2015–16_MASL_season
2015–16 Major Arena Soccer League season
Football league season
The 2015–16 Major Arena Soccer League season was the eighth season for the league and the second 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 24, 2015, and ended on March 4, 2016. Each team played a 20-game schedule. It was also the 38th season of professional indoor soccer in the United States.
| Season | 2015–16 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Baltimore Blast |
| Matches played | 198 |
| Goals scored | 2,630 (13.28 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Franck Tayou (47 goals) |
| Longest winning run | 11 Games: Baltimore Blast (11/7-1/9) Sonora Suns (11/7-1/17) |
| Longest losing run | 18 games: Harrisburg Heat (11/6-2/27) |
| Highest attendance | 9,442 CHI @ BAL (November 7) |
| Lowest attendance | 104 BAJ @ SAL (February 5) |
| Average attendance | 2,405 [1] |
← 2014–15 2016–17 → | |
Many of the 22 teams that completed the 2014–15 season returned for the 2015–16 season.[2][3][4] Teams not returning this season include Rochester Lancers, Wichita B-52s, Tulsa Revolution, and Monterrey Flash. In April 2015, Baltimore Blast owner Ed Hale announced that his team was withdrawing from the MASL to form a new league.[5] No other teams announced their departure and the proposed new league never formed. The Blast quietly rejoined the league after agreeing to pay a fine. The Detroit Waza relocated to Flint, Michigan, and are operating this season as simply Waza Flo.[6]
The expansion Sonora Suns based in Hermosillo, Connecticut-based Hartford City FC, Iowa-based Cedar Rapids Rampage, and Tijuana-based Atletico Baja were formally accepted for membership in the MASL.[7][8] The fledgling Youngstown Nighthawks based in Ohio aimed to join the league but encountered financial issues.[9]
On October 28, 2015, the MASL announced that Hartford City FC would not be permitted to enter the league this season and began league-wide schedule changes to replace the failed franchise.[10][11] A new ownership group hoped to revive the team for the 2016–17 season.[10]
Unlike last season where some Eastern Division teams played with a variable-point scoring system, for 2015–16 the whole MASL will play with standard soccer scoring using goals, not points.[3]
As of March 4, 2016
2015-16 League Championship
2015-16 Playoff Team
(Bold) Division Winner
Eastern Conference
| Place | Team | GP | W | L | Pct | GF | GA | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern Division | ||||||||||
| 1 | Baltimore Blast | 19 | 15 | 4 | .789 | 129 | 57 | - | 9-1 | 6-3 |
| 2 | Syracuse Silver Knights | 20 | 11 | 9 | .550 | 120 | 113 | 4.5 | 7-3 | 4-6 |
| 3 | Waza Flo | 18 | 9 | 9 | .500 | 101 | 119 | 5.5 | 5-3 | 4-6 |
| 4 | Harrisburg Heat | 19 | 1 | 18 | .053 | 75 | 152 | 14.0 | 0-10 | 1-8 |
| Central Division | ||||||||||
| 1 | Missouri Comets | 20 | 17 | 3 | .850 | 153 | 95 | — | 7-3 | 10-0 |
| 2 | Chicago Mustangs | 20 | 13 | 7 | .650 | 152 | 123 | 4 | 7-3 | 6-4 |
| 3 | Milwaukee Wave | 20 | 13 | 7 | .650 | 131 | 114 | 4 | 7-3 | 6-4 |
| 4 | St. Louis Ambush | 20 | 5 | 15 | .250 | 104 | 138 | 12 | 3-7 | 2-8 |
| 5 | Cedar Rapids Rampage | 20 | 5 | 15 | .250 | 117 | 160 | 12 | 3-7 | 2-8 |
Western Conference
| Place | Team | GP | W | L | Pct | GF | GA | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southwest Division | ||||||||||
| 1 | Las Vegas Legends | 20 | 14 | 6 | .700 | 141 | 106 | — | 8-2 | 6-4 |
| 2 | Atletico Baja | 20 | 12 | 8 | .600 | 178 | 161 | 2 | 8-2 | 4-6 |
| 3 | Brownsville Barracudas | 20 | 8 | 12 | .400 | 134 | 145 | 6 | 6-4 | 2-8 |
| 4 | Saltillo Rancho Seco | 20 | 7 | 13 | .350 | 150 | 170 | 7 | 5-5 | 2-8 |
| 5 | Sacramento Surge | 20 | 3 | 17 | .150 | 114 | 180 | 11 | 3-7 | 0-10 |
| 6 | Turlock Express | 20 | 3 | 17 | .150 | 98 | 174 | 11 | 3-7 | 0-10 |
| Pacific Division | ||||||||||
| 1 | Sonora Suns | 20 | 17 | 3 | .850 | 219 | 134 | — | 9-1 | 8-2 |
| 2 | San Diego Sockers | 20 | 13 | 7 | .650 | 138 | 111 | 4 | 7-3 | 6-4 |
| 3 | Tacoma Stars | 20 | 13 | 7 | .650 | 116 | 109 | 4 | 7-3 | 6-4 |
| 4 | Ontario Fury | 20 | 12 | 8 | .600 | 146 | 135 | 5 | 7-3 | 5-5 |
| 5 | Dallas Sidekicks | 20 | 7 | 13 | .350 | 114 | 134 | 10 | 4-6 | 3-7 |
Playoff format
Top three finishers in each division qualify for the playoffs. The winner of the playoff between the second and third place teams will play the first place team for the division title.
Each round (including the Newman Cup Championship) will be a home and away series. Teams that win both games will advance. If the wins are split between the two teams, a fifteen-minute mini game will be played immediately after the second game to break the tie. The only exception will be the Eastern Division Semi-Final, where there will be a one-game playoff (Syracuse hosting Waza Flo) because of arena availability issues.[12][13]
Eastern Conference Playoffs
Eastern Division Semi-Final
Syracuse advances to the Eastern Division Final.
Eastern Division Final
Baltimore wins series 2–0.
Central Division Semi-Final
Milwaukee wins series 2–1.
Central Division Final
Missouri wins series 2–0.
Eastern Conference Final
| Baltimore Blast | 4–3 (2OT) | Missouri Comets |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
Baltimore wins series 2–0
Western Conference Playoffs
Southwest Division Semi-Final
Brownsville wins series 2–0
Southwest Division Final
Las Vegas wins series 2–0
Pacific Division Semi-Final
San Diego wins series 2–0
Pacific Division Final
Sonora wins series 2–1.
Western Conference Final
Sonora wins series 2–1.
Newman Cup Championship
Baltimore wins Newman Cup 2–0.
Top scorers
| Rank | Scorer | Club | Games | Goals | Assists | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Franck Tayou |
Sonora Suns | 20 | 47 | 15 | 62 |
| 2 | Kraig Chiles |
San Diego Sockers | 18 | 28 | 27 | 55 |
| 3 |  Vahid Assadpour |
Missouri Comets | 20 | 23 | 27 | 50 |
| 4 |  Mauricio Salles |
Ontario Fury | 20 | 30 | 16 | 46 |
 Efrain Martinez |
Chicago Mustangs | 20 | 21 | 25 | 46 | |
| 6 | Ian Bennett |
Milwaukee Wave | 20 | 37 | 7 | 44 |
 Leo Gibson |
Missouri Comets | 18 | 21 | 23 | 44 | |
| 8 | Victor Baez |
Saltillo Rancho Seco | 20 | 28 | 15 | 43 |
| 9 | Moises Gonzalez |
Brownsville Barracudas | 20 | 34 | 8 | 42 |
| Hewerton Moreira |
Cedar Rapids Rampage | 20 | 13 | 29 | 42 | |
Last updated on March 4, 2016. Source: "Scoring Leaders". Major Arena Soccer League.
Individual awards
| Award | Name[14] | Team |
|---|---|---|
| League MVP | Franck Tayou | Sonora Suns |
| Goalkeeper of the Year | Danny Waltman | Tacoma Stars |
| Defender of the Year | Pat Healey | Baltimore Blast |
| Rookie of the Year | Alejandro Leyva | Sonora Suns |
| Coach of the Year | Darren Sawatzky | Tacoma Stars |
| Aaron Susi Trophy (Playoff MVP) | Lucas Roque | Baltimore Blast |
All-League First Team
| Name[15] | Position | Team |
|---|---|---|
| Kraig Chiles | F | San Diego Sockers |
| Franck Tayou | F | Sonora Suns |
| Vahid Assadpour | M | Missouri Comets |
| Damian Garcia | D | Sonora Suns |
| Eric Guzman | D | Las Vegas Legends |
| Danny Waltman | GK | Tacoma Stars |
All-League Second Team
| Name[15] | Position | Team |
|---|---|---|
| Leo Gibson | F | Missouri Comets |
| Mauricio Salles | F | Ontario Fury |
| Ian Bennett | M | Milwaukee Wave |
| Victor Baez | D | Saltillo Rancho Seco |
| Pat Healey | D | Baltimore Blast |
| William Vanzela | GK | Baltimore Blast |
All-League Third Team
| Name[15] | Position | Team |
|---|---|---|
| Efrain Martinez | F | Chicago Mustangs |
| Max Ferdinand | M | Milwaukee Wave |
| Moises Gonzalez | M | Brownsville Barracudas |
| Luis Ortega | D | Chicago Mustangs |
| John Sosa | D | Missouri Comets |
| Boris Pardo | GK | Missouri Comets |
All-Rookie Team
| Name[16] | Position | Team |
|---|---|---|
| Alejandro Leyva | F | Sonora Suns |
| Adolfo Bautista | F | Chicago Mustangs |
| Mike Ramos | M | Tacoma Stars |
| Thiago Gonçalves | D | Waza Flo |
| Roberto Medina | D | Sonora Suns |
| Andrew Coughlin | GK | Syracuse Silver Knights |
- "2015-16 League Attendance". Major Arena Soccer League. Retrieved December 12, 2015.
- Carp, Steve (March 17, 2015). "Legends promise to return in 2016". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Las Vegas, NV: GateHouse Media. Retrieved March 19, 2015.
- "MASL adopts new scoring system, structure". The Examiner. Independence, MO: GateHouse Media. April 30, 2015. Retrieved May 4, 2015.
- "Tacoma Stars Set To Relaunch in 2015". Tacoma, WA: Tacoma Stars. May 19, 2015. Retrieved May 20, 2015.
- Krieger, Dan (May 11, 2015). "Weekly Sports League and Franchise Report". Our Sports Central (Press release). Retrieved May 14, 2015.
- Woodyard, Eric (September 29, 2015). "Major Arena Soccer League team moves home games to Flint's Dort Federal Event Center". The Flint Journal. Flint, MI: Booth Newspapers. Retrieved October 29, 2015.
- Cano, Guillermo (March 5, 2015). "MASL: Viene a Hermosillo el Comisionado Milliken". Triunfo Deportivo. Retrieved March 5, 2015.
- "Soles de Sonora Introduced as First 2015/16 Expansion Team". Major Arena Soccer League. March 6, 2015. Archived from the original on December 24, 2015. Retrieved March 6, 2015.
- Skolnick, David (March 10, 2015). "A proposed soccer league wants to play its home games at the Covelli Centre". The Vindicator. Youngstown, OH: Vindicator Printing Company. Retrieved March 17, 2015.
- Kauffman, Matthew; Carlesso, Jenna (October 28, 2015). "Arena Soccer League Drops Hartford Team Over Concerns About Federal Investigation". Hartford Courant. Hartford, CT: Tribune Publishing. Retrieved October 29, 2015.
- Cohen, Jeff (October 28, 2015). "Team Says Arena Soccer League Cancels Hartford City FC's Season". Hartford, CT: Connecticut Public Radio. Retrieved October 29, 2015.
- "MASL Owners Announce Plans for 2015-16 Season". Major Arena Soccer League. April 29, 2015. Archived from the original on May 1, 2015. Retrieved April 29, 2015.
- "MASL Announces 2016 Ron Newman Cup Playoffs Schedule". Major Arena Soccer League (MASL). March 2, 2016. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved March 2, 2016.
- "MASL Announces Major Award Winners for 2015/16 Season". Major Arena Soccer League (MASL). March 17, 2016. Archived from the original on March 23, 2016. Retrieved March 17, 2016.
- "MASL Announces 2015/16 All-League Teams". Major Arena Soccer League (MASL). March 15, 2016. Archived from the original on March 17, 2016. Retrieved March 15, 2016.
- "MASL Announces Major Awards Finalists and 2015/16 All-Rookie Team". Major Arena Soccer League (MASL). March 11, 2016. Archived from the original on March 12, 2016. Retrieved March 11, 2016.