Weekend Recap: Lansing, Cleveland and Rockford Secure Wins

January 19, 2026 - Chicago, Illinois - This past weekend featured three matches from the North Conference of the Major League Indoor Soccer (MLIS), beginning Saturday with Cleveland’s 9–5 win over Pittsburgh, followed by Rockford’s 6–4 victory against Ft. Wayne. The action concluded on Sunday with Lansing defeating Chicago 11–10 in a match decided in the final minute.

Rockford earned a 6–4 win over Ft. Wayne after building a four-goal lead in the second quarter. Rockford scored once in the first and added four goals in the second to go ahead 5–1 at halftime. Ft. Wayne responded with two goals in the third and another early in the fourth to cut the deficit to one.

Rockford sealed the result with a goal in the final seconds of the fourth quarter. Shots were nearly even, with Rockford holding an 11–10 edge, and both teams scored primarily at even strength.

Cleveland defeated Pittsburgh 9–5 after taking control in the second quarter and maintaining the lead the rest of the game. Pittsburgh opened the scoring midway through the first, but Cleveland tied it late in the second and followed with three more goals in the period to take a 4–2 lead at halftime. Cleveland added two early goals in the third to extend the margin to 6–2.

Cleveland continued scoring in the fourth, including a penalty shot goal, before Pittsburgh responded with three goals to cut the deficit. Cleveland answered with a late goal to close out the match. Cleveland outshot Pittsburgh 51–23 and scored nine times on even strength and penalty opportunities, while Pittsburgh’s offense came in short stretches but could not overcome the shot and goal differential. In the North Conference standings, Pittsburgh now sits in fourth place with a 2–2 record, while Cleveland sits in second with a 4–0 record.

Lansing edged Chicago 11–10 in a back-and-forth match that featured multiple lead changes. The teams traded three goals each in the first quarter, and the second continued at the same pace with both sides scoring four times, sending Chicago into halftime with a 7–6 lead. The third quarter remained even as each team added two goals, leaving Chicago ahead 9–8 entering the fourth.

Lansing tied the match on a power-play goal early in the fourth and took the lead midway through the period. An empty-net goal in the final minute gave Lansing a two-goal cushion before Chicago scored once more with six attackers. Lansing finished with 29 shots to Chicago’s 36 and held on in the closing seconds to secure the win.

With the win over Chicago, Lansing moves into third place in the North Conference standings at 4–3.