American soccer writing, history & data.
In December of 1993, USISL commissioner Francisco Marcos recommended that the organization begin a women's soccer program on an informal and voluntary basis in 1994 with plans for an official league to be launched starting in 1995. Around 17 women's teams played a pilot program of exhibition matches under the USISL umbrella which was called the United States Women's Interregional Soccer League. Mo...
In September of 1993, the United States Interregional Soccer League gained sanctioning as an Division III professional outdoor league by the U.S. Soccer Federation. The league grew from 43 teams in 1993 to 70 in 1994. While the league itself was granted official professional status, individual teams had the option to go professional and forego college-eligible players or retain amateur status a...
The 1993-94 U.S. Interregional Soccer League season was a 14-team league split into three divisions. It also included a Challenge Division of teams that played a limited schedule of away games. Those games counted in the standings for the other teams in the league but the Challenge Division teams were not eligible for the playoffs. The Tyler Lightning moved to Arlington, Texas and became the Te...
An expansion boom led the United State Interregional Soccer League to nearly double in size for the 1993 outdoor season. The league added 24 expansion franchises bringing the total to 43 teams. The USISL made its way up the East Coast adding a nine-team Atlantic Division that included teams from South Carolina all the way up to Connecticut. The USISL also awarded a number of new franchises in 1993...
The 1992-93 US Interregional Soccer League indoor season launched with 16 teams. The expansion of the outdoor season did not lead to a similar expansion of the indoor season as most of the 1992 outdoor expansion franchises decided to focus solely on the outdoor game. A number of the older franchises, such as the Austin Soccadillos, also began to drop their indoor teams. The Arkansas Diamonds and G...
The United States Interregional Soccer League expanded to the west coast for the 1992 outdoor season adding four clubs in the Bay Area plus two provisional teams in San Diego. A number of long-serving teams dropped out after the 1991-92 outdoor season: Amarillo Challengers; Colorado Comets; Tulsa Renegades; Permian Basin Mirage; and Phoenix Hearts. The Lubbock franchise sat out the 1992 season - i...
After five years in existence, the former Southwest Indoor/Outdoor/Independent and Sunbelt Independent Soccer League shed its SISL acronym and renamed itself the United States Interregional Soccer League prior to its 1991-92 indoor season. The league was eyeing expansion for its coming outdoor season and positioning itself as the outdoor development feeder league for the USSF's planned three-tier ...
The Sunbelt Indoor Soccer League was relatively stable between its 1990-91 indoor and 1991 outdoor seasons. Both competitions had 18 teams with only a few changes in the lineups. After the New Mexico Chiles of the American Professional Soccer League folded following that league's 1990 outdoor season, nine members of that defunct club formed their own company and, with the permission of the orig...
After the 1990 outdoor season the Southwest Independent Soccer League expanded to 18 teams before the 1990-91 indoor soccer season. With additions in the southern U.S., the organization again renamed itself becoming the Sunbelt Independent Soccer League. A number of franchise changes happened between the outdoor and indoor seasons. North Texas United of Duncanville dropped out. The Albuquerque ...
After the 1989-90 Southwest Independent Soccer League season, the organization signed an affiliation agreement with the indoor National Professional Soccer League. Under the agreement, the SISL would operate as a farm league for the NPSL. The NPSL could assign players to the SISL and sign players from the SISL to professional contracts. Most teams which played in the 1989-90 indoor season playe...
After the summer outdoor season, the Southwest Indoor/Outdoor Soccer League renamed itself as the Southwest Independent Soccer League. The organization almost doubled in size prior to the SISL 1989-90 indoor season. While the San Antonio Heat did not return, the other seven teams that took part in the outdoor season did along with the Amarillo Challengers and Houston Express which did not take par...
By the time of the 1989-90 indoor season the Southwest Indoor Soccer League was affiliated with the U.S. Soccer Federation as a regional indoor league for Region III. During that indoor season, the SISL also acquired affiliation with the USSF as a Division III regional amateur/semi-pro outdoor league for its inaugural Southwest Outdoor Soccer League 1989 season. Prior to the season, the Albuque...
The Southwest Indoor Soccer League added three teams prior to the 1988-89 season: Houston Express; San Antonio Heat; and Wichita Tornado. In addition, the Arlington Arrows moved to Addison, Texas and become the Addison Arrows. By this time, the SISL was affiliated with the U.S. Soccer Federation as a regional indoor league for Region III. During the indoor season, the SISL also acquired affilia...
Soon after the 1986-87 Southwest Indoor Soccer League season, the F.C. Outlaws of Albuquerque were expelled from the league. Al Valentine, the franchise's owner and co-owner of the defunct Albuquerque Indoor Soccer Arena where the team played its games, hadn't paid league dues and various other fees. F.C. Albuquerque, a newly-formed corporation headed by three local businessmen, bought the rights ...
Francisco Marcos, owner and operator of Soccer Management International, an agency representing a few Major Indoor Soccer League players, formed the Southwest Indoor Soccer League. Marcos formed the SISL to eventually serve as a developmental league for the MISL and to help local indoor soccer area owners-operators drum up interest in indoor soccer for their cities. To get the league rolling, a $2...
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