Calgary joins U.S. indoor circuit

[Stuart]

Rita Mingo, For the Calgary Herald

Published: Saturday, November 01, 2008

The venues may be a lot more attractive, but the intent will remain the same when the Calgary United Football Club opens its 16-game indoor season tonight.

"The key is that every game does count for points,'' suggested coach Dave Randall. "And the winners meet in a playoff in March in California, and that's the carrot at the end of the stick.''

The team will welcome the Dallas Dynamite to the Calgary Soccer Centre, one of its adversaries in a new two-league format.

The Canadian Major Indoor Soccer League (CMISL), of which CUFC is a member, will this season play inter-league games with clubs from the U.S.-based Premier Arena Soccer League (PASL). Points in these games will matter, but each league will crown its own champion in the spring. The respective winners will then head to Stockton, Calif., for the North American Arena Soccer championship, to be joined by a team from the Liga Mexicana.

The PASL-Pro League is an eight-team circuit, with two divisions, based in cities like Dallas, St. Louis and Wenatchee, Wash.

"It's a good experience and that's why they're willing to put in the time for it and why they're looking forward to it,'' Randall said.

This alliance is viewed as a great opportunity to build and grow for the CMISL, which currently has teams in Calgary, Edmonton and Saskatoon.

"We haven't had any games, so I don't know how we'll stack up,'' Randall said. "But we like a challenge. I know those teams have a lot of MISL players and that the PASL is the top indoor league in North America. Obviously, if you're playing a U.S. team, there are going to be good players and we're expecting it to be very tough. And it'll be well worth watching.''

Randall, who also coaches the national champion Callies, has several of those players on his United side. For that reason, he knows just what to expect from his charges.

"I have every confidence that we'll perform well,'' he said. "We have that experience level, that skill level and the team aspect.''

While there are rule varations in the PASL-Pro League, the ajustment is underway.

"Our preparation will be a challenge as well. I think any time you play a team from the States, it's a little more exciting. It's different, a little more professional," Randall said.