MISL: Syracuse Silver Knights vs. Baltimore Blast

I haven't been to a soccer match in quite a few years, and I had never attended an indoor soccer match - never mind a professional indoor soccer match - until February 1, 2013, when I saw the Syracuse Silver Knights take on the Baltimore Blast in Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL) action.

I had no idea what to expect, other than knowing the basics: This would be soccer with walls and nets instead of sidelines, turf instead of grass, the field would be smaller, and the game would be much faster paced than regular soccer.

I was pleasantly surprised to attend what turned out to be the most fun I have had at a sporting event in recent memory. It was an odd atmosphere that included pop music blasting while the ball was in play and a constant flow of players onto and off of the pitch. Much like the hockey rink they played on top, players jumped over the walls of the benches to make their substitutions. Also like hockey, the penalties were not yellow or red cards, but minor and major penalties, which put the team down a player. Also unlike most soccer games, this was played in quarters and not halves.

The weirdest part of all of this was how it was scored; you score a goal: 2 points. It was unclear as to why they would make a goal worth 2, but that's the way it was.

The weirdness of the game setup eventually got pushed to the back of my mind once I got into the game. It was fast paced and the scoring opportunities were incredibly exciting and almost as regularly occurring as the substitutions. Kicking a soccer ball as hard as you can, and it bouncing off a plexiglas turned out to make for pretty exciting sporting entertainment. Bicycle kicks and headers were the norm in this coked-up version of the soccer I played as a kid.

Now, for the game itself: After coming off to an early 2-0 (1-0) lead, the Syracuse Silver Knights let in four unanswered goals to go down 8-2 in the first half. In the second half, the Knights came out hard, pushing the exhilarating pace up even further. Down 8-4 after three quarters, 18-year-old Antonio Manfut scored a beautiful goal to put the Knights down by just a goal. Kenardo Forbes, of Jamaica, followed it up two minutes later with the game-tier.

Regulation would end with the scores tied up, sending the game to sudden-death overtime. The Knights controlled almost all of overtime, with dozens of scoring chances and shots on goal, but it was a well-aimed shot from the "corner" by the Blast's Adauto Neto that decided it.

I knew next to nothing about the sport, the league, or the teams going into tonight's game, but I enjoyed the experience. I recommend anyone given a chance to see a MISL game to go; it's a lot of fun to watch, and easy to get in to.