The return, revival, and rise of the new Cleveland Crunch (2020-2024)
By Delorean Fleetwood
Cleveland, OH: We pick up where we left off yesterday with the Cleveland sports both past and present, before, during, and after the departure of the original Cleveland Crunch. We also previously laid the groundwork for the dynasty.
As for today? We highlight the glorious return of the Crunch and their rise to making Cleveland a City of Champions, thanks to the beautiful game indoors.
Let us begin.
WE’RE BACK
In 2020, a brand new ownership group, led by Luciano Ruscitto and Eric Davis, led the charge to revive the beloved brand of arena soccer, missile kicks and all. Ruscitto, who normally works as a special ed teacher (as someone who got put through that for “behavioral reasons” as a kid, I applaud this sort of work, because people like Mr. Ruscitto have an incredibly rigged hand they have to play against on a daily basis, therefore I have massive respect for what he is doing) at Mentor City Schools where he also doubles as the JV Soccer Coach (fitting). As for Mr. Davis? He worked in sales prior to his venture in restoring the Crunch.
The two fatefully met at Lake Erie College back in 2012, eight years prior. They played soccer there together. They hit it off quite well. Both grew up enormous Cleveland Crunch fans back their NPSL heyday and brainstormed an idea to eventually revive the team, bringing them to the current top league in the world.
When talking with reporters at channel 5 Cleveland, Davis stated “I started to do some research and found out through the legal side that there were some things open to us for an opportunity to bring this team back, so Luciano reached out to me and from there we just hopped right into it,”. He continued, stating “We started talking to owners around the league, gathering some more analytical data needed to support a business plan and we structured our business plan.”
ITS A WHOLE NEW WORLD
A short time later, the two would start at the grassroots level, developing youth camps. Further research showed that the name and trademarks were available, so they did what any other normal ownership group looking to protect a brand would do, buy, and / or apply for the trademark. The MASL, the current top flight of arena soccer, told Ruscitto what was needed prior to joining the Major Arena Soccer League. The MASL (much like the USL is) is divided into multiple tiers representing their umbrella. MASL is the top flight, with MASL2 (simply known as M2 to the fans) being a step below this, with MASL3 (M3) being the smallest. For comparison, M3 is what I would compare to the old USL PDL (Premier Development League) or the modern-day USL League Two. M2 is like the old USL Second Division, while MASL is like USL First Division (and in some cases, MLS). Arena sizes are smaller the further down the chain you go. Smaller communities and arenas mainly make up M2 and M3, although some teams in MASL would have affiliate agreements to send players and have farm teams in the lower divisions, minor league style, strengthening the relationship Of course, money and finances are the biggest difference bewteen playing out of a rec center with 1000 bleacher in M3, playing in a smaller community with better financials (and quite often) a bigger arena in M2, to being the top dog and a big historical brand playing in an arena that you’ve called home for a decade, as is the case with M1.
IT’S GREAT TO BE BACK!
Davis concluded his interview with Channel 5, stating “For us to be able to help bridge that gap between the new era and our generation, it’s going to be fun. I think ultimately it’s going to create a great path for everyone to really enjoy the game of soccer at the professional level in Cleveland,”. “The Crunch holds a lot of nostalgia in the city still. This team holds a lot of weight. This team carries a legacy that involves championships, so we know we have big shoes to fill coming back.”. With big shoes the size of Hector Marinaro and Zoran Karic’s scoring sheets, the Ruscitto-Davis group began their journey at long last, in January 2021.
Joining them in this lesson filled era of 2020-21, was a revived Wichita Wings, the Colorado Inferno, Amarillo Bombers (more them starting tomorrow), Chicago Mustangs, Omaha Kings, and last but not least, the San Diego Sockers 2, they would not join due to regulations going on during that time (thanks California). A new venue that was not tied down due to regulations going on elsewhere would prove to be very difficult. The Crunch settled with playing at the Soccer Sportsplex in North Olmstead, Ohio, for the time being. Despite not being the grand return that many thought the Crunch rightfully deserved, Ruscitto and Davis powered through the season, giving the fans a little taste of what was to come in their inagural 2021 MASL 2 season.
Cleveland opened with a back to back against the Inferno on the road, March 20th and 21st, a common practice nowadays in the sport, winning both games of the twinbill easily, 17-6 on Saturday and 9-2 on Sunday. The Crunch were back. Playing a game against the Muskegon Risers at Trinity Health Arena on April 3rd, Cleveland picked up a tight 7-5 win to open the season at 3-0. Their first setback would come after this, 9-8 in OT, against the Chicago Mustangs on April 11th. On April 24th, the Crunch beat down Chicago 14-2 at Trinity Health Arena. In a May 8th and 9th twinbill against Omaha, the Crunch picked up a 15-10 win on Saturday and a 9-5 win on Sunday, giving them a 5-0-1 record on the season, both games being played at Barracudas Park in Brownsville Texas. Staying in Texas, Cleveland defeated Chicago 9-8 on May 22nd. Wichita met Cleveland on June 5th at Park City Arena, just north of Wichita, and handed the Crunch a 4-3 in OT defeat, their second overtime loss in the new era. At 7-0-2, the Crunch faced off against Omaha the next day, losing their first game in regulation, at Off The Wall Soccer in Nebraska, 5-3. Giving Cleveland a 7-1-2 finish to the season.
RETURN TO GLORY
The 2021 MASL 2 Playoffs would see all four particpants travel to Park City Arena in the Wichita area to play July 17th and 18th for the 2021 MASL2 Championship. The Crunch finished 2nd, just behind Wichita in the standings. Joining them was Amarillo and Chicago, who finished third and fourth. On Saturday, July 17th, Cleveland squared off against Amarillo in the M2 Semi-Finals. The Crunch would take a 2-1 lead into the second, flipping the script, pulling away for a 12-6 victory that put Cleveland right back on the cusp of glory. Behind hat tricks from stars Dave Jordan (who had an assist, giving him four point on the night) and Mike Derezic, the Crunch had a solid one two punch, just like they did with Marinaro and Karic. Wichita defeated Chicago 7-1 to set up a rematch in the Finals.
The Crunch got off on the right foot in the finals thanks to tallies by Mike Derezic (on the power play) and Admir Suljevic, erasing an early Wichita goal by David Lucio. Cleveland started to take control in the second period with marks by Suljevic and Smith Pepper. James Togbah cut the score for Wichita, 4-2, but Cleveland responded with Dave Jordan netting a powerplay goal before halftime, making it 5-2. It was all Cleveland to start the half, as Sami Mutemwa, Derezic, and Suljevic scored in a three minute span to blow the game wide open. With the Wings now down 8-2, Kevin Ten Eyck and Frank Tayou (on a penalty shot) cut the lead to 8-4. Suljevic for the Crunch and Ten Eyck on the power play made it 9-5 heading into the final period. The Crunch kept their foot on the gas pedal 35 seconds in with another power play goal, this time by Tom Beck. Kevin Blackwood would score an empty netter with 3:25 remaining while Jared Robbins late score for Wichita with 13 seconds remaining could only fill the stat sheet, as the Cleveland Crunch defeated the Wichita Wings 11-6 to win the 2021 M2 Championship in Park City, Kansas. Suljevic had a five point night (4 goals and an assist) while Derezic scored twice and had two assists, giving him four on the night. Goalkeeper Marijo Musa stopped 14 shots on 19 attempts to earn 1st Star.
With the Crunch back on top, and the world beginning to heal, the Soccer Sportplex was ready and rocking to see the four-time champs pick up where they left for the 2021-22 MASL 2 arena soccer season. Could the Crunch run it back?
CRUNCH II, ACT II
The 2021-22 MASL 2 season saw the Sockers 2 make their return. Not only that, but the Crunch would see themselves paired with Chicago, the Cincinncati Swerve, and Muskegon Risers in the Great Lakes Division. The Midwest Division would see Wichita paired with Colorado, Amarillo, Omaha, and a new team based in the Albuquerque area (playing in Rio Rancho), the New Mexico Runners. Finally, the West Division saw the Sockers 2 paired with the MASL Ontario Fury’s own farm club, Fury 2, along with the Rio Grande Valley Barracudas (a former M1 squad who dropped to M2) and the Turlock Cal Express (another former M1 team that dropped to M2) rounding out the West. With new challenges on the horizion, the Crunch were setting out to claim the Great Lakes Division in 21-22.
GREAT LAKES POWER
The Crunch would go on to absolutely decimate the Great Lakes Division during the 2021-22 MASL 2 season. On Friday, January 7th, 2022, Cleveland won at Muskegon, 8-5. January 15th and 22nd saw a sold-out crowd of 1000 at the Soccer Sportplex in North Olmstead, Ohio, see their Crunch defeated Muskegon, 10-5 on the 15th, while they took down Cincinnati 8-4 a week later. On January 29th and 30th, in front of the Sportplex thousand, the Crunch picked up both wins in their back to back with Chicago, winning 15-3 on the 29th and 12-5 the following day, giving the defending M2 champs a 5-0 start to the season. February 5th saw Cleveland travel to Cincinncati and defeat the Swerve 11-3. A visit from Muskegon to the Sportplex on the 12th saw the Crunch win a tight 11-9 contest. Saturday and Sunday, February 19th and 20th, saw a back to back on the road in Chicago. The Crunch easily picked up the sweep, winning BOTH games by the same final of 10-6. Heading into their March 5th road tilt against Muskegon, the Crunch remained perfect at 9-0. That contiuned as the Crunch flattened the Risers, 16-4. The final two games in the regular season saw Cleveland show no mercy to their in-state rivals as they throughly and clincally decimated the Cincinnati Swerve, 18-1 on the road, March 13th, while the home and regular season finale saw Cleveland cap off a perfect 12-0 record by polishing off their opponents 22-2 in front of the usual 1000 a game.
SO CLOSE….
The 2022 MASL 2 Championship would take place in Muskegon, Michigan, at Trinity Health Arena, home of the Risers. With what looked to be a natural home field advantage ,regionally, could the Crunch repeat? The Sockers went 11-1, taking the West Division, while the Midwest was won by Wichita, who went 7-5. Muskegon was given the fourth spot as the hosts of the tournament. Omaha, Chicago, and RGV both had playoff tilts as well. Cleveland, fresh off their perfect season and Great Lakes Division crown, were out to prove that there was a new sheriff rising in the MASL pyramind. Omaha defeated Wichita in OT to send the Kings to the next round, while Muskegon defeated Chicago 8-2 in advance. The Sockers toughed out an OT against the Barracudas, 6-5. The Sockers saw fortune smile upon them once more, winning in OT, defeating Omaha 9-8.
Cleveland opened their Semi-Final against Muskegon with two goals in the first 61 seconds. Suljevic scored nine seconds into the match, while Ryan Minick would follow suit, 52 seconds later. With 6:36 left in the first, the Risers got one back with Robert Williamson getting on the board. The second period saw Kevin Blackwood score for Cleveland with 8:37 remaining in the half. Muskegon would tie things up in the span of just 70 seconds, with goals by Alexis Mendez and James Dutcher. The Risers took the lead before the half, thanks to Aldony Mendez with just 96 seconds remaining. After neither team could break through in the third, Brandon Edwards put the Risers up 5-3 on the powerplay with 9:20 to go. Suljevic responded with his own power play goal just 24 seconds later, making it 5-4 Muskegon. Gabriel Pewu would tie things up with 7:08 remaining. Finally, with 3:32 to go, the Crunch was able to net the game winner thanks to Ryan Minick’s second of the contest. With a tight 6-5 win, the Crunch moved on to face the San Diego Sockers 2 in the 2022 MASL 2 Championship.
Hiram Ruiz opened things up for San Diego to give them the early lead. Cleveland saw two goals in exactly two minutes, by Ben Hryszko and Mike Derezic, to give them the lead with 5:14 left in the first. Sockers 2 tied things up before the second thanks to Ruiz’s second of the match. Ruiz completed the hat trick with 8:00 to go, giving San Diego the lead right back. Derezic’s second just under three minutes later, tied things up at three apiece. Ismael Rojo gave the Sockers the lead with just 13 seconds before the half, putting the game in their hands. Two goals in just under two minutes in the third, by Luis Perez and Alalberto Castellanos, gave San Diego insurance heading into the final period. With 11:17 to go, Derezic would complete his own hat trick, cutting the defecit 6-4. That was the last goal on the season for the Crunch as the Sockers 2 defense stiffened up, while Rojo picked up another late half tally with 45 seconds to go, giving the San Diego Sockers 2 the 2022 MASL 2 Arena Soccer Championship, 7-4.
With another attempt to repeat folied again, the Cleveland Crunch looked ahead to their third season. Another big change however, was on the way, a new league.
MLIS AND THE IX CENTER
Following their loss to Sockers 2 to close out their second season back, the Cleveland Crunch announced on August 22, 2022, that they would be moving to another league and venue (citing cost as the reason). The new league would feature teams from the Buckeye State to Michigan and all the way down to Texas. The new league would be known as the Major League Indoor Soccer (MLIS).
A month later on September 30th, the Crunch would announce that four of their six MLIS home games for the 22-23 would be held at IX Center next to the Cleveland Airport. With a new venue and new league at hand, was this the beginning of another NPSL like dynasty? Or would stiffer competition exist?
ВОЛИМО ТЕ ЗОРАНЕ!
The Crunch had a whole new slate of opponents for their (and the MLIS) inagural campaign. 12 teams with three divisions of four teams each. The Crunch would play in the Eastern Division alongside Rapid City FC (based in Grand Rapids, Michigan), an old foe in the Cincinnati Swerve, and an old arena soccer mainstay that once was part of the MASL food chain, the Detroit Waza Flo. The Central Division featured another old foe in the Omaha Kings. They were joined by the Chicago Mustangs (who also joined MLIS), Brew City United (they withdrew after nine games, based in Milwaukee, and the Rockford Illinois based State Line Falcons. The Southern Division featured the Austin Emerald, Houston Bolt, Springfield Demise, and the Wichita Selection. With foes, old and new alike, the Crunch started off on the road against the Swerve, but lost the December 10th, 2022 match-up, 9-8. On the 17th, they would take on Rapid City, this time taking the game 10-6 to even their record at 1-1. The following night, they played their first game against the Waza Flo, picking up a 7-4 victory in the Motor City to go 2-1 on the season heading into Christmas.
The Crunch welcomed 2023 by welcoming back, the man, the myth, and the legend, Zoran Karic, as he was set to have his number retired for their inagural MLIS home game at the IX Center, on January 29th, 2023. As someone who attended this match, I had the privilege to be seated next to his family (his wife was seated next to me), who were nothing but incredibly hospitable individuals to me. Zoran was very kind enough to get a quick photo (seen above) and showed just how classy he remained during his time in Cleveland, embracing the city and the fans who cheered him on during the glory days with the organization. The stage was set for a brand new era. The opponent? The Waza Flo. The Crunch dominated every single aspect, making Karic proud as he watched, shutting out Detroit, 8-0, the first shutout in MLIS history. The match may have been over before we even started, as the Crunch scored 20 seconds in. In one of the most alarming stat sheets you’ll ever see in this games history, the Crunch outshot Detroit 32-9 for the entire contest. Cleveland only needed to make four saves to preserve the first shutout in league history.
The Crunch didn’t slow down, as they took down Rapid City 16-9 the following night. On February 11th, Cleveland defeated Cincinnati 14-7. The following night, they beat up Detroit again, 14-3 winning at the City Field House in Detroit. February 18th and 25th saw back to back losses. Both happened to Rapid City, who would go on to win the inagural Eastern division. The Crunch lost in Grand Rapids 11-5, their worst loss since coming back in 2020, then lost at home in OT, 8-7 a week later. March 11th proved to be just the Crunch needed to get back on track, beating Cincinnati, 11-1. Cleveland took down Detroit a week later, 19-3. The finale proved to be a happy one, seeing Cleveland take down their in-state rivals once again, 15-8.
The Crunch would take on Chicago in the first round at home for the wild card matchup. This was a successful 12-6 win behind Dave Derezic’s four goals and David Jordan’s four point night (one goal and three assists). The Crunch advanced to play the Omaha Kings in the MLIS Semi-Finals at the Grand Sports Arena in Chicago. Jordan and Tom Beck gave the Crunch a 2-0 heading into the second quarter. Suljevic’s penalty shot and Gabriel Pewu’s tally gave the Crunch a 4-0 lead late in the first half. Guilherme Alencar put Omaha on the board shortly after, while Manuel Lira scored on a penalty shot of his own to make it 4-2 at the break. A power play goal by Bobby Jaffery and Lira’s second strike of the contest tied things up midway through the third. Derezic gave Cleveland the lead late in the period with his second goal. Within a span of less than two minutes, Lira completed a hat trick, while Alencar would net his second to give the Kings the lead right back early the in fourth. Jordan restored order by getting his second on the night, knotting it at six apiece. Alencar would complete his hat trick on the night a few minutes later, only to see Ryan Minick check in with his first to tie again, 7-7. The match, and by extension, their season, was sealed when the Omaha Kings Leonides Mejia scored the game winner with just 3:02 remaining, then holding on to eliminate the Crunch 8-7, ending their season. Rapid City would go on to beat Houston 10-5 to meet the Kings in the inagural MLIS Finals, where they finished the job, routing the Omaha Kings to win 16-7.
With their first MLIS season coming to a close, the Crunch were hungry looking to add on to thumb for their trophy collection come next year. Will they succeed?
MLIS ACT II
The MLIS would see a reduction in their franchise list for their sophomore season, with Cleveland, Omaha, Rapids City, and Chicago returning. Two new clubs for the season included the Lima Ohio based Ohio Extreme and the Denver metropolitan area based Colorado Bucks. The States of Ohio, Michigan, Colorado, Nebraska, and Illinois gave the league map five teams spread across nearly as many states.
Lost among the successful campaign, was having to settle for games at the Sportplex in North Olmstead as the IX Center chose not to partner with the club, citing financial concerns. With a smaller league and renewed sense of focus, the Crunch forged ahead into their fourth campaign in the new era.
Sunday, January 7th, Cleveland opened up with Rapid City flexing their prowess in a 6-2 setback, giving the Crunch back to back 0-1 starts on the year. Janurary 13th and 27th against the Ohio Extreme were so bad, I almost wish I didn’t have to recap, but the Crunch pulled off the second shutout in MLIS history on the 13th with a 23-0 victory, then followed it up two weeks later with an 18-1 thrashing, giving the Crunch a 41-1 two-game aggregate against their new in-state rivals from Lima. Suljevic had a 7 point night in the first game (2G-5A) while Kevin Blackwood (4G-2A-6P), Mike Derezic (3G-2A-5P), and Aidan Bozak (5G) got in on the fun as well. In the second contest, Derezic showed no mercy (4G-5A-9P), while Bozak (2G-3A-5P) and Sami Mutemwa (4G-1A-5P), dished in for the Crunch. The lone ranger for Lima? Josh Maurer, bless him. Shots were 38-6 for Cleveland in this contest (it was 45-7 in the first game). Pure domination. Ouch.
Next up, a rematch with Rapid City, this time at the Sportplex. The Crunch made good their promises to rectify this defeat, winning 11-8, giving the Crunch three straight wins. Two weeks later, on February 17th, the Crunch visited the Fieldhouse to take on the Bucks, stopping them there with a 10-7 win. One week later, on the 24th, the Crunch muscled their way past Rapid City, 14-7 at home. Cleveland kept the party going with two more wins at home, on March 2nd against Colorado 18-6 and taking down Chicago 12-3 on the 9th. A back to back against the Kings in Omaha on the 15th and 16th provided a good measuring stick for the postseason. The Kings won the first match-up 7-6 in a SO, while the Crunch returned the favor the following day, 7-4. With a chance to wrap up the regular season’s best record, the Crunch went to Lima and plastered the Extreme, putting them out of their misery, 24-5. The shots were a much more respectable 26-15, but Suljevic (5G-3A-8P), Blackwood (3G-4A-7P), and Parker Csisczar (4G-1A-5P) proved just how potent and lethal an efficient attack could be. Despite dropping the finale in their worst loss of the new era, 12-3, Cleveland had clinched the top overall seed heading into the 2024 MLIS Playoffs in Omaha.
KINGS CONQUERED
Cleveland and Omaha both finished 9-3 on the season. The season series was split at one game apiece, so the next tie-breaker came down to goal differential with Cleveland having a much higher one on the season (+82 compared to +35). While the Kings won by just one in the SO, Cleveland won their game in regulation and by three, giving them a head to head goal differential advantage between their two games on the season. Either way you look at it, the Crunch had the tiebreaker and were the top seed while the host Kings were second. Chicago was third, just behind Omaha and Cleveland at 8-4. Rapid City would finish fourth at 7-4 after a game between them, and the Colorado Bucks couldn’t be made up, but as Chicago swept the season series 2-0, a win against the Bucks wouldn’t have changed their seeding.
The Crunch faced off against Rapid City in the Semi-Finals. Alex Mendez opened the scoring, giving them an early advantage. Mike Derezic tied the game three minutes later. A penalty shot by Lito Esquivel gave the lead back to the defending champs. Derezic would make it two for the game as he tied it late in the first. The second quarter was all Cleveland, as Suljevic (on the power play), Bozak, Blackwood (with a penalty shot), and Suljevic once again to pace the Crunch to a comfortable lead at the half, 6-2. Cleveland added a marker from Sami Mutemwa early on, while Rapid City fired back with shots from Guiseppe Barone and a penalty shot from Chris Mendez to cut the lead to 7-4 heading into the final period. Parker Csiszar and Omar Najjar wiped out the gains made by Rapid City with their own strikes. Esquivel would score his second of the match, but that would be it for the defending MLIS Champions, as Cleveland finished things off with goals from Csiszar and a power play shot from Suljevic, giving him a hat trick on the night and four points. Cleveland won 11-5 to advance. It was certainly meant to be, as Omaha took down Chicago in OT 9-7 (MLIS does not have sudden death, rather OT is treated like a fifth period), to set up the rubber match between the two to decide the 2024 MLIS Championship. The Crunch completed their redeem team tour, taking down their biggest nemesis since joining the MLIS, winning by a final of 9-4, making Cleveland a City of Champions once more, thanks to the beautiful game indoor.
With one for the thumb, the Crunch were ready to defend their title in their fifth season since coming back from dormancy. The fifth season would certainly be one to remember. The road to the Finals would be the most memorable one yet.
Tomorrow, in our finale, we go over the most recent MLIS season for the Crunch in 2024-25 and a final hosting duty! Finally, we will recap the tournament and what the future currently holds for the Crunch heading into the 2025-26 season.
Lastly, we will tie up other loose ends with Cleveland sports scene moments (including Cleveland SC NPSL), we put a bow on our five part series tomorrow!
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