MASL2 Playoff Format Announced

Major Arena Soccer League 2 will play its 2021-22 season with a three-division alignment, with the top two teams in each division advancing to post-season play.

The Great Lakes Division will include the defending M2 champion Cleveland Crunch,  Muskegon Risers, Chicago Mustangs, and the Cincinnati-based BC Swerve.

The Midwest Division includes last year’s runner-up finisher, the Wichita Wings, along with Colorado Inferno, Amarillo Bombers and Omaha Kings, and New Mexico Runners.

The Western Division will include the RGV Barracudas, San Diego Sockers 2, Ontario Fury 2, and the Turlock Express.

All teams will play a 12-game regular-season schedule that runs through March. Teams will receive three points for a win, regardless of whether it is in regulation or overtime. The top two teams in each division will then meet in a one-game quarter-final playoff game at the site of the division winner.

After the opening round, the three remaining teams will be re-seeded, with the top team getting an automatic bye into the championship game. The second and third seeds will meet in a game at the site of the Championship Weekend, which will be decided later in the season.

“We really like the setup, and with only six of our teams qualifying for the post-season, literally every regular-season game will have playoff implications which we think will be exciting for all teams and their fans,” Commissioner Chris Economides said. “We know Cleveland will be good again, but everyone will be gunning for them this season, and by the looks of things, there are talented rosters in all three divisions that should give the Crunch a run for the title.”

The BC Swerve will host the Muskegon Risers in the M2 opener on Saturday, December 11, with many other teams swinging into action the following weekend with Omaha hosting New Mexico for a weekend doubleheader against the Runners, and Wichita hosting Amarillo, and Chicago hosting the Risers on Dec. 18. The second weekend of play will round out with the Western Division opener as the San Diego Sockers 2 host the Ontario Fury 2 on Dec. 19

For the latest information on the league and teams, visit www.m2soccer.com, or any of the league’s social media platforms.