Meola Set To Return Despite League Shake-up

Ironmen goalkeeper Tony Meola has expressed his intention to return to the team next season. According to the longtime U.S. National Team keeper and Kearny, NJ native, "Right now, the plan is to come back for one more season."

With MISL operations coming to a halt this week, all players are technically free agents until the league re-forms under a new name and structure. Despite this tentative situation, Meola sees himself in an Ironmen uniform next season. "I don't see myself going anywhere," Meola affirmed.

The new league looks set to begin next season with a revamped ownership/investor base.

As for Meola's Ironmen teammates, head coach Omid Namazi isn't too worried. "I'm sure there will be a gentlemen's agreement not to touch other team's players," Namazi stated.

Ironmen Will Play Next Season

The New Jersey Ironmen will be around next year. With the announcement that the Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL) has ceased operations, it has inspired speculation about the future of the franchises and sport.

In an email exchange with John Archibald (Director of Communications), we feel secure in saying the Ironmen will be here next year:

Ownership and staff, “are fully committed to the future of our franchise… While there will be some changes regarding the league going forward, you can fully expect the Ironmen to be part of the future of our game.”

We here at LocalFe26.com believe that the folding of MISL may be for the best. A restructuring of the league could be exactly what is needed for the continued growth and survival of the sport. The Baltimore Blast and Philadelphia Kixx have already made statements about their intentions to continue operations.

We will keep you updated, as we continue to follow this story and information becomes available.

http://www.localfe26.com

MISL Ceases Operations

The Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL) has announced today that the league has ceased operations effective immediately. According to the official MISL press release, the move was implemented in an effort to "restructure" the league.

The MISL believes that moving to a new league structure "will help lower costs and attract additional owner/operators."

Baltimore Blast owner Ed Hale affirmed in a statement that the Blast will play next season and stated that the shake up will allow the new league to jettison "some of the stock ownership from previous owners." The fate of current MISL teams will be decided "soon," according to Hale's statement.

There is no word yet from the Ironmen. We here at the Local FE26 are tracking down our sources. We'll report any developments as soon as they are known.

Ironmen Players a Boon to Palace

Ibrahim Kante - Image from Crystal Palace Website

First place Crystal Palace Baltimore of the United Soccer Leagues (USL) Second Division has benefited from the strong play of two Ironmen players. Forward Gary Brooks is second in the league with five goals scored in only five games played. Brooks has also added an assist to his point total this year.

Brooks' last two goals came this past Saturday against the Western Mass Pioneers. Brooks leveled the match twice in the first half with a goal in the sixth minute and a successful penalty kick just before the halftime whistle.

Palace's other Ironmen player, defender Ibrahim Kante, played hero against the Pioneers with a goal off a free kick deep into second half stoppage time. The goal gave Palace a late 3-2 victory and extended their win streak to five straight. Kante has tallied two goals in five games for the USL-2 side this season.

Both players were named to the USL Second Division Week 6 Team of the Week for their performances against the Pioneers.

Kljestan Trains With Metro

Irons' defender Gordon Kljestan trained with Metro/Red Bull New York last week. Kljestan also started and played 76 minutes in the Red Bull reserve team's 2-1 loss to the Kansas City Wizards reserves on May 18th.

Kljestan was originally taken by the Los Angeles Galaxy in the 2006 MLS Supplemental Draft. He is the only Ironmen player to see action in every match for New Jersey last season.

Irons in the USL

As promised, we will be checking in on our players' progress throughout the off season. A good number of Ironmen ply their trade in the United Soccer Leagues (USL) during the MISL break. The current USL season is less than two months old and it looks like all Ironmen players have been productive thus far. Here's a quick list of Ironmen players' USL First Division teams and stats (we'll check up on the USL Second Division in later posts):

• Dan Antoniuk (Carolina RailHawks) - 2 Goals

• Lazo Alavanja (Charleston Battery) - 1 Assist

• Frederico Moojen (Minnesota Thunder) - 1 Assist

• John Krause (Puerto Rico Islanders) - 1 Goal

• Mauricio Salles (Rochester Rhinos) - 1 Goal, 1 Assist

Local FE 26: Upcoming Plans

Our apologies for the lapse in posts toward the end of the season. We here at the Local FE 26 have been hopelessly bogged down with a number of projects for the past month or so. It was a season of firsts for the team as well as us. Tasks like supporter organization and website maintenance proved to be a bit trickier than first thought. However, we are confident that we have worked out most of the major kinks. We should be up and running at full strength by the time the Irons take to the turf on opening day.

In the meantime, we will keep you posted on any Ironmen related news that comes our way. We will also check in on our players, many of whom play for sides in the USL during the off season. Plus, we will be working diligently on creating the new Local FE 26 supporters' website.

Feel free to post your thoughts in the comments section below. What ideas do you have for the website? How can we make the Local FE 26 a stronger supporters group?