois.
The Chicago Mustangs are a well known squad in today’s world of indoor soccer having two titles to hang in the rafters. Their 2013-14 squad went undefeated on their way to winning the Ron Newman Cup in the PASL. They also won the US Open Cup for Arena Soccer as well giving them the coveted Duo on the season. Their second title was won via the M2 Championship at the MASL 2 level in 2017-18. They are now in MLIS as one of the charter teams is the league. The Mustangs are now in their 14th season of operations.
The Mustangs were a much better team than their 4-8 record would indicate as they were outscored only 94 to 76 on the year for a goal differential of only minus 18. While they finished 7th last season, Chicago certainly has the horses to make a run at the MLIS Finals this upcoming season. The Mustangs will be a tough out in the North. Chicago kicks off their 14th campaign against the their new in-state rivals, the Rockford Thunder, on November 15th at the Grand Sports Arena.
CANADIAN CRUSADERS
The MLIS rolled the dice on an international presence in the league in 24-25. The result was arguably one of the scariest teams to play against in the Canadian Crusaders. After watching this team myself in Cleveland at the MLIS Finals, I can confirm this team was like watching a mirror image of Cleveland. They had the same size, speed, and skill that absolutely wrecked the MLIS competition last season. All three games against the Crunch were decided in the extra frame (with TWO going to a shootout).
Safe to say, the team formerly based in Florida under the National Indoor Soccer League that merged into MLIS has been a smashing success. Toronto should provide the biggest threat to Cleveland in the rugged North Conference in 25-26.
The Crusaders will make their roost just 10 miles (16 kilometers) northeast of downtown Toronto at the Scarborough Soccer Center. The Crusaders were a tough foe going 9-2-1 with a goal differential of plus 63 outscoring their opponents 119 to 56. All four losses (including last season’s loss to Amarillo in the MLIS Semi-Finals) were by a goal. The losses to Cleveland were in a shootout and in overtime while Panathinaikos Chicago was the only team that beat them in regulation during the regular season. The Canadian Crusaders will kick off their second campaign, looking to run it back, on November 29th against the Chicago Mustangs, in Hoffman Estates, Illinois.
ROCKFORD THUNDER
The Rockford Thunder are a new team to MLIS this season making their home digs at the snazzy Indoor Sports Center located nine miles northeast of downtown Rockford, Illinois. With fresh new digs that should provide one of the best in arena venues in the league, Rockford looks to join the upper echelon in the rough and tough North Conference this upcoming season.
Rockford kicks off their inaugural campaign against the Chicago Mustangs in Hoffman Estates on November 15th, providing them a chance to make a statement against their new rivals early on.
BRIDGE CITY FC
Not since the Pittsburgh Spirit has the Steel City seen indoor soccer at the professional level of this magnitude. What a shame. The city of Pittsburgh is a long proven hotbed of sports that’s provided no short list of lovable teams year in and year out. Soccer is no different as the Riverhounds of USL Championship have made tremendous strides in recent years.
From their recent stadium expansion announcement to making a run at USL DIVISION ONE to their current run to the Eastern Conference Finals (HUGE Riverhounds fan myself actually), this is a city that knows how to not only create a great product on and off the pitch, but grow and cultivate it as well. This doesn’t even include the former Pittsburgh Hotspurs (known as Steel City FC) who are killing it at the USL LEAGUE TWO level, growing the game at the grassroots.
That said, Bridge City is the latest team to make roots and try to forge their pathway to the hearts of the Pittsburgh faithful. The team will play their home games 13 miles northwest of downtown Pittsburgh at the Sewickley Soccer Center on the bank of the Ohio River and beside the Sewickley Bridge.
Bridge City will strike first iron this season on November 22nd against Summity City in Waterloo, Indiana.
RUGGED NORTH
The MLIS North will be a tough conference to compete in as arguably two of the leagues best squads, who couldn’t decide a winner in regulation in all three games against one another last season, figure to run it back and settle their differences. Pittsburgh and Rockford provide fresh and exciting new opportunities for the league to expand its footprint while also proving to the naysayers that this league’s death was greatly exaggerated. Red Cedar will have its work cut out for them as they look to improve upon last season’s disastrous campaign. Chicago will always be a tough matchup no matter who plays them. Summit City will try and build upon last years experience and take another step forward in their quest to conquer the North Conference.
GAMES OF THE YEAR?
Cleveland vs Toronto provided arguably the best rivalry and matchups this past season and quite possibly the three year history of the MLIS. The two teams will square off twice this year. The Crusaders will host Cleveland on February 7th while the Crunch host their Canadian rivals at the Wolstein Center March 14th.
Will both games go to the extra frame once more? If both teams are as good as advertised, this wouldn’t surprise anyone. Good luck.
PREDICTIONS
With the MLIS kicking things off on Saturday November 15th, the North Division features to be top heavy.
Here are my predictions for the 25-26 MLIS North Conference.
- Cleveland Crunch
- Canadian Crusaders
- Chicago Mustangs
- Bridge City FC
- Rockford Thunder
- Summit City Sentinels
- Red Cedar FC
Good luck to all North Conference teams in their 2025-26 MLIS season and may the best team win.
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