By Delorean Fleetwood:
Scranton, PA: Major League Indoor Soccer announced earlier today that the league will expand to Scranton Pennsylvania, beginning with the 2027-28 MLIS season.
The addition of Scranton gives the Keystone state of Pennsylvania a second team to it’s roster for next season, alongside Bridge City FC. The Northeast Pennsylvania based squad will be approximately 282 miles away from their new in-state neighbors in the Steel City.
“We are excited to bring professional indoor soccer to Scranton and become part of the community,” Owner Stan Blondek, Ph.D., said. “After evaluating the various indoor soccer leagues, we believe MLIS has the strongest business model for today’s sports landscape.”
“The industry is changing, and streaming is becoming increasingly important in how fans engage with professional sports. The traditional model of relying on large, expensive arenas and ticket sales is no longer sustainable for every market. MLIS offers a more practical approach that allows teams to focus on long-term growth and connecting with fans.”
With Scranton set to join next season, one of the main questions that will undoubtedly get asked, is where they will play. If the team plays in Scranton as we are led to believe, there are already a few options that might be on the table.
OPTION 1: RIVERFRONT SPORTS
Riverfront would likely be the best option to provide the best gameday experience for the fans. This facility is located just north of downtown, right next to Scranton High School and other sports facilities nearby.
The 88,000 square foot facility has more than enough room to accommodate the space needed for gameday atmosphere for the future Scranton squad. Opened in 2005, Riverfront has been hosting teams and events in this massive facility for over 20 years to this point.
OPTION 2:
THE DOME SPORTSPLEX
While technically in Wilkes-Barre, this massive facility is capable of hosting games under the big bubble. Located a short distance east from the Mohegan Arena, this facility would not only be a bit of a trek, but also out of the way and main community that represents the team identity in Scranton, PA.
Located on Bear Creek Blvd, this facility also has built in concessions for game days. Never underestimate the power of hungry fans on game day. While this facility is capable hosting the team, it’s more likely to be passed over due to location.
OPTION 3: MOHEGAN ARENA
The final of our three options, the arena that has hosts the American Hockey League’s Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins and hosted the Arena Football 2’s Wilkes-Barre Scranton Pioneers from 2002-2009, Mohegan would provide the MLIS with arguably the best facilities in the league, only matched by the Wolstein Center for the Cleveland Crunch.
While it’s probably the least likely of the three, it does provide everything that a professional team in a small Northeast Pennsylvanian community could ask for.
The scheduling would be one of the main obstacles (though only one tenant plays here, concerts are common as well).
The other would be the one no one wants to talk about: money. It’s also likely that the upper deck would be curtained off to create a more intimate atmosphere at Mohegan for games.
Regardless of what facility is chosen, the MLIS is carving out a good footprint in the Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Michigan area going forward. The Allegheny Express one might call it, is in good hands.
The Wyoming Valley has a long and rich history of minor league professional sports going back to the time with the Pioneers and Penguins with indoor sports. The region has proven they are capable of supporting a team in the region.
The Pioneers were 93-50 in their eight seasons, making the Arena Cup twice. They also made the playoffs in the final six seasons that they played at Mohegan Arena.
The Penguins have made the Calder Cup Finals three times since coming to the Wyoming Valley in 1999. In their 27 seasons, they only failed to make the playoffs four times (not including canceled seasons or playoffs due to COVID).
They also won the regular season title twice. They made the Eastern Conference Finals last season before losing to the Toronto Marlies, four games to two.
Team names, colors, facilities, and other team related news will be released on the coming months as we get closer to kickoff for 27-28.
For all the latest news regarding the Scranton team and other league news regarding the MLIS head to mlispro.com for more info.
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