You’re trying to tell me that Cleveland has a soccer team? They sure do. And they are called AFC Cleveland, or the Royals, for short.
A quick background on the team:
They play in the National Premier Soccer League, or the NPSL, and the team joined this fourth tier of the system in 2011.
They finished third in 2012, fourth in 2013, third in 2014 and second in 2015.
Their regular season runs from May-July, and they played in the team’s first ever Open Cup match in 2015.
The team plays all home games at Stan Skoczen Stadium in Independence, Ohio.
So why are we talking about them now with their regular season over? Well, this Saturday AFC Cleveland plays for the NPSL National Championship on their home field against Sonoma County Sol at 7 p.m. The Royals made it to the championship by beating the Clarkstown SC Eagles 3-2 through bad weather conditions in the semi-finals. Prior to that, the team beat Grand Rapids FC on penalty shots after extra time ended in a tie, only one day after playing 120 minutes.
Over the season, AFC Cleveland coach Carter Poe has said defense would be key to winning the championship, especially with the condensed game schedule. The team ended the season 8-0-2, with five more points than the second place team in the Midwest Region, Indy Eleven. When talking with supporters, there were a few names that were mentioned as the players to watch.
“This is the most talented team AFC Cleveland has had, it’s exciting to watch,” said R.J. Pooch. “It’s also great to see some of the guys that are originally local getting the chance to play in Cleveland.”
The team touts players from Cleveland State University, The University of Akron, University of Dayton, Notre Dame College and more. Antonio Manfut (midfielder) even plays for the United States Futsal team. Other than Manfut, another name that comes up in conversation is forward Vinny Bell, plus midfielder Admir Suljevic and midfielder Mikey Derezic.
“Bell is one of my favorites and has been a consistent name on the roster since the start in 2011,” said supporter Benjamin Safer. “This team is special because we’re a well-rounded and complete team for really the first time.”
“Stylistically, the team plays a possession-based approach,” said supporter Ed Zelaski. “We’ve got some really skillful midfielders. We try to keep the ball down and control the match. It’s entertaining and we usually score a decent amount of goals.”
Many of the players on the roster are also college players, so the season is partially determined by when players are available (May 1 for NCAA) to join the team. Supporters groups like 6th City Syndicate enjoy watching the team grow and excel. Many stated their favorite memories were being part of the “Syndicate” and then getting to interact with the team on several instances. No plans on Saturday? Take a trip over to Independence for the match and join the Syndicate in supporting the team. Tickets can be found here.