Even after a bench-clearing brawl in their last meeting that resulted in the suspension of six players, the Baltimore Blast won't shy away from physical play when the Milwaukee Wave visits 1st Mariner Arena on Friday.

In fact, the team is looking forward to it.

While cooler heads are expected to prevail in the Major Indoor Soccer League matchup, the players will be keyed up with the Blast (6-3) trailing the first-place Wave (7-2) by one game at the midpoint of the season. Both teams will be focused on minimizing mental mistakes and making sure they are not caught short-handed because of a careless penalty, Blast coach Danny Kelly said.

"When you have two top teams like this, it's gonna be a physical game," Kelly said. "Emotions run high, and things happen. It's the nature of the game. It got a little out of hand in Milwaukee. I think it was something instigated by them, and our players responded. We're not going to back down from anything."

During the Jan. 9 game, a melee burst open in the fourth quarter after Blast forward Marcel Millwood reportedly fell on Milwaukee goalie Nick Vorberg. Wave defender Troy Dusosky confronted Millwood, and several players left the bench in the ensuing skirmish.

Blast forward Lucio Gonzaga was the only player ejected from the game. But after further review, the MISL suspended six players: the Blast's Gonzaga, Mike Lookingland and Warren Ukah, and Milwaukee's Evan McNeley, Hewerton Moreira and Dusosky. The visiting Blast won that game, 12-6; they led 10-0 before the fight ensued. The Wave had won the previous night in Baltimore, 15-12.

"The Blast and Wave have a great rivalry which has existed for years, and on occasion the intense emotions during play get the better of our players," MISL commissioner David Grimaldi said after imposing the suspensions.

Lookingland expects another physical battle. He sat out Sunday's 14-12 loss at Chicago because of the suspension — the first game he had missed in six years with the Blast.

"The way they approach the game is to come in and try to bully us around," Lookingland said. "We kind of take that personally in that we tell them, 'Hey, you're not better than us.' Every year, they try to prove that they are. It went a little too far last game. But that's just the way it's gonna be."

The Blast or the Wave has won nine of the past 13 league titles. The first-place team this season receives a first-round postseason bye and hosts the MISL championship game, so the importance of Friday night is not lost on the players or coaches.

"Milwaukee was the measuring stick for a long time, and they won a number of championships," Kelly said. "Then we came in with a bit of success, winning five championships in the past eight years. So it's two teams with successful histories, and once again we're battling for supremacy."