The Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL) should switch to the World Indoor Game.

The MISL plays six-a-side indoor soccer with dasher boards for its league games, but it also plays Futsal regularly in international competition. Virtually the entire roster of most U.S. Futsal selections is comprised of MISL players.

 

Futsal is the unchallenged World Indoor Game. There had been some earlier discussion about using dasher boards in international competition, but FIFA nixed that. 

 

The MISL could easily drop the dasher boards and adopt the side and end lines used by the rest of the world. They would not necessarily have the call their game Futsal if that created any marketing problems, and, for similar reasons, they could continue to use the turf and six players on the field. But it would be a great step forward if the league just dropped the anachronistic dasher boards and joined the rest of the world.

 

The world indoor game is Futsal. Close followers of the sport know that it was developed by Juan Carlos Ceriani in Uruguay in 1930 for use in YMCAs and became very popular in Brazil and other South American Countries. All of the great Brazilian stars, including Ronaldo, grew up playing Futsal. Ronaldo has called the game his "first love" and has said that it is the key to his success on the outdoor field. Futsal is now played all over the world, and UEFA, in particular, has made great strides developing the sport.

 

The indoor wall game was developed by U.S. marketers who thought erroneously that the walls would add speed and excitement to the game. The walls actually slow down the game, deprive it of its natural focus and beauty and hinder the spectators' view of the action.

 

Coverage of the MISL is often filled with Futsal news. A league feature, a league highlight, is that it plays Futsal, the world indoor game, in international competitions. The next step is for them to make it their league game, as well.