The 1997 season of the Indiana Twisters was defined by intensity, belief, and a team that finally clicked at the right time. On Episode 8 of Let’s Twist Again, former Twisters defender Carlos Zavala joined me for a wide-ranging, deeply personal conversation that traced his journey from Southern California to Mexico, indoor soccer arenas across the U.S., and ultimately to Indianapolis, where the Twisters made their playoff run in the Continental Indoor Soccer League.
Zavala’s story is about far more than one season. It’s about discipline learned the hard way, respect for the game, and how those values shaped that 1997 team.
Here’s what you’ll learn in this episode:
- Carlos grew up surrounded by the game, the son of a legendary Mexican First Division champion, but his path was anything but handed to him. He talks candidly about growing up in Santa Ana, finding refuge at the beach, and learning professionalism under demanding coaches in Mexico—lessons that would later serve him well indoors. (Check out the LA Times story referenced in the show here.)
- After bouncing through a chaotic mid-1990s American soccer landscape, Carlos landed with the Twisters just weeks before the 1997 season. What he found was a demanding environment under Jorge Espinoza that emphasized fitness, pressure, and accountability. While it wasn’t always popular, it worked—and once the system took hold, the Twisters became one of the toughest teams in the league.
- Following a slow start, the 1997 Twisters caught fire, winning 13 of 16 games and earning the #2 seed in the East. Zavala breaks down why the pieces finally fit, how specific player combinations mattered indoors, and why the team believed it could beat anyone on a given night.
- The episode also revisits the heartbreak—Zavala’s knee injury on the unstable turf at Market Square Arena, the dramatic playoff push, and the reality that the Twisters’ best season ended just as it felt like something bigger was building.
- Carlos also reflects on his post-Twisters career with the Rochester Raging Rhinos, winning championships, transitioning into coaching, and how those formative years still influence the way he teaches the game today.
▶ Watch the full episode below!
🎧 OR Listen to the audio podcast below!
💬 Have a memory from the 1997 season? Drop it in the comments and help keep the Twisters’ story alive.
