Indoor Soccer League Ceases Operation

The Continental Indoor Soccer League, whose franchise owners met Monday to determine a course of action for the 1998 season, decided Tuesday to call the whole thing off.

Ron Weinstein, the league’s founder and commissioner, announced the 5-year-old league would cease operations after losing four of its 11 franchises.

Since the CISL season ended in October, the league has seized franchise rights to the Anaheim Splash, Houston Hotshots and Portland Pride for faulty ownership. A fourth team, the Dallas Sidekicks, withdrew from the league Friday.

Monday was the deadline for the seven remaining franchises to post letters of credit to commit to the 1998 season, but only the Sacramento Knights, Seattle SeaDogs and Monterrey La Raza did so. The Arizona Sandsharks, Detroit Safari, Indiana Twisters and Washington Warthogs did not.

The CISL’s decision leaves the National Professional Soccer League, a 15-team Eastern winter league, as the only professional indoor league.