Force Weekly

Published on March 24, 2003 under Major Indoor Soccer League 2 (MISL 2)
Cleveland Force News Release


The Cleveland Force successfully secured home field advantage for the Eastern Conference Semi-Final game last week by positing a record of 1-1. The Force needed either a win or a loss by the Baltimore Blast in the final two games to lock up home field. Cleveland lost its first game but won the final game of the regular season while the Blast ended up winning both games but fell one game short of the Force.

On Saturday night, Cleveland traveled to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania and was defeated by the Harrisburg Heat 18-8 at the Farm Show Arena. The Force jumped out to an early 6-0 lead after the first quarter but the Heat outscored Cleveland 18-2 the remainder of the game. The Force and Heat finished the seasons series tied at 3-3 as each team won all three games on its home turf.

In the final game of the regular season, Cleveland needed a win against the Philadelphia KiXX in the final regular season game for both squads to secure home field. The Force locked up the home field with an 11-8 victory over the KiXX at the First Union Spectrum on Sunday afternoon. Cleveland handed Philadelphia just its second loss at home on the season while winning the season series 4-2.

RETURN TO HOME

The Force will return to the playoffs for the first time in three seasons when they play host to the Baltimore Blast on Friday, March 28th at 7:35 p.m. in the Eastern Conference Semi-Final.

Cleveland last hosted a home playoff game during the 2000 National Professional Soccer League (NPSL) Championship series against the Milwaukee Wave. The team playing under the Crunch banner fell to Wave in game four by a final score of 14-8 at the Convocation Center. The loss marked the last time the team has hosted a postseason game.

Cleveland finished in second place in the Eastern Conference while the Blast was just a game behind in third place. Baltimore won regular season series 4-2 including posting one victory at the Convocation Center back on February 8th by a final of 13-8. The Force won the final meeting between the two teams on February 16th by a final score of 4-2. The six combined points tied a MISL record for fewest points scored.

FORCE IN THE PLAYOFFS:

The Cleveland Force will enter the post-season with a record of 50-41 overall. The team playing under the Crunch banner posted a record of 42-30 in the NPSL/MISL and a record of 8-11 in the Major Soccer League (MSL) during the past 13 seasons.

In their last trip to the post-season, Cleveland had a record of 7-2 overall. The team swept the Montreal Impact 2-0 in the first round and the Baltimore Blast 2-0 in the American Conference Finals. Cleveland then fell to the Milwaukee Wave 3-2 in the NPSL finals.

The Force has a record of 7-2 lifetime versus the Baltimore Blast and a record of 2-2 versus the Philadelphia KiXX in the playoffs.

Cleveland has never met the San Diego Sockers in the NPSL/MISL playoffs but in the MSL and the original MISL playoffs the team has a record of 2-8 all-time. The Force is 6-2 versus the Kansas City Comets and 2-3 versus the Milwaukee Wave.

FORCE TALK SHOW:

Head Coach Andy Schmetzer and forward Chris Stathopoulos will join host Matt Loede this Thursday afternoon from 2:00-3:00 p.m. on Sportstalkcleveland.com for the Cleveland Force Talk Show.

The head coach and the players will discuss the upcoming MISL Eastern Conference Semi-Final game, the conclusion of the regular season and the rest of the post-season match-ups.

POST GAME HEADQUARTERS:

The Cleveland Hilton Garden Inn is the official post game party headquarters of the Cleveland Force. After every home game, Force players will be in attendance to talk with fans as well as sign autographs. The Hilton Garden Inn is located at 1100 Carnegie Avenue between the Convocation Center at CSU and Jacobs Field. The Force players will arrive 30-45 minutes after the conclusion of the game.

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Major Indoor Soccer League 2 Stories from March 24, 2003


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