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!
