Cleveland Crunch History
Last Updated 03/21/00
The Cleveland Crunch is celebrating its eleventh year
in Cleveland. Along the way it has collected numerous titles, including
1994,1996 and 1999 NPSL League Championships.
In its inaugural season, the Crunch finished 20-32,
which earned the team fourth place in the Eastern Division. They won their
first game ever in franchise history with a score of 5-0 over Tacoma on
November 10, 1989. The team was coached under player/head coach,
and former Cleveland indoor soccer star, Kai Haaskivi.
In its second season, the Crunch won the Eastern
Division with a 29-23 record. Hitting a slump midway through the season,
assistant coach Trevor Dawkins was promoted to head coach. This move
sparked the team to become the second expansion team in MSL history to
advance to the championship finals. Zoran Karic and Hector Marinaro became
the second pair of teammates in MSL history to each score 100 or more points
in the same season. Zoran Karic was named to the All-MSL First Team. Bernie
James was selected to the All-MSL Second Team while Hector Marinaro earned
Honorable Mention.
In 1991-92, the Crunch ended its season with an
even 20-20 record. The Crunch finished as the Eastern Division Runner-up
after losing in the first round of the playoffs to the Dallas Sidekicks
in six games. This was the last season the Crunch would
play in the MSL, as the league folded during the summer.
The Crunch joined the National Professional Soccer
League at the start of the 1992-93 season, hiring Gary Hindley as the new
Head Coach. The Crunch adjusted to the move rather quickly, as it finished
its regular season with a record of 25-15 and went on to defeat the
Buffalo Blizzard in the first round of the playoffs, and the Harrisburg
Heat in the second round to capture the American Division Championship.
The "Dynamic Duo" of Hector Marinaro and Zoran Karic finished first and
second in scoring, with Marinaro winning the League's Most Valuable Player
award and setting the record for most goals in a game with eight. Karic
had three goals for seven points to earn the MVP award in his first NPSL
All-Star Game, while goalkeeper Otto Orf led the NPSL in victories with
25.
For the second year in a row, the Crunch made a
championship appearance by defeating Buffalo and Harrisburg during the
1993-94 season. These American Division Champions quickly became League
Champions, as they defeated the St. Louis
Ambush bringing Cleveland its first professional sports championship
since 1964. The "Dynamic Duo" once again led the League in scoring, but
it was Karic who won the scoring title and the League's MVP award with
an all-time indoor soccer record 267 points, and he became the first
player to accumulate 100 assists in one season. Marinaro, a First Team
All-NPSL selection, set an all-time record with 113 total goals to
finish second in scoring. In the playoffs, Marinaro scored a record 35
goals and 74 points, while scoring the game winning goal in double overtime
to win the NPSL Championship.
The 1994-95 season proved to be another good year
for the Crunch, as it captured its first American Division title. The team
also broke the club record for wins with a record of 30-10. For the third
year in a row, the "Dynamic Duo" finished as the top two in scoring. Karic
earned co-MVP honors in the 1995 All-Star Game, as he scored five goals
for 10 points. Both players set the record for most points in a regular
season game with 18 (Karic 3/17/95, Marinaro 2/4/95), while Karic set the
mark for most assists in a game with eight. Henry Gutierrez won the NPSL
Rookie of the Year award after finishing with 50 goals and 21 assists for
114 points, good for third on the Crunch and 17th in the League.
The 1995-96 season was one of the best in Crunch
history. For the second year in a row, the Crunch won the American Division
regular season title while breaking the franchise record for wins. The
team finished the regular season with a 31 -9 record under rookie Head
Coach Bruce Miller. Hector Marinaro and Zoran Karic finished another season
at the top of the League in scoring, as the Crunch set an NPSL record with
775 points. Marinaro had 247 points to become the first player in NPSL
history to score at least 200 points during the regular season four years
in a row. He led the League in seven of the 12 offensive categories. Karic
scored 188 points in an injury riddled season in which he only played in
27 games. The "Dynamic Duo" both scored at least one point in every game
they played, while Otto Orf set a team record with 29 wins in the regular
season.
The 1996-97 season also turned out to be a season
filled with achievements. Defender Tim Tyma earned his 1,013th blocked
shot, making him indoor soccer's leading shot blocker. Marinaro broke NPSL
records for most points in a game (25), most goals in a game (4), most
points scored in a half (14-tied), and most goals scored in a half (6).
Forward Kia recorded his 500th career goal, making him one of only seven
players to do so. Forward Zoran Karic tied the NPSL record for most points
scored in a quarter (10). Karic became the first player in NPSL history
to record a double soccer cycle with Marinaro following soon after. Karic
and Marinaro each received NPSL Player of the Week honors twice during
the season. Marinaro received the league scoring title and his fourth MVP
award with 265 points, recording 104 goals and 65 assists. Goalkeeper Otto
Orf finished the season with a league high 28 wins. The Crunch became the
first team in league history to clinch a playoff berth before the 1996-97
NPSL All-Star break. The Crunch added four starters (Marinaro, Karic, Orf
and Matt Knowles) to the American Conference All-Star team, as well as
a reserve (rookie forward Nikola Vignjevic).
The Crunch also broke records for most points in
a game (52) and widest margin of victory. Injuries plagued the Crunch again
during the 1997-98 season, but it still managed to finish the season 21-19,
earning second place in the American Conference Central Division. Marinaro
became the first player in North American indoor history to record 1,000
career goals on December 30, 1997, in Detroit. He is also the National
Professional Soccer League's all-time leading points getter and goal scorer.
Karic became the League's all-time assist leader of February 27, 1998,
and only the second player in NPSL history to record 1,200 regular season
points on December 28, 1997. The team clinched its eighth straight playoff
birth on March 7, 1998, but were swept two games to none in the American
Conference Semifinals by the Philadelphia Kixx. It was the Crunch's first
ever first round playoff exit.
In 1998-99, exhilarating highs and disappointing
lows accented the record setting tenth anniversary season of the Cleveland
Crunch. Following a 10-6 loss in Philadelphia on January 23, 1999, the
Crunch's record was 9-10. Hector Marinaro and Zoran Karic were injured
during a loss in Philadelphia and would be out for nearly three weeks.
With its top two scorers out, the team turned the season around. On February
28, 1999, Bruce Miller recorded his 1 00th career regular season coaching
victory over Milwaukee. Almost one month later the Crunch concluded
its team record tying 10th straight victory, winning at home over Philadelphia.
At seasons end the Crunch's record was 26-14, the best in the NPSL.
The Crunch earned a bye in the first round of the
playoffs and faced off against division rival Montreal in the American
Conference semifinals. After losing the first game, Cleveland bounced back
by defeating Montreal and then Philadelphia, winning the American
Conference title. In the first game of the Kixx series, the Crunch and
goalkeeper Otto Orf recorded the
fourth playoff shutout in NPSL history. By winning the American Conference,
the Crunch earned the right to play St. Louis in the NPSL Finals.
Cleveland dominated the first two games on home
turf, winning 20-9 and 21 -10. It faced a tougher challenge in St. Louis
for games three and four. With game three tied and just seconds left to
play, Daryl Doran snuck in a two-pointer to secure the victory for St.
Louis. The Crunch also lost game four, 12-8, and the series returned to
Cleveland. On May 14, 1999, the record- setting crowd of 12,726 fans in
the C.S.U. Convocation Center witnessed a hard-fought battle between two
teams who craved the NPSL Championship. A seesaw battle continued until
defender Scott Schweitzer flew from the left side of the field, through
the Ambush defense, to the right wing and fired in the game winning two-point
goal. Goals from Troy Dusosky and John Ball sealed the 18-12 Championship
victory, and Cleveland celebrated its third NPSL Championship in the 1990s.
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