XSL Unveiled

As we mentioned earlier, The Xtreme Soccer League was officially introduced at a press conference in Milwaukee yesterday afternoon. Here are the main aspects that were covered:

• The league will consist of four teams: the New Jersey Ironmen, Chicago Storm, Detroit Ignition and Milwaukee Wave.
  
• Each team will have a 20-game schedule broken down into 10 home and 10 away.
  
• The season will open up on December 1st and end late in March.
• Rules will be unchanged from last year. The multi-point scoring system will once again be in effect.
• All league games will be streamed on the XSL website. The site will also have a number of interactive features.
  
• The league will host 3 on 3 soccer tournaments for youth and adults throughout the year and expand their summer camp program.

Let's start with the positives:

The XSL website was well thought out. Online game streaming will make following the Ironmen much easier. Feeds for away games were nearly impossible to find last year.

The league also made a good move in keeping the same rules as last year. Although some purists might disagree, the multi-point scoring system is one facet that adds excitement and a sense of uniqueness to the indoor game.

Now our concerns:

The press conference was lacking in a number of ways. A four member league is obviously very small. It will be interesting to see how the league handles inter-league games. Matches against National Indoor Soccer League sides would allow teams to have a more diversified schedule. Meaningful inter-league matches would also help the Ironmen to establish a natural regional rivalry with the NISL's Philadelphia Kixx and Baltimore Blast.

The press conference also failed to address what teams will be playing for. Noticeably absent was any mention of playoffs or a league cup. A championship game or series between the XSL and NISL winners would be a very appealing prospect.

Hopefully the league will address these issues when they release more information in about a week. As always, we here at the Local Fe26 will keep you caught up.