The Waza FC (also known as Detroit Waza) is an American professional arena soccer team based in Metro Detroit competing as a charter member of the Major League Indoor Soccer (MLIS). The team's nickname, "Waza", is both a Japanese word that means "good technique" (技) and a Swahili word meaning "to think clearly".[1][2]
 | |||
| Full name | Detroit Waza | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Waza Flo | ||
| Founded | 2008 | ||
| Stadium | Bicentennial Park Livonia, Michigan | ||
| Co-Owner | Dominic Scicluna | ||
| Co-Owner | Mario Scicluna | ||
| League | Premier Arena Soccer League | ||
| 2017–18 | 5th, Eastern Division Playoffs: Did not qualify | ||
| Website | Club website | ||
History
The team was founded in 2008 as Detroit Waza Flo, and were a charter member of PASL-pro, the league that was an offshoot of the Professional Arena Soccer League (PASL) and would eventually be rechristened the MASL in 2014. The team had 3 homes during its 7 seasons in the Detroit area, the last 2 of which were at the Melvindale Ice Arena in suburban Melvindale, Michigan. In September 2015, the team announced it would play its home matches for the 2015-16 MASL season at the Dort Federal Credit Union Event Center in Flint, Michigan. As part of the process, the team dropped the "Detroit" from its name and logo, becoming simply Waza Flo; should they receive a welcome reception in Flint, team ownership noted it would consider adding "Flint" to the team's name.[3] The team previously competed in the Major Arena Soccer League 2 (M2).
On October 4, the team was rebranded "Detroit Waza" and joined Major League Indoor Soccer for the 2022 season.[4]
Staff
- Dominic Scicluna - Co-Owner/Captain
- Mario Scicluna - Co-Owner
- Kathy Coyne - General Manager
- Leif Larsen - Director of Operations
Year-by-year
| League Champions | Runners-Up | Division Champions | Playoff Berth |
| Year | Win | Loss | League | Reg. Season | Playoffs | Attendance | U.S. Open Cup |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008–09 | 7 | 9 | PASL-Pro | 4th Eastern | DNQ | 3,324 | Championship Game |
| 2009–10 | 6 | 10 | PASL-Pro | 4th Eastern | DNQ | 146 | Quarter-Finals |
| 2010–11 | 8 | 8 | PASL-Pro | 3rd Eastern | DNQ | 301 | Round of 16 |
| 2011–12 | 13 | 3 | PASL | 1st Eastern | Lost Finals | 454 | Quarter-Finals |
| 2012–13 | 14 | 2 | PASL | 1st Eastern | Lost Finals | 410 | U.S. Open Cup Champions |
| 2013–14 | 10 | 5 | PASL | 2nd Eastern | Lost Divisional Playoff | 565 | Round of 16 |
| 2014–15 | 4 | 14 | MASL | 4th Eastern | DNQ | 612 | N/A |
| 2015–16 | 9 | 9 | MASL | 3rd Eastern | Lost Divisional Playoff | 968 | N/A |
| 2016–17 | On Hiatus | ||||||
| 2017–18 | 2 | 10 | MASL 2 | 5th Eastern | DNQ | N/A | N/A |
| 2018–19 | 7 | 5 | MASL 2 | 3rd Eastern | DNQ | N/A | N/A |
Playoff record
| Year | Win | Loss | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011-2012 | 2 | 1 | 23 | 23 |
| 2012-2013 | 3 | 1 | 27 | 22 |
| 2013-2014 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 7 |
| 2015-2016 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 5 |
| Total | 5 | 4 | 59 | 57 |
Awards and honors
Division titles:
- 2011-12 PASL Eastern Division
- 2012-13 PASL Eastern Division
Championships:
Arenas
- Compuware Arena, Plymouth, Michigan (2008–2009)
- Taylor Sportsplex, Taylor, Michigan (2009–2013)
- Melvindale Ice Arena, Melvindale, Michigan (2013–2015)
- Dort Federal Credit Union Event Center, Flint, Michigan (2015–2016)
- Melvindale Ice Arena, Melvindale, Michigan (2017)
- Detroit City Fieldhouse, Detroit, Michigan 2018-
References
External links
- Official website
- Go Live Sports Cast (official media partner)
42°25′48″N 83°23′31″W / 42.430°N 83.392°W