Future of its four teams, including the Storm, up in the air.

by Dan Gaichas

 

MILWAUKEE, WI--The Xtreme Soccer League may disband as early as Friday according to published reports. The first such report was by WITI-TV in Milwaukee and later reported by Charlie Corr of slidetackles.net which reported that Milwaukee Wave owner Charles Krause is stepping down and that the team will disband if another is not found.

The XSL was formed as a four-team league after the breakup of the Major Indoor Soccer League last year. Its teams, the Chicago Storm, Milwaukee Wave, Detroit Ignition, and New Jersey Ironmen have all been making moves that signify that the league is indeed disbanding.

According to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, a formal announcement is expected Friday. That leaves its four teams’ futures in serious doubt including the five-year old Chicago Storm and the 25-year old Milwaukee Wave.

“It would be a shame to lose a 25-year Milwaukee institution that has done so much for the community, camps and the development of coaches within the community,” an unnamed soccer source said to the newspaper.

The National Indoor Soccer League (NISL), which also formed after the demise of the MISL said it would welcome the Wave if they find new ownership according to its commissioner Dave Grimaldi. The NISL includes the Baltimore Blast, Philadelphia Kixx, La Raza de Monterrety, Rockford Rampage, and the Massachusetts Twister.

If the Storm were to fold alongside the league, it would be the end of a five-year run dogged by poor attendance throughout its existence first at the UIC Pavilion (2004-2006) and then at the Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates (2006-2009). They made the playoffs of the old MISL three times, but were eliminated in the first playoff round each time. In their first year of the XSL, the Storm finished bottom of the four-team league with a record of 7-13. Detroit won the inaugural championship which was determined by regular season records and no playoffs.