If you’ve been following me on social media, you know I’m beginning to dip my toes into the world of arena soccer. There’s several leagues that do indoor in the United States, but the MASL has really sparked my interest, for several reasons. The level of play is fantastic, the clubs are fan-forward, and the matches are hella fun to watch. All the matches stream live via Twitch and most show up on Youtube soon after play, so you can easily access the league, from top to bottom.

The storylines and play on the field is no less interesting than anything happening outdoors and given that most American leagues have closed up shop for the winter, now is the time to get into these matches, find a team, and get stuck in. This weekend is a great one to do just that - with 12 matches between Friday, Saturday, and Sunday! Here’s some can’t-miss matches you should consider adding to your rotation this weekend.

La Pelea Mexicana

Monterrey Flash @ Chihuahua Savage - Friday 9p ET.

Chihuahua Savage @ Monterrey Flash - Sunday 4:35p ET

There’s already a “classico” in Mexican soccer (America vs Guadalajara), so why not name this on the Mexican Fight. Chihuahua Savage is the defending champions and have kicked off this season in the same form, winning its first two matches handily. Maybe the most impressive aspect of the wins is the defense. In a league dominated by goalscoring, Chihuahua is only giving up 2.5 goals a match, absolutely unheard of.

Genaro Castilo is leading the Flash with 7 assists. *Image courtesy of Monterrey Flash*

Enter the challenger, fellow Mexican club Monterrey Flash. Monterrey is currently second in the Eastern Division and is in the middle of an undefeated streak that included a shellacking of Dallas 5-22. The Flash attack is led by Jose Antonio Medina who is on a streak of his own, back-to-back hat tricks.

So this weekend’s fixtures will be a clash of offense versus defense, champion versus challenger. Everything to love and you get a double dip, as these teams play twice in three days, swapping home field advantage.

Started from the Bottom

Baltimore Blast @ Tacoma Stars - Sunday 8:05p ET

Sure you could watch the heavyweights punch each other, but who doesn’t love an underdog story? Sunday gives us a Baltimore Blast team on the road, who have so far struggled to get going this season. After kicking off this season with two matches at home (which it lost both), Baltimore is now on the road this weekend and Tacoma will host the Blast for its second match of the weekend. Baltimore is so far struggling to score goals averaging an anemic 5.5 goals per match. Paired with its struggle to score goals, Baltimore has the worst goals against average in the Eastern Division (9.5).

Baltimore has struggled, but continues to fight. *Image courtesy of MIKMELLIS Photography and Baltimore Blast*

Hosting Baltimore on Sunday is Tacoma Stars, a club currently without points. I’d argue they aren’t as bad as that, just hard done by the schedule. Tacoma’s first two matches were against Western Division powerhouse San Diego Sockers and they lost both. This weekend they get a chance to bounce back at home against Baltimore and unlike Baltimore, who have to play two matches in three days, Tacoma will be fully rested at home.

But there’s plenty of reasons to be hopeful if you’re a Baltimore fan. While it is true that Tacoma lost twice to a front-running San Diego side, they actually gave up even more goals than Baltimore has this season (10 GAA). This match is a great chance for either of these squads to right the ship and battle back to being competitive in their respective divisions.

The Real Deal?

Kansas City Comets @ Texas Outlaws - Saturday 8:05p ET

Texas Outlaws @ Kansas City Comets - Sunday 6:05p ET

Kansas City came out of the gate on fire, winning its first three matches and looking every bit the first place team it currently is. The offense is led by US Futsal badass Zach Reget who has 7 goals in 3 matches, but don’t sleep on goalkeeper Nicolau Neto. In net, Neto is an absolute force. He’s allowing less than 3 goals a match and saving shots at a .844 rate. Maybe the club hasn’t scored as many goals as some of the other league leading clubs, but with Neto at the back, they haven’t needed to.

Comets got a big road win over Harrisburg last weekend. *Image courtesy of Kansas City Comets*

For how the season has gone, Texas has to be feeling good about where it is in the standings. Currently sitting third in the Western Division, the Outlaws haven’t won a match since its league opener against Baltimore. That doesn’t mean it hasn’t been competitive, losing its most recent match against Dallas in OT (7-8). All 3 matches so far have been on the road, so Saturday’s home opener will be a welcome respite for the first leg.

This Texas attack features multiple USA Futsal players, including Sebastian Mendez, Luiz Morales, and David Ortiz, and you can’t help but feel like the talent will push this team to challenge in this division. Outlaws will be a big test for the top team in the East and the results of this weekend will tells us plenty about how good Kansas City really is.

- Dan Vaughn