CLEVELAND CRUNCH SECURE 8-4 VICTORY IN PRESEASON SHOWDOWN AGAINST ATLETICO ORLANDO

The Cleveland Crunch delivered an exciting 8-4 victory over Atletico Orlando FC earlier today, marking a strong start to their preseason campaign. With standout performances on both ends of the field, the Crunch gave fans a glimpse of what’s to come this season.

Orlando opened the scoring midway through the first quarter as Victor Rada put his team ahead 1-0. However, Cleveland quickly answered as Omar Najjar netted a goal to even the score at 1-1. The quarter ended in dramatic fashion with a clutch save by Crunch goalkeeper Liam Mcintosh, keeping the tie intact and shifting the momentum in Cleveland’s favor.

In the second quarter, Cleveland Crunch Captain Dave Jordan delivered a strike into the bottom right corner off an assist from Sami Mutemwa, giving the Crunch a 2-1 lead. Orlando responded with a goal from Eduardo Cruz to level the game again at 2-2, however, Cleveland regained control just before halftime when Macain Spragling slotted one home, sending the Crunch into the break with a 3-2 lead.

The Crunch found their rhythm in the third quarter. Chris Cvecko opened the scoring, followed by a second tally from Spragling, and a goal from Bryan Kern to extend the lead to 6-2. Orlando narrowed the gap to 6-4 early in the fourth quarter, but Cleveland closed out the game strong. Macain Spragling completed his hat trick with a well-timed strike off of a pass from Mikey Derezic, and newcomer Jannis Schmidt capped off the scoring with his first goal in a Crunch uniform.

Crunch Player Statistics:

• Macain Spragling: 3 goals, 1 assist

• Omar Najjar: 1 goal, 1 assist

• Mikey Derezic: 3 assists

• Dave Jordan: 1 goal

• Chris Cvecko: 1 goal

• Bryan Kern: 1 goal

• Jannis Schmidt: 1 goal

The Crunch will host Red Cedar FC in their 2025 MLIS season home opener on Saturday January 11, 2025 at the Soccer Sportsplex. Visit theclevelandcrunch.com/tickets to learn more.