Defending the Crown: Canadian Crusaders Look Ahead to the Next MLIS Season

The Canadian Crusaders head into the next Major League Indoor Soccer season the way every club wants to: as champions.

Last spring in Las Vegas, Toronto finished what it started. A North Conference title at 11–1–0, a semifinal win over Utah, and a 6–4 final victory over the Amarillo Bombers at Orleans Arena delivered the club’s first MLIS Championship — and Canada’s first arena soccer crown in more than two decades. Leaford Allen’s hat trick, Osman Husseins go-ahead goal, and Yonis Jama’s insurance marker sealed the night. That wasn’t a closing chapter. It was the opening of a title defence.

Canada’s only MLIS club

Based at Scarborough Soccer Centre (45 Fairfax Crescent), the Crusaders remain Canada’s only club in Major League Indoor Soccer. Winning changes the conversation. Opponents prepare differently. Road nights get louder. The group that answered every test through the playoffs didn’t get soft in victory — it got sharper about the standard ahead.

Looking to December

With the next campaign set to tip off in December 2026, Toronto returns as the team everyone has to beat. Expect the same hallmarks that defined the championship run: depth across the lineup, scoring from everywhere, and a backline anchored by Filip Zendelek, back-to-back MLIS Goalkeeper of the Year, whose distribution and composure turn saves into attacks.

Management and coaching staff are already shaping the next crusade, with new pieces still to come.

Come see it live

All Canadian Crusaders home games are free. The arena opens at 6 p.m., and donations are welcome. Follow @canadiancrusaders on Instagram and TikTok, @CanadianCrusadersSoccer on YouTube, and check cacrusaders.com for tryouts, tickets, and schedule updates as the season approaches.

The next fight starts now

Championships are defended in training rooms long before they’re defended in finals. December isn’t a soft restart. It’s the first page of a title defence.

The Canadian Crusaders are ready for it.