Chuck Estrada says the game of indoor soccer is similar to hockey. Teams play with six players each at a time, including goalies, on a turf field surrounded by hockey boards. The game, played in 15-minute quarters, is high scoring, fast paced and involves a good amount of substitutions between the teams who are playing. The hockey boards are used both offensively and defensively when needed, Estrada says.

“We really use a blend of basketball strategies and tactics with soccer strategies and tactics — and the game plays like hockey by how there are no permanent offsides, but there are clearance restrictions. Indoor soccer has been branded more like a sports entertainment,” said Estrada, the head coach of the Colorado Rumble indoor soccer team.

The Colorado Rumble are in the midst of their regular season and play their home games at Foothills Fieldhouse in the Denver metro area, only a few miles away from Lakewood. The Rumble is one of ten teams that make up the Major Arena Soccer League 2, a development league for the Major Arena Soccer League.

“We want to bring something special. We want all of the local people to know about us and feel excited about us,” said Gary Faircloth, owner of the Rumble.

Estrada describes the Rumble as a grassroots team. He says the team is made up of homegrown talent that comes from all around Colorado.

“(Players really are) your friend, or your friend’s friend, or your brother and so on. That’s the thing I like,” said Estrada. “We’re more intimate, more grassroots, and we’re staying that way for the time being. We’re trying to develop young talent that are local.”

One of those young talents on the team is Noe Rios who is a defender for the Rumble. Rios grew up in Thornton and started playing soccer competitively at the age of 12.

“If you want to see great soccer, come watch (us). It’s just a fun atmosphere,” said Rios. “You’re pretty much playing with us, because you can see the game up close. I think it’s cool.”