Chihuahua Savage rejoining MASL 2 for 2026-27 with eye on bigger future in league

TAMPA, Florida -- The Chihuahua Savage and the Major Arena Soccer League have announced that the Savage will officially rejoin the league for the 2026-27 season as a member of Major Arena Soccer League 2.

The Chihuahua Savage return following an unprecedented run that saw the team capture three consecutive Ron Newman Cup championships. The team sat out during the 2025-26 season. 

As part of the team’s return, the Savage and league leadership will work collaboratively to explore the development of a future MASLMX division. Discussions surrounding the structure, timeline, and operational details of the initiative are ongoing, with additional information expected at a later date.

The potential creation of MASLMX represents an important step in the continued growth of professional indoor soccer throughout North America and reflects the league’s commitment to engaging the passionate and dedicated fan base throughout Mexico.

“The return of the three-time MASL Champion Chihuahua Savage to M2 is great news not only for their fans, but also for all the fans across M2,” said Commissioner Keith Tozer. “We look forward to working closely with their ownership group as we continue building MASL MX, which will further strengthen and expand the footprint of professional indoor soccer throughout the region.”

In addition to competing in M2 during the 2026-27 season, the Savage organization will work closely with the league office to further enhance the professional standards of its facility and operations. These efforts are being undertaken with the long-term goal of positioning the club for a future return to the top-tier MASL level.

Not only have the Savage won three MASL titles, they also have three MASL 2 championships to their credit, the most recent in  2024-25  with a heart-stopping 8-7 double overtime win over the Iowa Demon Hawks. Chihuahua posted an 11-1 regular season, just edging out the Wichita Wings and San Diego Sockers 2 to claim their regular season division title. The MASL 2 title capped a remarkable season for the Savage, as they also won the MASL and MASL W championships that season.

Chihuahua also won the league title in 2022-23 with a 10-4 win over the Iowa Raptors, and were declared league champs in 2019-20 when the COVID outbreak cut short the regular season. Chihuahua was 12-0 and the only undefeated team in the league when the pandemic eliminated that year's playoffs. 

“MASL 2 has set a high standard for excellence over the past few seasons south of the border, and no one has exemplified that better than the Savage and their championship pedigree,” Economides noted. “There was tremendous competition and excitement for games between our Mexican teams last season, and that will only grow with the addition of the Savage. Indoor fans in all our markets here are excited by the news and know it will provide for some great matchups as we kick off our 10th anniversary season late this fall.”

To that point, three Mexican teams competed in MASL 2 action in 2025-26, with Mexico City, Guadalajara and Sonora amassing a combined record of 21-11-3, while at the same time in the South Division, the OKC Certified Lions posted a 10-2 mark.

“We are excited about the growth of MASL 2 and the quality of the teams it has added in recent seasons like OKC, Spice City, Utica and others,” noted Savage team official J.C. Robledo. “The Savage has always stood for excellence on and off the field, and once again nothing but a league championship will be our motivation and singular goal for the 2026-27 season. We look forward to our contests against many quality teams.”

The Harrisburg Heat, playing their first season in MASL 2, won the 2025-26 league championship last month over the Iowa Demon Hawks, who won the title in 2023-24, in a 9-8 thriller. 

The 10th anniversary season of MASL 2 soccer will start in late fall with teams playing a 12-game schedule culminating in a league championship playoffs in early Spring. For more league details, visit www.masl2.com. For more information on the Savage, visit www.savage.com.mx and for more information about the Major Arena Soccer League, visit maslsoccer.com.