Detroit City, FC Berlin will give Great Lakes Division kickoff Dec. 5 an international flavor

WARREN, Ohio -- Two heavyweights from a season ago will kick off action in the newly expanded Major Arena Soccer League Women Great Lakes Division when they meet in suburban Toronto on Saturday, December 5.

In fact, "Le Rouge" will be looking for a little payback, as one of two  Detroit City's regular season losses last year came in Canada as FC Berlin took a 10-7 win. Both teams finished with 8-2 records atop the Great Lakes North in 2025-26, with Detroit claiming the top spot with one additional point in the standings than FC Berlin. 

In all, there are 11 teams in the Great Lakes Division for 2026-27, with a scheduling emphasis on regional and geographic rivals making up each team's slate of 10 regular season games. 

Three teams -- The Youngstown Nighthawks, Detroit Waza Flo and the Muskegon Risers -- are provisional division members this year, and will play less than a 10-game schedule. Any division game involving those three clubs will be considered as an exhibition, and the results will not count towards league standings.

The remaining eight teams -- Detroit, FC Berlin, Louisville Triumph, Columbus Eagles, Cincinnati Sirens, Indy Nights, Susserfuss Ballverein (Akron, Ohio) and the Chicago Mustangs -- will all play 10-game schedules against each other, and may have additional games beyond those 10 if they are matched up against a provisional side.

The league enters its third season with a record 26 teams in three divisions across all of North America, with teams in Canada, the United States, and Mexico. Eight teams will qualify for the MASL W championship weekend in early spring, with a divisional playoff structure in play for the first time in league history to determine the teams for the national championships at a venue to be selected during the season. The top four teams in each division will advance to the post-season.

Other divisional home openers include:

>> The Indy Nights on Sunday, December 6 against the Columbus Eagles.

>> The Louisville Triumph on Friday, December 11 against the Indy Nights.

>>  Susserfuss Ballverein (Akron) on Saturday, December 19 against the Chicago Mustangs.

>> The Cincinnati Sirens on Sunday, December 20 against Detroit City.

>> The Chicago Mustangs on Saturday, January 9 against Susserfuss Ballverein.

>> The Columbus Eagles on Saturday, January 9 against FC Berlin.

>> The Muskegon Risers on Saturday, February 9 against the Indy Nights.

>> Detroit Waza Flo on Saturday, February 9 against the Youngstown Nighthawks

>> The Youngstown Nighthawks on Saturday, February 20 against the Muskegon Risers.