Eastern Conference
Coach: Kevin Healey
Last season: 18-26, fourth place; eliminated by Milwaukee in one-game semifinal
Outlook: On paper, the Blast once again has one of the most talented collection of players in the league. The aim now is to win. An offense that already featured 100-points-plus scorers Denison Cabral and Paul Wright, among others, added firepower with the signing of former Harrisburg Heat standout Gino DiFlorio. The 38-year-old forward, coming off knee surgery last December, brings poise with the ball and a powerful left foot. Veteran midfielder Danny Kelly, who battled a stress fracture in his foot most of last season, is a catalyst who brings constant effort every shift when healthy. Last year's big addition, Sean Bowers, provided a MISL Defender of the Year performance - his third such award - with strong two-way play that included 93 points and a team-high 94 blocks. A stronger commitment to team defense in front of keeper Scott Hileman will be aimed at avoiding the soft goals that often plagued the team last season.
Final touch: The Baltimore Arena has been renamed First Mariner Arena after Blast team operator Ed Hale, also the chairman of First Mariner Bancorp, and the city of Baltimore reached a 10-year naming-rights deal.
Cleveland Force
Coach: Mike Pilger
Last season: 16-28, fifth place; did not qualify for the playoffs
Outlook: Gone is the Crunch and back is the Force, which was the franchise's nickname in the old MISL. Also returning is the league's all-time leading scorer, Hector Marinaro, who, at 37, shows no signs of slowing down after racking up 188 points last year (second in the MISL) to bring his astounding career total to 2,703 going into his 18th indoor season. Cleveland had a late surge fall short under first-year coach Pilger last season, failing to reach the postseason for the second straight time. Familiarity might provide a faster start this season, with the core group mostly back. All-Star John Ball (91 points) and Giuliano Oliviero (85 points) provide scoring punch to complement Marinaro. After getting in the way of 86 shots last season, Kiley Couch established himself as one the finest young defenders in the league. The goalkeeper position is a cause for concern, with Jim Larkin (5-15 in his first season with Cleveland last year) handling the chores until veteran Otto Orf returns from offseason rotator-cuff surgery.
Final touch: Marinaro is the only player on the roster who played for the original Force, joining the franchise in the 1983-1984 season.
Harrisburg Heat
Coach: Erich Geyer
Last season: 10-34, last place; did not qualify for the playoffs
Outlook: You only need one hand (thumb included) to count the number of players back from last year's team - the biggest roster turnover in the franchise's 11-year history. Geyer, who coached Monterrey La Raza to three CISL/WISL indoor championships from 1995 to 2000, replaces Richard Chinapoo. The German native brings a demanding, no-nonsense approach to the bench, along with a handful of former Monterrey players to the field. Defenders Martin Hernandez and Genoni Martinez will mix with returnees Chris Morman and Matt Tanzini to supply support for Heat veteran goalkeeper Doug Petras, the franchise leader with 91 career wins. Veteran forward David Bascome (Heat-high 88 points last season) will have a fresh new cast to work with led by Ato Leone, who earned MVP honors in the now-defunct WISL before moving on to the Kansas City Comets.
Final touch: After registering just 15 points in his first 28 games last season, Tanzini finished strong with 33 points in his last 13 games for 48 points.
Coach: Omid Namazi
Last season: 30-14, second place; won MISL championship, 2-1, over Milwaukee
Outlook: The KiXX rode its unified, blue-collar ways to the championship round last year and then did the improbable by beating the two-time defending champ Milwaukee Wave in its own building in the third and deciding game. Not only did the KiXX put an end to Milwaukee's reign, but it also put to rest the Wave's 30-game home win streak that stretched over two seasons. It came as no surprise to the KiXX, which has shown a penchant for big road wins in the postseason over the past two years. With little change to the roster, aside from the big acquisition of All-Star defender Glenn Carbonara from Milwaukee, the team is preparing to go from the hunter to the hunted. Forward Chris Handsor, who scored the game-winner in the championship decider, came into his own last season with 102 points to lead a balanced attack that also features veterans Don D'Ambra, Kevin Sloan and Goran Vasic. All-Star goalkeeper Peter Pappas is ready to surpass Milwaukee's Victor Nogueira as the league's best.
Final touch: The KiXX has qualified for the playoffs in each of the six seasons the franchise has existed, culminating in the team's first league championship last spring.
Western Conference
Dallas Sidekicks
Coach: Tatu
Last season: 14-10, second in the now-defunct World Indoor Soccer League; won WISL championship over San Diego
Outlook: The legendary Tatu, the flamboyant and gifted goal scorer, returns to the MISL with the Sidekicks for one last season as a player. The 40-year-old forward, renowned for tossing his jersey into the crowd following a goal, has amassed 1,536 points over a career that is now in its 21st indoor season. It didn't take long to show he still has the touch, scoring his third goal of the game with 0.8 seconds left to give the Sidekicks a 14-13 win over Philadelphia in the season opener on Saturday. The Sidekicks have a veteran side that enjoyed plenty of success in the old WISL, including last year's championship run. Forward David Doyle was the team's MVP after scoring 22 goals in 24 regular-season games. Midfielder Nick Stavrou and defenders Gary Young, Frank Filo and Eric Dade have all spent extensive time with Dallas. The Sidekicks recently acquired former Blast midfielder Danny Barber in a trade with Harrisburg.
Final touch: The Sidekicks have won four indoor championships and at least one in each of the three leagues (MISL, WISL and the Continental Indoor Soccer League) they've has played in.
Kansas City Comets
Coach: Zoran Savic
Last season: 24-20, third place; eliminated by Philadelphia in one-game semifinal
Outlook: The Comets enjoyed the biggest turnaround in the league last season, going from 14-26 in the 2000-01 season to 24-20 last year. The team's strengths and weaknesses are obvious. Led by league MVP and scoring champion Dino Delevski, who finished with 210 points, the Comets averaged an MISL-best 15.3 points per game last season, but also surrendered 14.8 per contest. The team also was dominating at home with an 18-4 mark, but a disaster on the road at 6-16. Savic hopes to have addressed the defensive problems with the additions of All-Star defender Nick Cornelli and veteran goalkeeper Paolo Ceccarelli, both coming from Harrisburg. Adding to the scoring punch is Nino DaSilva (115 points) and veteran Wes Wade, whose 110 points included a team-high 45 assists.
Final touch: With last year's scoring crown, Delevski put an end to the run of seven straight titles by Cleveland star Hector Marinaro.
Milwaukee Wave
Coach: Keith Tozer
Last season: 34-10, first place; eliminated by Philadelphia, 2-1, in MISL championship
Outlook: The Wave picked the most inopportune time to lose its first home game last season - the deciding game of the league championship series, a last-minute, 8-6 setback to Philadelphia that ended a two-year run as champion. A renewed commitment and plenty of motivation came to preseason camp as the Wave returned 18 of its 20 players from last year's roster. Back for his 19th professional indoor season and 11th with the Wave is goalkeeper Victor Nogueira, who captured his seventh consecutive Goalkeeper of the Year award. All-Star defender Glenn Carbonara was traded to Philadelphia, leaving Lovelace Ackah, veteran Pat White and Troy Dusosky to anchor the back line. The Wave brings back a powerful offense that featured five players with 90 or more points last season. Joe Reiniger led the team in scoring for the second straight year with 131 points and Brian Loftin recorded 102 points. The Wave's all-time leading scorer and captain, Michael King, is back for his 17th indoor season (the past 10 in Milwaukee) after a 95-point campaign.
Final touch: The 2003 MISL All-Star Game will take place on March 9 at the Bradley Center, capping a three-day league extravaganza in Milwaukee.
San Diego Sockers
Coach: Brian Quinn
Last season: 14-10, first in the now-defunct WISL; eliminated by Dallas in the WISL championship series.
Outlook: San Diego - the team that brings back so many not-so-fond memories to early Blast fans - is back to stretch the new MISL from coast to coast. The Sockers of years past, led by legends Steve Zungul and Branko Segota, dominated the original MISL with eight championships in the 1980s and early '90s. The franchise is on solid ground after continued success over the years in the WISL, including a first-place, regular-season finish in the league's final campaign. Quinn will count on most of the same players as the team gets reacquainted with the MISL. The Sockers return their top three scorers from last year in Chile Farias, Mariano Bollella and Matt Stewart. Defensively, David Beltran and captain Alejandro Cardenas are the mainstays in front of keeper Dezso Horvath.
Final touch: The Sockers have won 10 indoor titles - eight in the old MISL and two in the CISL in the mid-'90s.