by Lyle 'Chip' Chipperson

Created on: May 23, 2009   Last Updated: June 01, 2009

Soccer (better known as football in other countries) in the United States all together is not a favorite. As Tom Leykis once mentioned soccer is a bunch of ants chasing the aspirin. The American that I am, I for one actually enjoy watching a boring soccer game. I like to watch some of the MLS and due to having a few pals from European countries, I have some access to the English Premier and also the Italian Leagues.

In Detroit, Michigan (my hometown), we've had three indoor soccer teams of mention. First off by the most recent and as of May 2009, they still have their foot in the door, is the Detroit Ignition. The ignition is now with the XSL (Xtreme Soccer League) after leaving the folded Major Indoor Soccer League. Previously, we had the Detroit Rockers who had the privilege to play at Joe Louis Arena, home of the 2008 Stanley Cup Champs, not to mention ten others and four in the last eleven years as of 2008. The Rockers had a good run starting in the early nineties. But when 2001 approached, the Rockers said goodbye, along with their league the NPSL (National Professional Soccer League), which had an interesting scoring system. And finally, the Detroit Neon (later turned Safari) who played at the Palace Of Auburn Hills which is the current home of the 1989, 1990 and 2004 champions The Detroit Pistons. However, the Neon/Safari didn't show the same endurance as the Rockers and folded after a four-season run in 1997. Like the Rockers, the league that carried the Neon called the CISL (Continental Indoor Soccer League) also said good-bye to the world that same year.

As you can no doubt tell, Professional Indoor Soccer doesn't seem to go too far in Detroit. At the present time, Detroit does not have a Major League Soccer team. To be honest, if the MLS does show interest in Detroit sooner or later (likely later), it would take a while for a franchise to come to Detroit. But, I'm also entertained by the idea of our own NFL franchise the Detroit Lions running out of cash to stay in the NFL, therefore becoming defunct and we could use Ford Field for a MLS franchise.

However, the subject at hand is how the MLS can increase its popularity, not Indoor Soccer in Detroit, Michigan. So let's get back to the subject at hand.

I've seen a few Major League Soccer games on ESPN and all of their channels (like ESPN 2 and all others you could name). The MLS exposure had spiked when David Beckham came to town and played for the Los Angeles Galaxy. What some analyst's and fans

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>