MLIS Gets Back to Work After Holiday Break

After a long holiday break, the MLIS schedule kicks back into full gear with four games this weekend.

Following a stretch that saw only one game in the last 20 days,  MLIS action heats up in earnest, and this weekend's games are highlighted by the season debut of the Wichita Selection, the only team that had yet to see the field.

Saturday, January 7 

Springfield Demize (1-0) at Wichita Selection (0-0)
Season series: 0-0

The Wichita Selection are the last MLIS team to make their debut and they host the Springfield Demize. The Demize set the ultimate standard for debuts with a 24-1 win over the Austin Emerald on December 10. The Demize and Selection both played in the PASL before making the jump to the professional MLIS. Their last meeting was January 25, 2020, a 7-4 Springfield win. Before Saturday's MLIS game, the Demize and Selection's current PASL affiliates will square off.

Wichita features a core of stalwarts from the PASL team making their pro indoor debuts, including Jose Ocampo, Erik Barragan, and Radley Arnold.

Springfield's Desmond Williams is tied for 4th in the league with six points and Luis Santillan is second with four assists, despite having only played one game.

Brew City Legends (0-2) at Illinois State Line Falcons (0-2)
Season series: 0-0

This game has been postponed and will be rescheduled.

Austin Emerald (0-2) at Houston Bolt (1-0)
Season series: Houston leads 1-0

The Emerald and the Bolt will engage in the first MLIS rematch! Houston beat Austin 11-5 on December 17. After dropping their season opener in Springfield 24-1, Austin employed 11 new players in their game against the Bolt, and Saturday's game will be a good measuring stick of their progress. 

Sunday, January 8

Rapid City FC (1-1) at Detroit Waza Flo (0-2)
Season series: 0-0

Rapid City and Detroit face each other for the first time with both teams having already faced Eastern Division rivals Cincinnati and Cleveland. The boys from Grand Rapids easily handled Cincinnati 8-1, while Detroit's rally against the Swerve fell short, 8-6. Both teams struggled against Cleveland with Rapid City falling 10-6 and Detroit losing 7-4.

Jacob Potts and Nermin Crnkic have been early standouts for Rapid City, while Detroit's athletic goalkeeper Enrique Orozco has gained some early attention.