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MASL and IPL already talking about coming together?

Could the IPL teams be coming back to the MASL before they play a game? Rumors on social media indicate they are but what do the two leagues say?

By Thad Bell
Time Out! Lets find out what the league officials say!
Time Out! Lets find out what the league officials say!
Thad Bell

When the Major Arena Soccer League (MASL) 2015-16 season finished earlier this year, it was under the cloud of teams leaving to form a new league. Baltimore Blast owner Ed Hale had been unhappy with the league and other owners and had taken steps to create a new league.

The Indoor Professional League (IPL) was announced at the beginning of May with Ed Hale as the chairman of the new league and Sam Fantauzzo as Commissioner. At that time it was announced that Hale's Blast would leave MASL along with the Harrisburg Heat and St. Louis Ambush.

A new team, the Florida Tropics owned by Ambush owner Andrew Haines also was announced along with a promise of more new teams to be announced in the next 90 days.

The MASL has not been slowed down while the IPL formed, the MASL held their league meetings a couple weeks ago and announced a new commissioner (Joshua Schaub), the creation of a second division to start in 2017 or 2018 and the league's executive committee. The MASL also announced a new team in El Paso that will begin play in the 2016-17 season.

Rumors and response...

With little news coming out of the IPL in recent weeks, rumors have started popping up in social media that the IPL and MASL were talking about coming back together.

When asked about the rumors, IPL Commissioner Sam Fantauzzo replied, "I'm meeting with potential teams daily. I have met with several outdoor leagues & AHL owners in the past months. I have traveled around the country meeting with potential National sponsors and more. Several of my friends that are currently in the MASL want one league with legendary teams like the Blast, Heat & Ambush included."

MASL VP of Business Development Kevin Milliken replied on Monday, "A lot of speculation on conversations that have not occurred. We have kept communication lines open, but nothing specific discussed yet."

So as of Monday afternoon, despite the rumors, both leagues deny that there are talks taking place. Both leagues do seem open to those talks taking place.

Should MASL and the IPL teams come back together?

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