Day One of the MASL meetings

The Major Arena Soccer League is hosting its 2025 Fall League Meeting in Kansas City. Topics on the agenda include:

•    Updates on potential expansion groups and new market opportunities
•    Announcements regarding new league and team sponsorship partners
•    Progress on raising arena and broadcast standards across all clubs
•    Planning for upcoming league events and initiatives
•    Short- and long-term plans for the Texas Outlaws and Dallas Sidekicks, who will sit out the 2025–26 season

After day one, it seemed like an opportune time to ask Keith Tozer, the MASL Commissioner, a few questions.

KC Soccer Journal: The league announced that Texas and Dallas would sit out the upcoming season, anymore info?

Keith Tozer: “We said that Texas and Dallas will not play the season. We’re still trying to figure out short-term and long-term plans for them. As of right now, they won’t be playing.”

KCSJ: Ten team season coming up?

Tozer: “Yes, a ten team season coming up. We feel that sometimes you’ve got to take a step back to take five steps forward. We feel that with ten teams it’ll be a great schedule this season. I know everybody’s excited about getting back on the field and playing, so I think ten teams will be great.”

KCSJ: We know you’re going to be working through the schedule in this meeting. Is it going to be a balanced schedule, or is it going to be still more of a regional format?

Tozer: “Once we take a really hard look at it, more of the matchups will come out. Everything’s based upon availability in the arenas, which sometimes are difficult because we’re not the first tenant in the building. We’re going to try to make it as competitive and even across the board. Sometimes that works, and sometimes it doesn’t. But I think that this season, all ten teams are going to be very good fighting for the next championship.”

KCSJ: All of the teams remaining are pretty strong franchises that have pretty good organizations. Would that be a fair statement?

Tozer: “I would say that they’re all pretty strong. We have some that are really strong, and some that are getting much better. We talked about minimum standards coming up this season, as well as the years after, both on the field and off, production, and arenas. So, I think right now, the owners are really excited about the direction that the league is going in. A lot of people are calling us. Sacramento we just announced, which we think is the domino for more teams to come in. So I, I think the owners are really digging in, not only on the field, because that’s where they like to battle, but also to up the minimum standards throughout the league in the business side.”

KCSJ: Regarding production value, I know that’s one of the things that a lot of people talk about, how are you going to raise those minimum standards so that all the broadcasts are closer to what the Comets can do? (Comets owner Brian Budzinski and Erik Bergrud from the Comets broadcast were listening and smiling.)

Tozer: “I think we have one of the most successful announcers in JP Dellacamera as president of media. He is going to do a report for each team, not only for the production, but also for they’re on-air talent. If everybody’s like Kansas City with Nick (Vasos) and Erik (Bergrud), which is fantastic, and they all want to get there, they all understand how important television is for us. So, JP is really going to dig down deep. Obviously, CBS Golazo was great for us last year; we’d love to have them back. We’re talking some other networks also, so I think we put all those together, it’s going to be exciting.”

KCSJ: Talking to some other networks, is this potentially a multiple network package type of deal?

Tozer: “There’s so much streaming going on now. There are a lot more networks that want to have us as indoor. We do have a committee that is working on which way we should go. We need to buy more equipment for all the teams so that they’re able to get their signal out of their arena and not go glitchy. I think that’s a big step that the league is going to do buying equipment for every team. Working on the on air talent and working on the entertainment value.”

KCSJ:You said raising the standards on production, but also on the field. What? What are you looking at that needs to be raised on the team side?

Tozer: “If you look at the arena itself? We’re talking about the size of the playing surface, we’re talking about locker rooms. We’re talking about how teams travel, talking about hotels, and this is a beautiful hotel here. This AC Hotels (AC Hotels by Marriott where the meetings were hosted), which is a new sponsor for Kansas City. So all those little things that you need to really propel your lead into the premiere leagues, we’re going to try to do, and we’re going to do those as quickly as possible.”

“This is a lot to do with the new teams that are going to come into the league, that these are minimum standards, and you have to have these. At the same time, the teams that we already have in the league, we have to move them up so that can join together. I think we’ll get there. That’s why we’re not just doing it overnight. The production for television, we need to get that done right away this coming season. Then, as far as the arenas and the front office staff, probably a year from now.”

KCSJ: Front office staff? Is there a minimum amount of staff that the teams need?

Tozer: “That’s on the agenda for tomorrow. The more poles you have in the water, the more fish you catch. So the more ticket salespeople you have, the more tickets you’re going to sell. Obviously we only play twelve home games, we’re only out there five and a half months. To put an office staff together for 12 months, you have to have other content, so we’re also talking about other events that we might host. That will be on the agenda again tomorrow.”

KCSJ: Other soccer-related events?

Tozer: “They’re all soccer really. Like an open indoor cup, other kind of cash tournaments, in the season tournament , kind of like the NBA does. So the teams that want to have more dates, we can provide that as a league.

KCSJ: Things like Kings League type tournaments or TST type tournaments?

Tozer: “That is something we’ve got to look at. We had over 100 players and several coaches at TST. Our players made that tournament successful. Well, those are our players. So, obviously we’d like to maybe partner with TST, but maybe also look at our own value. With four different leagues from one, two, three, and mw, I think we could possibly do a tournament. Like I said, a U.S. Open Cup type indoor tournament or some other kind of in-season event, and I think we’ll get there. I think it’s going to be exciting.”

KCSJ: With the expansion already announced for Sacramento, for the following year, you said that could be the domino for more teams coming in. Why do you think that and do you have those teams, those cities already lined up?

Tozer: “There are a lot of arenas across the country between 6,500 and 10,000 that are getting old, and a lot of those are in the middle of cities right now. We see that these new arenas, similar to what you have here in Kansas City, and what’s going to be in Sacramento. There’s a big need for these stadiums or arenas in the suburbs. Major League Soccer became very successful when they pulled out of baseball stadiums and college football stadiums. They said we have to build our own stadium so we can control our own dates and at the  same time drive  revenue and other things like concerts and other sporting events. I see that Sacramento thing because Phil started it in San Diego, and now you’ve got Sacramento. I think it could be the first Domino where you might have new owners coming in and building their own arenas. I think it’d be great.”

KCSJ: Ten-team league, what will the playoffs be like?

Tozer: “That’s on the agenda tomorrow. It’s difficult sometimes to come up with the right button to push as far as the playoffs are concerned. Everybody wants to make the playoffs. We can’t really do that. Do we give a bye for the top team? Do we give a bye for the top two teams? That’s something that we’ll have to talk about tomorrow, Hopefully, once we get the right formula, we stick with that formula for the next several years as we bring new teams in.”

KCSJ: Playoffs being  in San Diego last season. Did you see that was a success? Is that something that maybe needs to be tweaked or continued or moved around and played in different cities?

Tozer: “I actually love the idea, but if we have a national sponsorship or a national television deal, we could spread the money amongst the owners, then that would work. I think being there for a week or four or five days, it was really good. However, our fans are what drives this sport, and I fully understand, as an ex-player and a coach, that you battle throughout the season at home, your fans give so much to the organization, and to have a home game in front of your fans for a playoff game, I think, it is important. I think we’ll probably go back to that format for next season.”

Tozer: “The sport is fantastic. Um, and I think the more money that we could get involved in the league, obviously. You know, money makes money. And that’s one thing that we came here to say, you know, how can we drive more revenue into the league, marketing, advertising, social media, and television, the important things that drive a sports league.”

KCSJ: And we already talked a little bit about having tournaments and different types of things similar to TST or Kings League, and other tournaments. Having those and being on Twitch and then on CBS Collazzo, have you seen the new fans come in and see the league?

Tozer: “I think CBS Golazo really brought a lot of different eyes to the game. I thought Twitch the year before also brought some different eyes. I think the more streaming that we do, going back to YouTube helped a lot also. I think we continue with our production crews and get more games and television and quality games, and I’m not just talking about the game itself. I’m talking about the quality production and the quality on-air Talent, which is extremely important.”

“The players are the key assets to our league, we understand that. Our fans are also very important, as well as television and sponsors. So, I think the league meetings this time is not so much soccer-related. I think it’s the first time since we come back that there’s no rule changes which is pretty amazing. I think we’re at the sweet spot of the game, and now it’s the business part of the game that we really get to work at.”

Key notes from the interview and other conversations:

• No rules changes.
• Meeting is business-focused.
• A focus on better production value, MASL buying the equipment to make the production better.
• With better production, possible multiple places to see games, including a new/additional big location for this season.
• New standards for incoming teams, with an effort to have existing teams meet them as well.
• Finding ways to make the teams year-round organizations with tournaments and other events.