While the year 2020 brought many struggles and challenges to most people around the globe, one thing that came out of the year was the revival of the Cleveland Crunch, the professional men’s soccer team in Cleveland, Ohio. The Cleveland Crunch was originally known as The Cleveland Force from 1989 to 2002. During their era as The Force, the team played in the MISL and NPL leagues. Now they play for the Major League Indoor Soccer, MLIS, which the team won in 2024.
While the team has been back in “The Land” for the past six years, many locals, Hudson residents specifically, do not know of the team’s existence. And whether you are an avid soccer player, fan or have avoided the sport entirely, Cleveland Crunch games provide for fun and exciting afternoons for all viewers.
The Cleveland Crunch do an immaculate job at following the consistent fun vibes that all Cleveland sports possess. Much of the fun is contributed by the team’s upbeat announcer who, throughout the game, also plays many chants, songs and sound effects for the crowd. Each game also has interactive fan activities and game by game promotional events. Most notably, the games have local residents sing the national anthem, have local youth soccer teams walk out with players and feature post game contests for kids at the games.
The facility is also home to the team’s mascot, “Kickster the Dinoscore,” who stays at photo ops around the arena before gametime. Kickster was a big hit in the 1989 to 2002 years, so naturally he was brought back when the team came back as The Crunch.
Crunch play their games at the Wolstein Center in downtown Cleveland. This facility is also used for Cleveland State’s basketball games, hockey games and other local events. The Wolstein center features many areas for food and transforms the venue into an impressive soccer field for Crunch games, even creating an on field walkout experience for players.
Cleveland Crunch games are also extremely affordable, general admission tickets can be bought at the low price of fifteen dollars. For an even bigger discount, season ticket packages for all six home games can be bought from as low as eighty dollars. Parking passes can also be bought for around eighty dollars as well, or can be bought at the door for ten dollars.
The players on the Cleveland Crunch team are made up of men with age ranges from 19 being the youngest all the way to 39, with most players in their 20s. Many of the players also attended colleges nearby Cleveland in previous years and played for their college teams as well. A lot of players also grew up in Cleveland playing for local clubs, which further contributes to the passionate atmosphere The Crunch administer.
The Crunch have a very well rounded team, as earning a spot is not so simple. This allows for many individuals on the team to score and assist –the team is led in goals by Gabriel Pewu with 15 followed by Admir Suljevic with 14. Suljevic also leads the team in assists and has 16. With these stats, Suljevic is currently ranked second in total points and points per game on the entire MLIS leaderboard.
The team is coached by Antonio Manfut who is a former US National Futsal Team player. Manfut started coaching for The Crunch in the 2024 season where he brought home the title of “2024 MLIS Coach of the Year.” As of now, Manfut is on a two year contract as coach which he signed after the 2024 season meaning this is the last season on his current contract.
Currently, the team has won eight games and lost one. They still have three games left in the season and with their performances this season they have a shot at making the playoffs. If the team yields good results in their next three games and results from other teams favor them they will have a shot. The team currently sits at second in their league so if they play favorably in their next games they can clutch a wildcard spot. If they qualify, the team will head to the MLIS playoffs, which will take place in Las Vegas, Nevada at Orleans Arena from March 28th through the 29th.
The Cleveland Crunch all in all provides very exciting entertainment at an affordable price. With the fun atmosphere the games provide from the good game results and game activities. It is a great addition to the wide array of Cleveland sports and deserves more recognition than it currently has. With Hudson just forty five minutes from the Wolstein Center, Cleveland Crunch games should be added to everyone’s agenda.
