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2014–15 Detroit Waza season

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Detroit Waza
2014–15 MASL season
OwnerMario Scicluna
Head CoachCostea Decu
ArenaMelvindale Civic Center
Melvindale, Michigan
Major Arena Soccer League4th, Eastern (regular season)
Top goalscorerMiki Djerisilo (20 goals, 10 assists)
Highest home attendance756 (November 1 vs. Harrisburg Heat)
Lowest home attendance521 (February 7 vs. Harrisburg Heat)
Average home league attendance618 (10 games)[1]

The 2014–15 Detroit Waza season was the seventh season of the Detroit Waza professional indoor soccer club, also known as Detroit Waza Flo Pro FC. The Waza, an Eastern Division team in the Major Arena Soccer League, played their home games at the Melvindale Civic Center in the Detroit suburb of Melvindale, Michigan.

The team was led by team owner Mario Scicluna, head coach Costea Decu, and assistant coach Mirco Gubellini. The team struggled to a 4-16 record, placing fourth in the five-team Eastern Division, and did not qualify for post-season play.

Season summary

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Detroit opened the season with a home win over the Harrisburg Heat, dropped games to the Rochester Lancers and Baltimore Blast, then defeated Harrisburg on the road. After two more losses, the Waza beat the Syracuse Silver Knights then started an eight-game losing streak, broken only by a third victory over Harrisburg. They closed the season with a roster diminished by trades at the deadline and lost their last four games. With their 4–16 record, Detroit placed fourth in the Eastern Division (ahead of only Harrisburg) and did not qualify for the playoffs.

History

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The Waza were a charter member of the Professional Arena Soccer League and the only PASL team to operate continuously from the league's 2008 debut through its 2014 rebranding. The franchise struggled in its first three seasons, posting 7–9, 6–10, and 8–8 records. In 2011–12, the team went 13–3 and won the Eastern Division but lost the Ron Newman Cup Finals. In 2012–13, the Waza improved to 14–2 and again won the Eastern Division only to lose again in the Finals. 2013–14 saw a slip to 10–5, second place in the Eastern Division, and an early exit from the playoffs.

The Waza organization has a long history of community involvement and operates more than 100 youth soccer teams in the Detroit area. The team won the 2012–13 United States Open Cup for Arena Soccer.[2]

Off-field moves

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In May 2014, the Professional Arena Soccer League added six teams from the failed third incarnation of the Major Indoor Soccer League and reorganized as the Major Arena Soccer League.[3][4] The 2014–15 MASL season will be 20 games long, 4 more than the 16 regular season games of recent PASL seasons.[5] With the league expansion and reorganization, the Waza's Eastern division rivals for 2014–15 are the Baltimore Blast, Harrisburg Heat, Rochester Lancers, and Syracuse Silver Knights.[4]

In September 2014, Costea Decu was announced as the team's new head coach. Decu had previously served as co-head coach in the 2012–13 season and, as a player, is a founding member of the Detroit Waza.[6] On October 8, the team announced that retired Italian professional player Mirco Gubellini had signed on as the Waza's assistant coach for the 2014–15 season.[7]

The December 6 game against the Syracuse Silver Knights also features a food drive for the Gleaners Community Food Bank in support of the Downriver communities of Wayne County, Michigan. Fans will receive a discount on admission tickets to the game in exchange for non-perishable food items or cans of food.[8]

Roster moves

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The Waza held open tryouts to recruit new players and evaluate returning hopefuls on September 19–20 at High Velocity Sports in Canton Township, Michigan.[9]

On October 10, the Waza announced that team captain Miki Djersilo and veteran forward Worteh Sampson re-signed with the team.[10] On October 20, the team re-signed forwards Nik Djokic and Victor Otieno plus midfielder Michael Grba.[11] In late October, the team signed veteran goalkeeper Vito Lonigro and rookie Matteo Zani who most recently played for AS Roma Futsal of Italy's Serie A league.[12]

In advance of the February 1 league trade deadline, Detroit traded team owner and player Dominic Scicluna to the Las Vegas Legends. Scicluna will also serve as an assistant coach with Las Vegas.[13]

Schedule

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  Win   Loss

Regular season

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Game Day Date Kickoff Opponent Results Location[14] Attendance
Score Record
1 Saturday November 1 7:05pm Harrisburg Heat W 8–4[15][16][17] 1–0 Melvindale Civic Center[18][19] 756[20]
2 Saturday November 8 7:05pm Rochester Lancers L 8–9 (OT)[21][22] 1–1 Melvindale Civic Center[23][24] 554[25]
3 Friday November 14 7:35pm at Baltimore Blast♠ L 0–26[26][27] 1–2 Royal Farms Arena[28][29] 5,516[30]
4 Saturday November 15 7:05pm at Harrisburg Heat♠ W 14–6[26][31] 2–2 Farm Show Large Arena[28][32] 4,126[33]
5 Saturday November 22 7:05pm Milwaukee Wave L 0–4[34] 2–3 Melvindale Civic Center 549[35]
6 Saturday November 29 7:00pm at Rochester Lancers♠ L 5–16[36][37] 2–4 Blue Cross Arena[38][39] 5,819[40]
7 Saturday December 6 7:05pm Syracuse Silver Knights W 8–6[41][42] 3–4 Melvindale Civic Center[8][43] 534[44]
8 Saturday December 13 7:35pm at St. Louis Ambush L 6–7[45] 3–5 Family Arena[46][47] 6,486[48]
9 Sunday December 14 3:05pm at Chicago Mustangs L 4–15[47] 3–6 Sears Centre 1,724[49]
10 Saturday December 20 7:05pm Chicago Mustangs L 9–10[50] 3–7 Melvindale Civic Center[47] 547[51]
11 Saturday December 27 1:05pm at Milwaukee Wave L 6–8[52] 3–8 UW–Milwaukee Panther Arena[50][53] 2,357[54]
12 Saturday January 10 1:00pm at Rochester Lancers♠ L 13–25[55][56] 3–9 Blue Cross Arena[57] 5,689[58]
13 Saturday January 17 7:05pm Baltimore Blast L 6–9[59] 3–10 Melvindale Civic Center[60] 734[61]
14 Saturday January 24 6:05pm Milwaukee Wave L 4–9[62][63] 3–11 Melvindale Civic Center[64] 641[65]
15 Saturday January 31 7:05pm St. Louis Ambush L 5–6[66][67] 3–12 Melvindale Civic Center[68][69] 674[70]
16 Saturday February 7 7:05pm Harrisburg Heat W 13–8[71][72] 4–12 Melvindale Civic Center[73][74] 521[75]
17 Saturday February 14 7:05pm Chicago Mustangs L 10–11 (OT) 4–13 Melvindale Civic Center 678[76]
18 Saturday February 21 6:05pm at Milwaukee Wave L 6–12[77] 4–14 UW–Milwaukee Panther Arena[78] 5,138[79]
19 Saturday February 28 7:05pm at Harrisburg Heat♠ L 14–20[80] 4–15 Farm Show Large Arena[81] 4,408[82]
20 Sunday March 1 4:00pm at Syracuse Silver Knights♠ L 7–17[83] 4–16 Oncenter War Memorial Arena[84] 3,281[85]

♠ Game played with multi-point scoring (most goals worth 2 points and select goals worth 3 points).

Awards and honors

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In September 2014, Dominic Scicluna was named an inductee into the Michigan Soccer Association Hall of Fame.[9]

Detroit's Daniel Mattos earned honorable mention for the league's all-rookie team for 2014-15.[86]

References

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  1. ^ "2014-15 League Attendance". Major Arena Soccer League. Retrieved February 7, 2015.
  2. ^ Brown, John (March 3, 2013). "Detroit Waza Flo capture US Open Arena Soccer title, defeating San Diego Sockers, 7-6". The Ann Arbor News. Ann Arbor, MI: Booth Newspapers. Retrieved December 13, 2013.
  3. ^ Marshall, Raymond (July 29, 2014). "MASL Announces 2014-15 Alignment". The Dallas Morning News. Dallas, TX: A. H. Belo. Archived from the original on October 18, 2014. Retrieved September 4, 2014.
  4. ^ a b Spicciarello, Franco (September 10, 2014). "Soccer Indoor, al via la Major Arena Soccer League (MASL)". Soccer Italia (in Italian). Rome, Italy. Retrieved October 10, 2014.
  5. ^ Ewing, Shane (May 19, 2014). "Wichita B-52s embrace PASL-MISL merger". Wichita, KS: KAKE-TV. Archived from the original on November 4, 2014. Retrieved November 3, 2014.
  6. ^ Haapala, Kelly (September 22, 2014). "Detroit Waza Flo's pro team names new head coach Costea Decu". Detroit, MI: WDIV-TV. Retrieved November 5, 2014.
  7. ^ Haapala, Kelly (October 8, 2014). "Detroit Waza Flo hires Italian legend Mirco Gubellini as assistant coach". Detroit, MI: WDIV-TV. Retrieved November 5, 2014.
  8. ^ a b Haapala, Kelly (December 4, 2014). "Detroit Waza Flo teams up with Gleaners Food Bank". Detroit, MI: WDIV-TV. Retrieved December 5, 2014.
  9. ^ a b Haapala, Kelly (September 16, 2014). "Detroit Waza Flo is holding open tryouts for 2014-15 season". Detroit, MI: WDIV-TV. Retrieved November 5, 2014.
  10. ^ Haapala, Kelly (October 10, 2014). "Detroit Waza Flo vets stay to help lead team into MASL 2014-15 season". Detroit, MI: WDIV-TV. Retrieved November 5, 2014.
  11. ^ Haapala, Kelly (October 20, 2014). "Detroit Waza Flo secures returning players to roster". Detroit, MI: WDIV-TV. Retrieved November 5, 2014.
  12. ^ Haapala, Kelly (October 27, 2014). "Detroit Waza Flo confident with goalies". Detroit, MI: WDIV-TV. Retrieved November 5, 2014.
  13. ^ Haapala, Kelly (February 2, 2015). "Detroit Waza Flo trade team owner to Las Vegas Legends". Detroit, MI: WDIV-TV. Retrieved February 5, 2015.
  14. ^ "Detroit Waza Schedule". Major Arena Soccer League. Retrieved November 14, 2014.
  15. ^ "Harrisburg Heat drop MASL season opener to Detroit Waza Flo". The Patriot-News. Harrisburg, PA: Advance Publications. November 2, 2014. Retrieved November 5, 2014.
  16. ^ Haapala, Kelly (November 3, 2014). "Veterans shine in Detroit Waza Flo's 8-4 win over Harrisburg Heat". Detroit, MI: WDIV-TV. Retrieved November 5, 2014.
  17. ^ Bristol, Jason (November 3, 2014). "Cold start hurts Heat in season-opening loss". Harrisburg, PA: WHP-TV. Archived from the original on November 8, 2014. Retrieved November 5, 2014.
  18. ^ Bullock, Michael (November 1, 2014). "Harrisburg Heat to open regular season tonight in Detroit". The Patriot-News. Harrisburg, PA: Advance Publications. Retrieved November 5, 2014.
  19. ^ Haapala, Kelly (November 1, 2014). "Detroit Waza Flo host Harrisburg Heat Saturday in home opener". Detroit, MI: WDIV-TV. Retrieved November 5, 2014.
  20. ^ "Box Score: Melvindale Civic Center - Sat, Nov 01, 2014". Major Arena Soccer League. November 1, 2014. Retrieved November 2, 2014.
  21. ^ "Lancers win opener 9-8 in Detroit". Rochester, NY: WHAM-TV. November 9, 2014. Archived from the original on November 21, 2014. Retrieved November 9, 2014.
  22. ^ "Lancers defeat Detroit in OT". Democrat and Chronicle. Rochester, NY: Gannett. November 8, 2014. Retrieved November 9, 2014.
  23. ^ Haapala, Kelly (November 7, 2014). "Detroit Waza Flo face Rochester Lancers on Saturday". Detroit, MI: WDIV-TV. Retrieved November 9, 2014.
  24. ^ DiVeronica, Jeff (November 8, 2014). "Optimistic Lancers set to open new season". Democrat and Chronicle. Rochester, NY: Gannett. Retrieved November 9, 2014.
  25. ^ "Box Score: Melvindale Civic Center - Sat, Nov 08, 2014". Major Arena Soccer League. November 8, 2014. Retrieved November 9, 2014.
  26. ^ a b Haapala, Kelly (November 17, 2014). "Detroit Waza Flo goes 1-1 in weekend road games". Detroit, MI: WDIV-TV. Retrieved November 17, 2014.
  27. ^ Graham, Glenn (November 14, 2014). "Blast shuts down Waza Flo, 26-0". The Baltimore Sun. Baltimore, MD: Tribune Publishing. Retrieved November 14, 2014.
  28. ^ a b Haapala, Kelly (November 13, 2014). "Detroit Waza Flo ready for big challenge this weekend with Blast, Heat". Detroit, MI: WDIV-TV. Retrieved November 13, 2014.
  29. ^ Graham, Glenn (November 13, 2014). "Previewing the Blast's game Friday vs. the Detroit Waza Flo". The Baltimore Sun. Baltimore, MD: Tribune Publishing. Retrieved November 14, 2014.
  30. ^ "Box Score: Royal Farms Arena - Fri, Nov 14, 2014". Major Arena Soccer League. November 14, 2014. Retrieved November 15, 2014.
  31. ^ Bullock, Michael (November 15, 2014). "Harrisburg Heat drop home opener, fall 14-6 to Detroit". The Patriot-News. Harrisburg, PA: Advance Publications. Retrieved November 16, 2014.
  32. ^ Bullock, Michael (June 13, 2014). "Harrisburg Heat to open home portion of its 2014-15 schedule on Nov. 15 at Farm Show's Large Arena". The Patriot-News. Harrisburg, PA: Advance Publications. Retrieved November 5, 2014.
  33. ^ "Box Score: Farm Show Arena - Sat, Nov 15, 2014". Major Arena Soccer League. November 15, 2014. Retrieved November 16, 2014.
  34. ^ "Defense leads Milwaukee Wave to 4-0 victory". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Milwaukee, WI: Journal Communications. November 23, 2014. Retrieved November 24, 2014.
  35. ^ "Box Score: Melvindale Civic Center - Sat, Nov 22, 2014". Major Arena Soccer League. November 22, 2014. Retrieved November 23, 2014.
  36. ^ "Lancers nab first home win 16-5 over Detroit". Rochester, NY: WHAM-TV. November 30, 2014. Archived from the original on December 14, 2014. Retrieved December 3, 2014.
  37. ^ "Lancers pull away from Waza Flo". Democrat and Chronicle. Rochester, NY: Gannett. November 30, 2014. Retrieved December 2, 2014.
  38. ^ Haapala, Kelly (November 28, 2014). "Detroit Waza Flo on road to Rochester to create their own thriller". Detroit, MI: WDIV-TV. Retrieved November 28, 2014.
  39. ^ DiVeronica, Jeff (November 28, 2014). "Rochester Lancers seeking tighter defense". Democrat and Chronicle. Rochester, NY: Gannett. Retrieved November 29, 2014.
  40. ^ "Box Score: Blue Cross Arena - Sat, Nov 29, 2014". Major Arena Soccer League. November 29, 2014. Retrieved November 30, 2014.
  41. ^ Haapala, Kelly (December 10, 2014). "Detroit Waza Flo win big over Syracuse". Detroit, MI: WDIV-TV. Retrieved December 11, 2014.
  42. ^ Kramer, Lindsay (December 6, 2014). "Syracuse Silver Knights drop MASL contest at Detroit, 8-6". The Post-Standard. Syracuse, NY: Advance Publications. Retrieved December 7, 2014.
  43. ^ Kramer, Lindsay (December 4, 2014). "Syracuse Silver Knights look to even record with visit to Detroit on Saturday". The Post-Standard. Syracuse, NY: Advance Publications. Retrieved December 5, 2014.
  44. ^ "Box Score: Melvindale Civic Center - Sat, Dec 6, 2014". Major Arena Soccer League. December 6, 2014. Retrieved December 7, 2014.
  45. ^ "Sports shorts: Ambush win". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. St. Louis, MO: Lee Enterprises. December 13, 2014. Retrieved December 14, 2014.
  46. ^ O'Neill, Dan (December 12, 2014). "Ambush set to honor 1994-95 champions". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. St. Louis, MO: Lee Enterprises. Retrieved December 12, 2014.
  47. ^ a b c Haapala, Kelly (December 20, 2014). "Waza Flo try to regroup against Chicago Saturday". Detroit, MI: WDIV-TV. Retrieved December 20, 2014.
  48. ^ "Box Score: Family Arena - Sat, Dec 13, 2014". Major Arena Soccer League. December 13, 2014. Retrieved December 14, 2014.
  49. ^ "Box Score: Sears Centre - Sun, Dec 14, 2014". Major Arena Soccer League. December 14, 2014. Retrieved December 15, 2014.
  50. ^ a b Haapala, Kelly (December 26, 2014). "Detroit Waza Flo on road to Milwaukee after tough loss to Chicago at home". Detroit, MI: WDIV-TV. Retrieved December 27, 2014.[permanent dead link‍]
  51. ^ "Box Score: Melvindale Civic Center - Sat, Dec 20, 2014". Major Arena Soccer League. December 20, 2014. Retrieved December 21, 2014.
  52. ^ Boehler, Dave (December 27, 2014). "It's a struggle, but Wave wins". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Milwaukee, WI: Journal Communications. Retrieved December 29, 2014.
  53. ^ DeLong, Katie (December 26, 2014). "Milwaukee Wave wrapping up 2014 with pair of games at UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena". Milwaukee, WI: WITI-TV. Retrieved December 27, 2014.
  54. ^ "Box Score: UW–Milwaukee Panther Arena - Sat, Dec 27, 2014". Major Arena Soccer League. December 27, 2014. Retrieved December 28, 2014.
  55. ^ "Andrew Hoxie powers Lancers win". Democrat and Chronicle. Rochester, NY: Gannett. January 10, 2015. Retrieved January 10, 2015.
  56. ^ Haapala, Kelly (January 13, 2015). "Detroit Waza Flo lose exciting rival game vs. Rochester Lancers". Detroit, MI: WDIV-TV. Retrieved January 13, 2015.
  57. ^ DiVeronica, Jeff (January 8, 2015). "Doug Miller on defense? Yeah, it happened and may again". Democrat and Chronicle. Rochester, NY: Gannett. Retrieved January 9, 2015.
  58. ^ "Box Score: Blue Cross Arena - Sat, Jan 10, 2015". Major Arena Soccer League. January 10, 2015. Retrieved January 11, 2015.
  59. ^ "MASL's Blast improves to 12-0 with 9-6 win at Detroit". The Baltimore Sun. Baltimore, MD: Tribune Publishing. January 18, 2015. Retrieved January 19, 2015.
  60. ^ Haapala, Kelly (January 16, 2015). "Detroit Waza Flo host 1st place Baltimore Blast on Saturday". Detroit, MI: WDIV-TV. Retrieved January 16, 2015.
  61. ^ "Box Score: Melvindale Civic Center - Sat, Jan 17, 2015". Major Arena Soccer League. January 17, 2015. Retrieved January 18, 2015.
  62. ^ Haapala, Kelly (January 25, 2015). "Late goals lift Wave over Waza Flo 9-4 Saturday". Detroit, MI: WDIV-TV. Retrieved January 25, 2015.
  63. ^ "Wave rides big fourth quarter". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Milwaukee, WI: Journal Communications. January 25, 2015. Retrieved January 25, 2015.
  64. ^ Haapala, Kelly (January 23, 2015). "Detroit Waza Flo have sights set on win over Wave on Saturday". Detroit, MI: WDIV-TV. Retrieved January 23, 2015.
  65. ^ "Box Score: Melvindale Civic Center - Sat, Jan 24, 2015". Major Arena Soccer League. January 24, 2015. Retrieved January 25, 2015.
  66. ^ "Sports shorts: Ambush win". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. St. Louis, MO: Lee Enterprises. January 31, 2015. Retrieved February 1, 2015.
  67. ^ Haapala, Kelly (February 2, 2015). "Waza Flo fall 6-5 to Ambush Saturday". Detroit, MI: WDIV-TV. Retrieved February 5, 2015.
  68. ^ "Sport shorts: Ambush to play two on road". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. St. Louis, MO: Lee Enterprises. January 29, 2015. Retrieved January 30, 2015.
  69. ^ Haapala, Kelly (January 30, 2015). "Waza Flo look to bounce back against Ambush Saturday". Detroit, MI: WDIV-TV. Retrieved January 30, 2015.
  70. ^ "Box Score: Melvindale Civic Center - Sat, Jan 31, 2015". Major Arena Soccer League. January 31, 2015. Retrieved February 1, 2015.
  71. ^ Haapala, Kelly (February 9, 2015). "Waza Flo snap losing streak with dominating 13-8 win over Heat". Detroit, MI: WDIV-TV. Retrieved February 11, 2015.
  72. ^ Bullock, Michael (February 7, 2015). "Harrisburg Heat open four-game road trip with 13-8 loss at Detroit". The Patriot-News. Harrisburg, PA: Advance Publications. Retrieved February 11, 2015.
  73. ^ Haapala, Kelly (February 6, 2015). "Waza Flo looking to break losing streak against Heat". Detroit, MI: WDIV-TV. Retrieved February 11, 2015.
  74. ^ Bullock, Michael (February 7, 2015). "Harrisburg Heat to open four-game MASL road trip Saturday night in suburban Detroit". The Patriot-News. Harrisburg, PA: Advance Publications. Retrieved February 11, 2015.
  75. ^ "Box Score: Melvindale Civic Center - Sat, Feb 07, 2015". Major Arena Soccer League. February 7, 2015. Retrieved February 8, 2015.
  76. ^ "Box Score: Melvindale Civic Center - Sat, Feb 14, 2015". Major Arena Soccer League. February 14, 2015. Retrieved February 15, 2015.
  77. ^ Hoehn, Jim (February 21, 2015). "Milwaukee Wave tune up for playoffs with victory over Detroit Waza Flo". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Milwaukee, WI: Journal Communications. Retrieved February 28, 2015.
  78. ^ DeLong, Katie (February 19, 2015). "Milwaukee Wave wrap up the regular season this Saturday at UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena". Milwaukee, WI: WITI-TV. Retrieved February 28, 2015.
  79. ^ "Box Score: UW–Milwaukee Panther Arena - Sat, Feb 21, 2015". Major Arena Soccer League. February 21, 2015. Retrieved February 22, 2015.
  80. ^ Bullock, Michael (March 1, 2015). "Harrisburg Heat ends six-game MASL losing streak, closes season with 20-14 victory over Detroit". The Patriot-News. Harrisburg, PA: Advance Publications. Retrieved March 1, 2015.
  81. ^ Bullock, Michael (February 28, 2015). "Harrisburg Heat to close out MASL campaign Saturday night at home against Detroit". The Patriot-News. Harrisburg, PA: Advance Publications. Retrieved February 28, 2015.
  82. ^ "Box Score: Farm Show Arena - Sat, Feb 28, 2015". Major Arena Soccer League. February 28, 2015. Retrieved March 1, 2015.
  83. ^ Kramer, Lindsay (March 1, 2015). "Syracuse Silver Knights finish regular season with 17-6 win over Detroit". The Post-Standard. Syracuse, NY: Advance Publications. Retrieved March 1, 2015.
  84. ^ Kramer, Lindsay (February 27, 2015). "Syracuse Silver Knights close regular season with visit from Detroit on Sunday". The Post-Standard. Syracuse, NY: Advance Publications. Retrieved February 28, 2015.
  85. ^ "Box Score: Oncenter War Memorial Arena - Sun, Mar 01, 2015". Major Arena Soccer League. March 1, 2015. Retrieved March 2, 2015.
  86. ^ "MASL Announces 2014/15 All-Rookie Team". Major Arena Soccer League. March 5, 2015. Archived from the original on March 7, 2015. Retrieved March 6, 2015.
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