Amarillo vs Iowa and Wichita vs Chihuahua are semi-final matchups Friday in Mesquite
Four teams – including one of the most iconic names in the history of indoor soccer – will be vying for the Major Arena Soccer League 2 championship this weekend at Mesquite Arena, home of the Mesquite Outlaws (MASL).
The Amarillo Bombers, as the No. 1 overall seed by virtue of their 10-2 regular season, selected the Iowa Raptors to play in one of two semi-finals Friday afternoon in Texas.
The Bombers, who won the Midwest Division in a tiebreaker, were the league’s most explosive team this year, pounding in 146 goals in 12 regular season games, 24 more than any other team in the league. The Raptors clinched their North Division title and playoff spot on the final weekend of the regular season by winning on the road against the Rochester Lancers.
The two teams did not face each other in the regular season. Game time Friday will be 3 p.m. CDT. The games will be broadcast live with details on how to watch available prior to kickoff on the team’s and league social media pages.
The semifinals will open at 12 noon as the Wichita Wings, runners up in the Midwest and the top second place finisher among the three divisions in M2, will meet the Chihuahua Savage II, winners of the highly competitive West Division.
Similarly, this will be the first meeting of the year of these two teams as well.
The Wings, who scored the second most goals in M2 this year, has a brand that goes all the way back the original Major Indoor Soccer League in the early 1980s. Despite remarkable and continued success on and off the field, Wichita has never won a pro indoor soccer league title. The Wings – who led M2 in attendance this season -- come into the weekend on a seven-game win streak.
Chihuahua will bring an international flavor to the event, as they are one of two Mexico based teams in M2. Their parent team is one of the favorites for a title in the MASL this season as well. The Savage II were the stingiest team in the league, allowing just 63 goals to tie Rochester for fewest goals allowed in 2022-23.
“These four teams earned their way here, with two of them having to secure their spot on the final weekend on the season. All four are great representative on and off the field,” M2 Commissioner Chris Economides said. “We’ve had highly entertaining and competitive games in our recent playoff history and we don’t think Friday and Saturday will be anything different.”
Last year’s defending champion San Diego Sockers 2 did not qualify for the post-season this year. Sockers 2 – whose parent team is the two-time defending MASL champions -- had advanced to the finals in all three of their seasons prior to this one.
Saturday’s consolation final will be held at 11:30 a.m. The MASL 2 Championship game will be held at 2 p.m. followed by the Mesquite Outlaws who host the Empire Strykers that evening at 7 p.m. on what is the final weekend of the regular season in the MASL.