December 2, 2020
ROCHESTER LANCERS OPTS INTO MODIFIED 2020-21 MASL SEASON
(December 2, 2020) – The Major Arena Soccer League (MASL), following a vote from its Board of Directors, has agreed to proceed with plans for a modified 2020-2021 regular season, with eleven teams, including Utica City FC, choosing to participate in the campaign. The MASL regular season may start as early as December 31, 2020, with a final regular season date of April 18, 2021.
The MASL clubs who have decided to participate in the 2020-2021 season are: Baltimore, Dallas, Florida, Harrisburg, Kansas City, Ontario, Rochester, San Diego, St. Louis, Tacoma and Utica. These teams will play a regular season of between 12 and 24 matches in order to be considered eligible for playoff participation. A playoff format will be revealed at a later date.
Mesquite and Turlock have joined Milwaukee, Monterrey and Sonora as members unable to participate in the 2020-21 campaign due to restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic. These teams remain active members in good standing in the MASL.
Local and state regulations will be a determining factor in start dates, capacity, and number of games played. Teams that are allowed arena capacity, and have dates will have the ability to schedule and fulfill games as allowed. Standings will be based on winning percentage, since teams will potentially play an unbalanced number of games.
“It is important for fans of the Rochester Lancers to understand that, due to the aforementioned regulations, we do not anticipate starting quite as soon as other teams that are not located in the Northeast,” said Salvatore "SoccerSam" Fantauzzo “We are working on a plan that will allow for the allotted 12-24 games, and our ultimate hope is that we will be able to have some capacity of fans for our modified season. We appreciate your patience as we navigate through COVID protocols and we thank you for all of your continued support."
The 2020-21 MASL season begins with the first-ever MASL All-Star Game, to be played on Saturday, December 5 at Cable Dahmer Arena in Independence, Missouri, featuring the West facing the East in a 7pm CST contest. A limited number of socially distanced tickets are now available through www.ticketmaster.com or by calling the Kansas City Comets office at (888) 9-COMETS. All-Star Game merchandise is available for purchase here. Fans out-of-market can enjoy all the action on pay-per-view streaming via Facebook for the cost of $15. Go to the MASL Facebook page: facebook.com/MASLsoccer and select “Events”, or click here. The MASL is auctioning off game-worn All-Star jerseys and game balls via the Livesource app, or here.
The league also continues to evaluate opportunities to play in regional competitions outside the framework of the regular season, such as the upcoming Central Cup, and will make future announcements as warranted.
ABOUT THE MAJOR ARENA SOCCER LEAGUE
The Major Arena Soccer League represents the highest level of professional arena soccer in the world. The MASL features teams across North America, with teams playing coast-to-coast in the United States and Mexico. The MASL is currently incorporated as a 501(c)6 not for profit corporation formed to promote the business and sport of arena soccer.