The 2012–13 Ohio Vortex season was the fourth season of the

Ohio Vortex Ohio Vortex was an American professional indoor soccer team based in Canton, Ohio. They joined the Professional Arena Soccer League in 2009. The Ohio Vortex was a non-profit organization that donates a portion of their revenue to local charities. ...

indoor soccer club. The Vortex, an Eastern Division team in the

Professional Arena Soccer League The Major Arena Soccer League (MASL) is a professional indoor soccer league in North America. The MASL features teams playing coast-to-coast in the United States and Mexico. The league is the highest level of arena soccer in North America. The le ...

, played the majority of their home games at the Pinnacle Sports Complex in

Medina, Ohio Medina ( ) is a city in Medina County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. The population was 26,094 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It lies about south of Cleveland and west of Akron, Ohio, Akron within the Cleveland met ...

. The team was led by executive director Jodi Wayble and head coach Denzil Antonio.

Season summary

The Vortex struggled in the regular season, posting a 1–15 record, and failed to advance to the postseason. The team won only one game, against the

Illinois Piasa FC Adrenaline is an American professional indoor soccer team, founded in 2007. The team played in the Premier Arena Soccer League from 2007–2010 as "Piasa FC". The club moved to the Professional Arena Soccer League (PASL) in 2010 as "Illinois ...

, before dropping the final 13 matches giving the franchise the longest losing streak in the league this season. The franchise struggled off the field as well, drawing only an average of 210 fans per home game, besting just the two Arizona-based teams. The Ohio club's abrupt relocation from Canton 60 miles northwest to Oberlin just before the start of the season then again 30 miles east to

Medina Medina, officially al-Madinah al-Munawwarah (, ), also known as Taybah () and known in pre-Islamic times as Yathrib (), is the capital of Medina Province (Saudi Arabia), Medina Province in the Hejaz region of western Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, ...

after the second home game likely contributed to the team's box office issues. The Vortex participated in the

2012–13 United States Open Cup for Arena Soccer The 2012–13 US Open Arena Soccer Championship is the fifth edition of an open knockout style tournament for arena/indoor soccer. In this edition, teams from the Professional Arena Soccer League, Premier Arena Soccer League, and other independe ...

. They received a bye in the wild-card round then lost to the

Detroit Waza The Waza FC (also known as Detroit Waza) is an American professional indoor soccer, arena soccer team based in Metro Detroit competing as a charter member of the Major League Indoor Soccer (2022–present), Major League Indoor Soccer (MLIS). The ...

in the Round of 16, ending their tournament run.

Off-field moves

Founded in 2008, the Ohio Vortex began play in the 2009–10 season at the Cleveland Metroplex Events Center in

Warrensville Heights, Ohio Warrensville Heights is a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States. It is an eastern suburb of Cleveland. The population was 13,789 at the 2020 census. Geography Warrensville Heights is located at (41.438653, -81.523262). According to th ...

, before settling into the Canton Civic Center in

Canton, Ohio Canton () is a city in Stark County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of cities in Ohio, eighth-most populous city in Ohio, with a population of 70,872 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The Canton–Massillo ...

. The team, an original member of the

, followed in the footsteps of the Canton Invaders, a team in the National Professional Soccer League that called Canton home from 1984 through 1996. On October 26, 2012, one week before the start of the season, the team announced it was moving from Canton to

Oberlin, Ohio Oberlin () is a city in Lorain County, Ohio, United States. It is located about southwest of Cleveland within the Cleveland metropolitan area. The population was 8,555 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Oberlin is the home of Oberlin ...

, for the 2012–13 season and would play their home games at the Gameday Sports Center. After the first two home games, the team relocated to the Pinnacle Sports Complex in

. On March 14, 2013, the team began selling off its game uniforms and pre-game warmup shirts via its official

Facebook Facebook is a social media and social networking service owned by the American technology conglomerate Meta Platforms, Meta. Created in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with four other Harvard College students and roommates, Eduardo Saverin, Andre ...

page. The team's official website was taken down in June 2013.

Roster moves

On November 20, 2012, Vortex goalkeeper Mike Mason was named PASL Player of the Week for his role in the team winning its first game of the 2012–13 season. Mason's 18 saves in a 7–0 win against

constituted the fifth shutout in league history and first since February 2011. On December 5, 2012, the Vortex announced the signing of midfielder Joe Salem. An

Akron, Ohio Akron () is a city in Summit County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Ohio, fifth-most populous city in Ohio, with a population of 190,469 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The Akron metr ...

, native with professional experience on the

Puerto Rico Islanders The Puerto Rico Islanders were a professional association football team based in Bayamón, Puerto Rico. They played in several different leagues from 2004 to 2012, when they suspended operations. In their last two seasons they played in the Nort ...

of the

North American Soccer League The North American Soccer League (NASL) was the top-level major professional soccer league in the United States and Canada that operated from 1968 to 1984. It is considered the first soccer league to be successful on a national scale in the ...

, Salem is also an assistant coach at Highland High School.

Schedule

Regular season

† Game also counts for US Open Cup, as listed in chart below.
§ Team began season at Gameday Sports Center; relocated to Pinnacle Sports Complex for final six home games.

Season summary

Off-field moves

Roster moves

Schedule

Regular season

2012–13 US Open Cup for Arena Soccer

References

External links