The 1988–89 Major Indoor Soccer League season was the eleventh in league history and would end with the San Diego Sockers repeating as MISL champions. It was the Sockers' seventh indoor title in eight NASL and MISL seasons. The Sockers would win seventh games in both the semifinals and championship series.
Contents
The league very nearly did not make it to the fall of 1988 as both labor negotiations and rising costs threatened to fold the league. The St. Louis Steamers, Minnesota Strikers, Cleveland Force and Chicago Sting dropped out over the course of the summer. Plans for a 60-game schedule were scrapped, and a new labor agreement was signed on July 16.
The remaining seven teams would play a 48-game schedule that would see the top five teams qualify for the playoffs. The fourth and fifth-place teams would play each other, while the first-place team would play the winner in the league semifinals. The second and third-place teams played in the other semifinal, and the semifinal winners would play in the league championship series.
After the season, the Los Angeles Lazers folded and new franchises were placed in St. Louis and Cleveland for the 1989-90 season.
Regular Season Schedule
The 1988–89 regular season schedule ran from November 4, 1988, to April 18, 1989. At 48 games, it was a decrease of eight games per team compared to the previous season.
Final Standings
Playoff teams in bold.
Scoring leaders
GP = Games Played, G = Goals, A = Assists, Pts = Points
Leading goalkeepers
Note: GP = Games played; Min – Minutes Played; GA = Goals Against; GAA = Goals Against Average; W = Wins; L = Losses
Scoring leaders
GP = Games Played, G = Goals, A = Assists, Pts = Points
Leading goalkeepers
Note: GP = Games played; Min – Minutes Played; GA = Goals Against; GAA = Goals Against Average; W = Wins; L = Losses
League Awards
Most Valuable Player: Preki, Tacoma
Scoring Champion: Preki, Tacoma
Pass Master: Preki, Tacoma/Chico Borja, Wichita
Defender of the Year: Kevin Crow, San Diego
Rookie of the Year: Rusty Troy, Baltimore
Newcomer of the Year: Domenic Mobilio, Baltimore
Goalkeeper of the Year: Victor Nogueira, San Diego
Coach of the Year: Kenny Cooper, Baltimore
Championship Series Most Valuable Player: Victor Nogueira, San Diego
Championship Series Unsung Hero: Paul Daugherty, San Diego