Las Vegas Legends set to kick off the new season
When I say “Las Vegas Legends” maybe you think of the show at the Flamingo with Michael Jackson, Elvis Presley and Barry White. And that would actually be a wise thought.
Ah, but do I do anything obvious? No, sir (or madame, as the case may be).
The Las Vegas Legends of the Major Arena Soccer League begin their 2015-16 season this Sunday, November 1 at 3:05 against the Sacramento Surge at the Las Vegas Sports Park.
Now, I know that indoor soccer is the nichiest of niche sports, but allow me to offer the history of the sport in 10 bullet points…
- The first Major Indoor Soccer League (considered the Godfather of indoor soccer leagues) started play in 1978.
- Before the 1984-85 season, Landmark Casino owner Bill Morris bought the MISL team that was in Memphis and relocated the new Las Vegas Americans to the Thomas and Mack Center. The Americans averaged 6337 fans per game before folding at the end of that single season.
- That original league, which had been renamed the Major Soccer League, folded after the 1991-92 season.
- The Dallas Sidekicks and the San Diego Sockers survived and helped form the Continental Indoor Soccer League, which began play in the summer of 1993.
- The Las Vegas Dustdevils joined the CISL for the 1994 and 1995 seasons.
- The Dustdevils won the 1994 CISL Championship while averaging 2709 per game at the MGM Garden Arena.
- The Dustdevils played the 1995 season at the Thomas and Mack Center, averaging 3274 per game before folding after that second season.
- The Las Vegas Knights won the semi-pro Premier Arena Soccer League titles in 2012 and 2013.
- The Las Vegas Legends joined the Professional Arena Soccer League in the 2012-13 season, playing at the Orleans Arena.
- The PASL and the third incarnation of the Major Indoor Soccer League combined in 2014 to create the Major Arena Soccer League.
When ten bullet points encompass four Las Vegas teams and six different leagues, it doesn’t take a sports savant to figure out that indoor soccer is forever in a state of flux, and teams (and leagues) coming and going every year shouldn’t surprise anyone, which is unfortunate.
Indoor soccer is a lot of fun. It is very fan-friendly, with lots of in-game entertainment and contests to keep the fans involved. The players are skilled, but also underpaid to the point of being honored to interact with fans with the hopes that the sport will succeed and pay the players a living wage.
The Las Vegas Legends season stretches for 20 games in November thru February, with ten home games that are all played at the Las Vegas Sports Park.
So while Frank Sinatra never sang at a Las Vegas Legends game, and you can’t get tickets at the Tix4Tonight booth, and the Legends tickets aren’t routinely comped for casino players, the games are a kick (see what I did there?) Especially if you are a local or if you are traveling with the family. This is a great way to spend two hours and being highly entertained. Even poker pro Daniel Negreanu is aware of the Legends and has trained with their coach.
And who knows, you might eventually become one of a very select few indoor soccer diehards and nascent historians in the country.
You may be wondering what makes me an expert? Well, I am not. But my hometown Milwaukee Wave has been in continuous existence since 1984, and I’ve been to an estimated 90% of the home games for the past 30 years. I’ve seen them win championships, and I’ve been part of crowds of over 17,000 fans. I’ve seen blue uniforms, white uniforms, and black uniforms. And for the past seven years or so, I’ve covered them on my personal blog. There are very few fans with those credentials. And I haven’t seen anyone else volunteer for a preseason write-up, either. Trust me, go to a game if you’re in town when the Las Vegas Legends are playing.
[Image: Las Vegas Legends Facebook Page]
Michael James is a true Vegas Nerd. First falling in love after hearing details of an aunt’s visit in the ’70s, and nurtured when the gambling bug hit as casinos started opening on every street corner across the country in the ’90s. When not reading Vegas blogs and message boards, he’s a metals buyer by day and a competitive bowler by night in Milwaukee.
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https://instagram.com/p/9j0AfzolKa/
Daniel Negreanu posted a photo from today’s game from his Instagram account.