The Contintel Indoor Soccer League was an indoor soccer league that existed from 1993 to 1997.
History
When the Major Soccer League folded in the summer of 1992, two of its former teams (Dallas and San Diego) joined a group of hockey and basketball arena owners led by Ron Weinstein who wanted to create a league to fill dates during the summer months. This was the first attempt at a summer indoor soccer league with all previous leagues being fall-winter leagues.
The CISL played its first season in 1993 with 7 teams including one team in Mexico, the Monterrey La Raza. The league reached a high of 15 teams by 1995 including a second team south of the border, the Mexico Toros . However, the league played with 11 teams in both 1996 and 1997. After the 1997 season, several teams withdrew from the league in a dispute with Ron Weinstein, who had been serving as the league's commissioner. When Dallas, the best drawing team in the league, left the CISL just before Christmas 1997, the league disbanded.
Dallas and Sacramento were two of the founding franchises for the Premier Soccer Alliance in 1998, which became the World Indoor Soccer League in 1999.
Championship series
SEASON CHAMPION SERIES RUNNER-UP
1993 Dallas Sidekicks 2 to 1 San Diego Sockers
1994 Las Vegas Dustdevils 2 to 1 Dallas Sidekicks
1995 Monterrey La Raza 2 to 1 Sacramento Knights
1996 Monterrey La Raza 2 to 0 Houston Hotshots
1997 Seattle Seadogs 2 to 0 Houston Hotshots
Teams
- Anaheim Splash (originally Los Angeles United)
- Arizona Sandsharks
- Dallas Sidekicks (formerly of the MISL)
- Detroit Safari (originally Detroit Neon)
- Houston Hotshots
- Indiana Twisters (originally Indianapolis Twisters)
- Las Vegas Dustdevils
- Mexico Toros
- Monterrey La Raza
- Pittsburgh Stingers
- Portland Pride
- Sacramento Knights
- San Diego Sockers (formerly of the MISL)
- San Jose Grizzlies
- Seattle Seadogs
- Washington Warthogs
