The Family Arena recently introduced St. Louis’ newest indoor soccer team, Ambush. Prior to the Ambush, there have been several teams in St. Louis, such as the St. Louis Illusion. Both professional and semi-professional teams have failed to stay in business in the St. Louis area, whether due to lack of attendance or the financial management problems. Team owner Andrew Haines plans to avoid these problems by promoting the team and watching the budget.

“You have to be on top of your expenses,” Hains said. “It’s very easy to over spend, and lose lots of money. Keeping your expenses down, and then making sure you market the team and bring in revenue, will ensure that [the team failing] doesn’t happen again.”

Ambush is a new team in the Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL). According to midfielder, defender,and assistant coach Jeff DiMaria, the team is doing well with a record of 4-6 as of press time. DiMaria believes Ambush is doing quite well, especially compared to the other new team, Pennsylvania Roar, which holds a record of 0-10. The team has also beaten the Syracuse Silver Knights–both times when the Knights held first place. As of press time, the Ambush are in fifth, one place away from a playoff spot.

In addition to the team being new, they have also had multiple injured players, including DiMaria and Dan Antoniuk, as well as Nick Aguilar. The injury Aguilar has suffered has put him into question as to whether he is fit to return, and as for Elvir Kafedzic, his injury will not allow him to return. These injuries have prompted Ambush to recruit new players.

Although the team’s health has dwindled, there are still many uninjured players, such as goalkeeper Jeff Richey–a current U.S. National Futsal team player–and Mike Roach, previous player of New England Revolution of Major League Soccer (MLS). Despite these injuries, players like DiMaria are excited to be on the new team.

“I take a lot of pride in being a homegrown player on the team,” DiMaria said. “St. Louis has a storied soccer history with really passionate and intelligent soccer fans. I really enjoy playing in front of these fans in addition to having my family and friends be able to watch me.”

According to some, Ambush has attracted a large fanbase. The attendance average is 5,464 people per game, putting the Ambush at third for most attended team. St.Louis’s soccer history–along with a large number of youth programs such as Saint Louis Scott Gallagher (SLSG), Lou Fusz, and JB Marine–is what is believed to be drawing crowds, in addition to the Ambush’s social marketing staff. The marketing team has been giving the team exposure by selling team merchandise, such as jerseys, scarves, sweatshirts, and vuvuzelas. The marketing team also gave SLSG players a 50 percent discount on their tickets in order to attract more players from the youth program.

In addition to marketing, DiMaria believes that the exciting atmosphere is also bringing in fans and keeping them coming back.

“What keeps me coming back is the soccer fans and being able to be so close to the players and the field, which makes you feel like you are really a part of the game,” freshman Chris St. Aubin said.

Ambush’s next game will be today against the Baltimore Blast at the Baltimore Arena. Anyone wanting to attend an Ambush game can find the schedule on the team’s website: stlouisambush.com. Tickets can be purchased online and picked up at the Family Arena. The next home game will be at the Family Arena on Saturday, Feb. 1, when the Ambush will face the Milwaukee Wave at 1:35 p.m.