MISL 1980s

⚽🚨Many traditional soccer fans scoffed—but in 1978 the Major Indoor Soccer League burst onto the scene with a high-scoring, fast-paced version of the beautiful game.

"MISL 1980s" explores the league’s early years, the behind-the-scenes drama, the Dallas Sidekicks’ miraculous championship run, and the struggles of the LA Lazers as Jerry Buss tried to recreate the success of his NBA Lakers.

Featuring a foreword by New York Times bestselling travel writer (and MISL superfan) Rolf Potts, "MISL 1980s" captures the spectacle, ambition, and unforgettable characters of indoor soccer’s wild first decade. 🚨⚽ Buy it here now:
https://www.amazon.com/MISL-1980s-Tales-Soccer-League/dp/B0FR2CYYFG/

These soccer legends' names still ring a bell all these decades later: Ricky Davis, Slobo, "Triple E" Juli Veee, Grgurev, Rasmussen, Roentved, Tino Lettieri , Karpun, Karl-Heinz Granitza. It was the '80s, so no fancy photos; only grainy VHS screenshots will do. The MISL exploded onto the sports scene in America with a bang. This is the story of how it came to be:
https://www.amazon.com/MISL-1980s-Tales-Soccer-League/dp/B0FR2CYYFG/

With characters like Tatu and the "Lord of All Indoors" himself, Steve Zungul, the Major Indoor Soccer League blasted into the 1980s like a crossover episode of Miami Vice, The A-Team, and Magnum P.I. Read about the trials and tribulations...the triumphs and tragedies... in MISL 1980s: Tales from a Lost Soccer League
https://www.amazon.com/MISL-1980s-Tales-Soccer-League/dp/B0FR2CYYFG/

For MISL and Lazers fans, an interesting look into the events that occurred around the Buss family's sale of the Lakers. Johnny and Jimmy Buss, at different times, led the indoor soccer team and also were involved in the management of the Lakers:

www.espn.com

MISL 1980s: the improbable story of an indoor league that somehow came to dominate soccer in North America in the '80s! From the mullets, short shorts, wild promotions, and celebrity appearances to the remarkably skilled Premier League and Bundesliga vets who came to dominate the new league, MISL 1980s has it all. Buy it here now!

MISL 1980s: Tales From a Lost Soccer League In the 1980s, professional soccer in America meant "indoor soccer." The Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL) rose from the imagination of Ed Tepper and Earl Foreman to become the new sports sensation of the go-go '80s. To some a bastardization of the beautiful game, and to others a revitalization of...

Looking for a Christmas gift for your favorite soccer fan? Give them the improbable story of the indoor soccer league that somehow came to dominate that sport in North America in the 1980s! From the mullets and short shorts to the celebrity appearances to the remarkably skilled Europeans who came to dominate the new league, MISL 1980s has it all. Buy it here now!

MISL 1980s: Tales From a Lost Soccer League In the 1980s, professional soccer in America meant "indoor soccer." The Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL) rose from the imagination of Ed Tepper and Earl Foreman to become the new sports sensation of the go-go '80s. To some a bastardization of the beautiful game, and to others a revitalization of...

MISL 1980s would like to give a shout-out to LeBaron Hollimon as he recovers from a stroke. Best wishes to him! The former Wichita Wings defender is featured in a chapter of our book. You can read his story here: https://www.amazon.com/MISL-1980s-Tales-Soccer-League/dp/B0FR2CYYFG

Buy the book here: https://www.amazon.com/MISL-1980s-Tales-Soccer-League/dp/B0FR2CYYFG/
TV coverage of the MISL was spotty at times, but the USA Network gave the MISL a spotlight in the early 1980s. The larger implications of the lack of national coverage are covered in the book's second to last chapter.

On the heels of Tim O'Bryhim's appearance on the Soccer Nostalgia podcast, check him out on the Good Seats Still Available podcast!

⚽ EPISODE 418: More Lost Tales of the Original MISL - With Tim O'Bryhim ⚽

Unwitting US pro soccer historian Tim O'Bryhim ("Make This Town Big: The Story of Roy Turner and the Wichita Wings" and "God Save the Wings") makes his third trip to the show - this time in celebration of his wild new collection of stories from the original Major Indoor Soccer League (1978-92).

O'Bryhim has spent nearly a decade chronicling the MISL's wild and woolly history (including his essential "MISL 1980s" Substack) - and his new book "MISL 1980s: Tales From a Lost Soccer League" delights in its recounting of some of the truly underappreciated trials, tribulations and characters of what made this influential circuit special - and, to O'Bryhim's credit, memorable.

We discuss some of them, including the 1974 NASL indoor exhibition that accidentally launched the league, the tumultuous year leading to Pete Rose's Cincinnati Kids taking on the New York Arrows in the MISL's first game, Jerry Buss' foray into indoor soccer with the Los Angeles Lazers, the Dallas Sidekicks' improbable 1987 championship run, and the absolutely bonkers ending to that 1985 playoff series between the San Diego Sockers and Minnesota Strikers.

"MISL 1980s" also delves into the careers and lives of players and coaches like Erik Rasmussen, Kevin Kewley, and Alan Merrick, examines how players approached their post-MISL careers, celebrates the fans who have kept the league's history alive, and explores why the MISL ultimately failed to become America's next major league sport.

From the short-shorts to the mullets to the pulsating synth music, O'Bryhim's book is a lovingly curated look at the pop-culture sensation that was indoor soccer in the "Me Decade".

PLUS: Your chance to win a copy of "MISL 1980s" via this week's trivia contest!

🎧 Listen NOW wherever you pod, YouTube or: ➡️ https://goodseatsstillavailable.com/listen/2025/10/26/episode-418-more-lost-tales-of-the-original-misl-with-tim-obryhim

Check out Tim O'Bryhim on the Soccer Nostalgia podcast talking about the MISL

Soccernostalgia Talk Podcast-Episode 224 (Tim O’Bryhim, his book ‘MISL 1980s’ ) Blog Link:https://soccernostalgia.blogspot.com/2025/10/soccernostalgia-talk-podcast-episode_26.htmlThis is the 224th episode of my podcast, 'Soccernostalgia ...

How Diego Maradona almost (but not really) played in the MISL.
https://misl1980s.substack.com/p/planting-a-seed