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Force Wins on the Road

March 11, 2003 - Major Indoor Soccer League 2 (MISL 2)
Cleveland Force News Release


The Cleveland Force played one game last week before taking time off for the annual MISL All-Star Weekend. The Force defeated the Dallas Sidekicks 13-8 on Tuesday, March 4th at Reunion Arena. The game was originally scheduled for February 16th but was postponed due to inclement weather that prevented the Sidekicks from returning to the Lone Star State from Baltimore. The victory was the first road win for Cleveland since December 14th when the Force defeated the Milwaukee Wave 14-13. Cleveland wrapped up the season series with Dallas by posting a mark of 3-1 versus the Sidekicks.

The Force sent three players, two coaches and a trainer to participate in the MISL All-Star Game on March 9th. The Eastern Conference All-Stars fell to the Western Conference All-Stars by a final score of 20-13. In the game, midfielder John Ball recorded the first two-point goal for the East and had four shots while forward Giuliano Oliviero had one shot but was fouled in the penalty area that secured an East goal. Goalkeeper Jim Larkin posted 13 saves.

PUSH FOR HOME SWEET HOME

Cleveland will enter the biggest week of the season, as the team will play two key Eastern Conference games. The two games will have a major impact on the race for the first round home play off spot. The Force currently sits in second place in the MISL Eastern Conference with a record of 16-16 and leads the Baltimore Blast (15-17) by one game.

On Friday night, Cleveland will host the Philadelphia KiXX, who has secured the Eastern Conference regular season title, at the Convocation Center at CSU. Game time is scheduled for 7:35 p.m. The season series is tied 2-2.

The Force will welcome the Blast to the Convo on Sunday for a match up that has enormous playoff implications. The game is the final regular season meeting between the two teams and Fan Appreciation Day Game time is set to begin at 3:05 p.m. Baltimore leads the season series 1-4.

TWICE AS NICE:

Midfielder John Ball successfully defended his Speed Dribble title at this past weekend's MISL Spalding Skills Competition.

Ball, who won the award in Cleveland last year, defeated Nino DaSilva of the Kansas City Comets to retain his title. John had the third fastest time in the prelims and then defeated Chris Morman of the Harrisburg Heat in a rematch of the 2002 finals to advance to face DaSilva who defeated Greg Howes of the Milwaukee Wave.

MISL EXPANSION:

The Major Indoor Soccer League's governing body granted conditional approval to ownership groups in St. Louis, Missouri, and Laredo, Texas, to field expansion teams for the 2003-04 season.

The St. Louis franchise will be called the Steamers (as the city's team in the original MISL was known from 1980-88) and will play in the Family Arena in nearby St. Charles. St. Louis was also home to the Storm of the original MISL from 1989-92, the Ambush of the National Professional Soccer League from 1992-2000, and the Steamers of the World Indoor Soccer League in 2000 and 2001. Daryl Doran, who starred as a defender on all of St. Louis' indoor teams, will coach the squad.

The "Texas Outlaws of Laredo" will play at the Laredo Entertainment Center. Laredo, noted as the second-fastest growing city in the United States, is situated along the border with Mexico, approximately 130 miles south of San Antonio.

ALL-STARS SHOWCASED:

The Cleveland Force and Fox Sports Net Ohio announced an agreement to air the 2003 Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL) All-Star Game on Monday, March 17th at 12:00 noon (EST).

Fans are encouraged to come celebrate St. Patrick's Day and join Cleveland Force All-Stars players and coaches John Ball, Jim Larkin, Hector Marinaro, Giuliano Oliviero and Andy Schmetzer as well as the rest of the squad and front office at Shula's Steak 2 to watch the rebroadcast. Shula's Steak 2 is the official television headquarters of all Force games.

Z-MAN MAKES RETURN:

Forward Zoran Karic, who was signed to a contract on Monday, March 3rd, will once again be in a Cleveland uniform on Friday night. Karic last played for the franchise during the 1999-00 season under the Crunch banner

Zoran last played for the Harrisburg Heat during the 2001-02 season. In just 17 games for the Heat, "Z" recorded seven goals and added 29 assists for a total of 42 points.

FORCE TALK SHOW:

Head Coach Andy Schmetzer and a Force player will join host Matt Loede every 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 MISL, the team and the upcoming games.

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.



Major Indoor Soccer League 2 Stories from March 11, 2003


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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