ROCHESTER LANCERS TO RETURN TO FIRST DIVISION AHEAD OF 2019-2020 SEASON

by Jeff Husted

KANSAS CITY (Sep. 16, 2019) – The Major Arena Soccer League (MASL) announced today that the Rochester Lancers will join the MASL this season. The team played the 2018-2019 season in the second-division MASL2 (M2).

The Lancers began play indoors when they joined the MISL in 2011. They were founding members of the MASL in 2014 before suspending operations in 2015. The team returned to arena soccer last year, joining M2 and making it to the semi-finals in their first year.

Lancers owner SoccerSam Fantauzzo said, “I fell in love with the Lancers in 1970 and it’s so amazing that in 2019 we are able to give young kids & families in Rochester, NY the opportunity to enjoy the highest level of Arena soccer in the country.”

The announcement comes just ahead of the annual MASL Fall Meetings in Orlando September 17-19. Rochester will be represented at the meetings as the league’s executives will meet to finalize the details of the 2019-2020 MASL season.

“SoccerSam has been a very important part of arena soccer for many years. Between his work with the Lancers and his radio show, ‘Kick This’, his influence can be seen across the soccer landscape,” said MASL Commissioner Joshua Schaub. “We were happy to return the Lancers to M2 last year and excited to see them in MASL this season.”