MUSKEGON – The Muskegon Risers are more excited than they have been in several years about the start of a new season.

That’s because the Risers will have an opportunity to play a full season, and compete in a league, for the first time in a long time.

Last year the Risers only played three indoor soccer games, due to ongoing COVID concerns. They did well, posting a 2-1 record and putting on some exciting performances for loyal local fans, but it wasn’t enough.

On Wednesday the team gathered for its first practice session of the 2021-22 campaign, and you could feel the excitement in the air, with a 12-game league schedule and the potential for playoffs on the horizon.

The Risers will play in the 13-team Major Indoor Soccer League 2, popularly known as M2. The majority of teams in the league are based in the western United States, a fact that presented travel challenges for Muskegon in the past. But now there are several nearby teams that will provide great rivalries and keep travel costs under control – the Chicago Mustangs, Cincinnati Swerve and Cleveland Crunch.

Muskegon will play all 12 of its games against those opponents, beginning with road games on Dec. 11 at Cincinnati and Dec. 18 at Chicago. The Risers will open at home on Jan. 7-8 with back-to-back games against Cleveland at Mercy Health Arena.

MuskegonSports.com will provide complete coverage of the Risers men’s and women’s indoor teams throughout the season.

“I am super excited,” said Risers head coach Ben Ritsema, whose team practiced at Shoreline Soccer Club in Norton Shores on Wednesday. “Driving here tonight, I kind of felt like it was Christmas morning for me. We’ve waited a long time to play an actual season, with the chance to play for a conference championship and a league championship. We got the chance to play a few games for the fans last year, and we loved doing it, but the games matter more now. We want to go out and make a good showing. I expect practice to be intense, with guys moving around the soccer field, to get ready for the season.

“We will only have five practices before the first game.”

Getting adjusted to playing a full schedule in a highly competitive league will be challenging, according to Ritsema.

There will be a lot more practice and a lot more travel for the coaches and players, who all work during the day to make a living.

“The travel will be challenging,” Ritsema said. “We will have two away games in Cincinnati, Chicago and Cleveland. Chicago and Cleveland aren’t too bad, but Cincy is a longer trip. We will also have back-to-back home games our first weekend, on Friday and Saturday night.”

The Risers will have at least one big thing going for them as they start the new season – continuity.

Despite the disruptions caused by COVID and the lack of nearby teams to play, the Risers have managed to keep the same core group of talented players together for several years.

The preseason roster includes a lot of names that will be familiar to fans, including Miguel Flores, Cody Loss, Aldony Mendez, TJ Ifaturoti, Michael Vollmer, Micheal Schmitt, Brandon Edwards and Ryan Wagenmaker, to name a few.

With some talented newcomers added to the roster this season, the Risers expect to be very competitive in the M2 league.

“There are a couple new guys we’ve recruited, and we will have some new guys coming in once the M1 league makes its cuts,  but I would say 90 percent of the roster played for us last year or in the past,” Ritsema said. “They know the rules of the indoor game and they know our system, and that will really make a big difference.”

So how does a team that’s had so many interruptions in recent years manage to keep the same core of talented players together, season after season?

“I think it’s the character of the players,” said Ritsema, who added that he has coached some of the players since they were in high school or community college. “We need players who have great character and great commitment and want to play for the fans of Muskegon, and those are the kinds of players I have. They are also the kind of players who like me, so we have this bond.”