The Anaheim Splash was a U.S.

indoor soccer Indoor soccer or arena soccer (known internationally as indoor football, fast football, or showball) is five-a-side version of minifootball, derived from association football and adapted to be played in walled hardcourt indoor arena. Indoor socc ...

team that played in the

Continental Indoor Soccer League The Continental Indoor Soccer League (CISL) was a professional indoor soccer league that played from 1993 to 1997. History In the summer of 1989 Dr Jerry Buss, the owner of the Los Angeles Lakers and California Sports, told his executive Vice Pre ...

(CISL). It was founded in 1992 as the Los Angeles United, but was sold after the season. The new ownership moved the team to Anaheim, California and renamed it the Anaheim Splash. The team folded in 1997, along with the CISL.

Los Angeles United

In the fall of 1992, Jerry Buss, owner of the

Los Angeles Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Lakers play their ...

, was instrumental in the founding of the CISL. On August 19, 1992, he was awarded a franchise named Los Angeles United. The team played in the Great Western Forum in

Inglewood, California Inglewood is a city in southwestern Los Angeles County, California, in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 107,762. It was incorporated on February 14, 1908. The city is in the South Bay ...

, which was also owned by Buss. The team went 6–22, drawing an average of less than 2,000 fans per game. At the end of the season, Buss sold the team to Ogden Facility Management.

Ownership

* Jerry Buss (1993) * Ogden Facility Management (1994–96) *

The Anaheim Splash, Inc. ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in ...

(1996–97)

Staff

* Gary Sparks – Managing Partner (1996–97) * Don Ebert – General Manager (1996) * Tim Ryan – General Manager (1994–96) * Steve Samaha – General Manager (1997) * Tim Orchard – Co-Governor / Player Personnel Manager (1994–96) * Brad Mayne = Co-Governor (1994–96)

Year-by-year

Coach

* George Fernandez (1994–95) * Ian Fulton (1996) * Dale Ervine (1997) * Mike Fox – Assistant Coach

Anaheim Splash

When Ogden Facility Management purchased Los Angeles United, they moved the team to the

Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim The Honda Center (formerly known as the Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim) is an indoor arena located in Anaheim, California. The arena is home to the Anaheim Ducks of the National Hockey League. Originally named the Anaheim Arena during construction, i ...

and renamed the team the Anaheim Splash to capitalize on the name of the team’s arena. The team saw an immediate turn around on the field, going 20–8 and losing to the Las Vegas Dustdevils in the playoff semifinals. In 1995, the CISL rearranged the teams, moving Anaheim to the Southern Division. Anaheim again won the division title before losing in the semifinals, this time to the

Sacramento Knights Sacramento Knights were an indoor soccer team that played from 1993 to 2001 in ARCO Arena and were owned by the NBA's Sacramento Kings. The team played in the Continental Indoor Soccer League from 1993 to 1997. The team then moved to the Wo ...

. In 1996, the league began losing teams, leading to another readjustment of the teams, with the Splash returning to the Western Division, placing second in the division, but losing to the quarterfinals. In 1997, the Splash again finished second in the division, but lost in the second round to the

. The CISL and Anaheim Splash both folded on December 23, 1997. During its four seasons in Anaheim, the Splash averaged 6,393 per game. The Splash also averaged 6,822 per game in the playoffs.

Year-by-year

Honor

Coach of the Year * 1994: George Fernandez Defender of the Year * 1994: Ralph Black Goalkeeper of the Year * 1995: Jorge Valenzuela First Team All Star * 1994: Ralph Black * 1995:

Sean Bowers Sean Patrick Bowers (born August 12, 1968) is a retired U.S. soccer defender. He spent most of his career playing indoor soccer, earning the 1992 NPSL Rookie of the Year, four-time Defender of the Year and a six-time first team All Star in four ...

Radio broadcasts

Joe Tutino called Splash games on KPLS radio in the 1994 and '95 seasons. Tutino, who was then a production assistant and update reader on " XTRA Sports 690," has gone on to a long career as the Los Angeles Galaxy's English-language announcer.

External links

CISL yearly standings

{{Orange County Sports Continental Indoor Soccer League teams Defunct indoor soccer clubs in the United States Association football clubs established in 1992 Association football clubs disestablished in 1997 1997 disestablishments in California Soccer clubs in California