Cleveland Crunch Wins 2023-24 Major League Indoor Soccer Championship

Cleveland, Ohio, April 16, 2024 - The Cleveland Crunch secured victory in the 2023-24 Major League Indoor Soccer (MLIS) championship Sunday, marking their fifth championship title in franchise history: 94’, 96’, 99’, 21’ and now, 24’. This win is particularly notable as it's the team's second championship since its return in 2020, as they won in the Major Arena Soccer League 2 against Wichita in 2021.

The weekend started Friday night with the semi-finals matchups, which saw Cleveland take on Grand Rapids and Omaha take on Chicago. Cleveland came out strong Friday night, winning 11-5 over Rapid City. The Omaha and Chicago game saw a better back and forth play. Chicago led the majority of the game, but with seconds left in the match Chicago drew a foul resulting in 6 fouls and a free kick for Omaha. Omaha tied the match at 6-6 and the game went into overtime, where Omaha won 9-7.

Sunday’s match against Cleveland was nothing short of nail-biting. The game started with a goal from Kevin Blackwood, a member of the 2023-24 MLIS All League Team, who shortly after suffered an ankle fracture and was rushed off the field to the hospital. Before that, the Crunch and MLIS League MVP Admir Suljevic was also removed from the game due to an injury.

With Cleveland fans on the edge of their seats after losing two key players in the first quarter, the Crunch showed out and went into halftime 5-0. Omaha gained some advantage in the third quarter, scoring 3 goals and putting the score at 5-3. In the fourth, Omaha scored and put the score at 5-4. With fans at the edge of their seats, Cleveland clicked and scored multiple back to back goals, securing the 9-4 win and the championship title.

Cleveland is a city of champions once again!