The Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL) may be looking to merge with the Professional Arena Soccer League (PASL) in an attempt to gain recognition for the indoor game.

The main figurehead behind the push for this merger is Baltimore Blast owner Ed Hale. Even though the Blast have one of the highest attendances in the MISL and have won multiple championships in recent years, Hale is wary of the league’s sustainability in the future.

The merger would combine the seven-team MISL with the 20-team PASL, making for a more competitive and lucrative enterprise heading into the future.

A large portion of the PASL’s teams are based out of the western half of the country. This reconfiguration of leagues would help grow the indoor sport across the United States.

One barrier that teams like the Blast will have to overcome is their partnership with their parent company, the United Soccer Leagues (USL). The MISL’s contract with the USL will expire in early April, and all signs point toward no renewal.

An attempt at a merger had occurred in the past, but with little coming to fruition. Talks on the merger may reconvene once the league’s contract expires.

This is the type of change for indoor soccer that we may look back on one day as the deciding factor for the success of the sport. This merger needs to happen so that the sport can grow into a sustainable entity rather than just a side job for many of its athletes.

Many, if not all, players in both the PASL and MISL have full time jobs on top of playing professionally. These athletes play for the love of the game, rather than the paychecks. These are the types of athletes who should be rewarded for their hard work.

As it stands right now, the MISL’s seven-team league is not that competitive. Both the Blast and Milwaukee Wave are hands down the best teams in the league. For the sport to grow nationally, the league must become more competitive. The merger to create a new 27-team league would make this a possibility.