Cleveland Force (1978 – 1988)
Encyclopedia
Major Soccer League
The Major Indoor Soccer League, known in its final two seasons as the Major Soccer League, was an indoor soccer league in the USA from 1978 to 1992. After the folding of the North American Soccer League in 1984, the MISL was the Division I soccer league for the United States...
. The team played from 1978 to 1988 at the Richfield Coliseum, the home of the Cleveland Cavaliers
Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cleveland Cavaliers are a professional basketball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They began playing in the National Basketball Association in 1970 as an expansion team...
, and occasionally drew crowds in excess of 20,000 in the mid-80's.
Akron businessman Eric J. Henderson, who had been involved in ownership of the Cleveland Cobras
Cleveland Cobras
The Cleveland Stars were an American soccer club based in Cleveland, Ohio and a member of the American Soccer League in 1972-73. Before the 1974 season, the name was changed to the Cleveland Cobras. The Stars' colors were blue and white...
of the American Soccer League
American Soccer League
The American Soccer League has been a name used by three different professional soccer leagues in the United States. The first American Soccer League was established in 1921 by the merger of teams from the National Association Football League and the Southern New England Soccer League. For...
in 1977, was the Force's first owner. He sold controlling interest to Cleveland multi-millionaire Bart Wolstein in 1979. Under Wolstein and his son Scott's direction, the club became a rarity in America—a professional soccer team that turned a profit.
The team's nickname was inspired by The Force
Force (Star Wars)
The Force is a binding, metaphysical and ubiquitous power in the fictional universe of the Star Wars galaxy created by George Lucas. Mentioned in the first film in the series, it is integral to all subsequent incarnations of Star Wars, including the expanded universe of comic books, novels, and...
, a mystical power used by the Jedi Knights in the then recently released Star Wars
Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, originally released as Star Wars, is a 1977 American epic space opera film, written and directed by George Lucas. It is the first of six films released in the Star Wars saga: two subsequent films complete the original trilogy, while a prequel trilogy completes the...
movie. The team theatrics originally included Darth Vader
Darth Vader
Darth Vader is a central character in the Star Wars saga, appearing as one of the main antagonists in the original trilogy and as the main protagonist in the prequel trilogy....
and Star Wars Music
Star Wars music
The music of Star Wars consists of the scores written for all six Star Wars films by composer John Williams from 1977 to 1983 for the Original Trilogy, and 1999 to 2005 for the Prequel Trilogy. It includes the Star Wars: The Clone Wars music written by Kevin Kiner...
until the team faced litigation and had to change the "mascot". Scott Wolstein worked out an agreement with George Lucas
George Lucas
George Walton Lucas, Jr. is an American film producer, screenwriter, and director, and entrepreneur. He is the founder, chairman and chief executive of Lucasfilm. He is best known as the creator of the space opera franchise Star Wars and the archaeologist-adventurer character Indiana Jones...
and a year later, the mascot and music returned.
Despite its popularity and success, Wolstein folded the team on July 22, 1988, after repeated frustrations in trying to get concessions from the MISL Players Association (MISLPA).
History
The Force started off the '78–'79 season by splitting their first two games which turned out to be the high point of the season, record-wise. The team would end the season losing 13 of their last 14 games to finish in sixth place in the league, one game behind the Pittsburgh Spirit. Only Brian Budd and Roy Sinclair managed to break double digits in goals, netting 24 and 10 respectively.The MISL expanded to 10 teams and a 32-game schedule in '79–'80 which resulted in the Force being placed in the Central Division along with Houston, which finished the previous year with the best record, and expansion teams in Detroit, St. Louis and Wichita
Wichita, Kansas
Wichita is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas.As of the 2010 census, the city population was 382,368. Located in south-central Kansas on the Arkansas River, Wichita is the county seat of Sedgwick County and the principal city of the Wichita metropolitan area...
. The roster was almost entirely new with only four players from the previous season returning. The result was pretty much the same as the Force tied for last place in the division with the St. Louis Steamers
St. Louis Steamers (1979–1988)
The original St. Louis Steamers played in the original Major Indoor Soccer League from 1979 through 1988. Their home fixtures were held at the St. Louis Arena.-Ownership:* Ben Kerner & Partnership * Thomas M...
Cleveland made it to the playoffs for the first time the following season with a 21–19 record, then fell back again in 1981–82. Wolstein then hired Timo Liekoski as coach. Liekoski brought in several players from the North American Soccer League
North American Soccer League
North American Soccer League was a professional soccer league with teams in the United States and Canada that operated from 1968 to 1984.-History:...
, and the Force had its first truly successful season. Still, Wolstein was not happy with attendance until a flash crowd of 19,106 jammed the Richfield Coliseum for a playoff game against the Chicago Sting
Chicago Sting
The Chicago Sting was an American professional soccer team based in Chicago, Illinois. The Sting played in the North American Soccer League from 1975 to 1984 and in the Major Indoor Soccer League from in the 1982-83 season and again from 1984 to 1988...
. The team was an overnight success. That success continued through the remainder of the team's existence, as it qualified for the playoffs each year and averaged at least 11,000 fans per game each year until the team folded in 1988.
Big crowds were commonplace for the next few years as the Force displayed a fan-pleasing high-powered offense. Despite success on the field and at the turnstiles, Wolstein grew increasingly displeased with other MISL owners failing to put as much time, effort and money into their franchises as he did. With other clubs folding and Cleveland's attendance starting to tumble, he gave up the quest in the summer of 1988. It was one month after the club reached the championship round for the first time, being swept in four games by the San Diego Sockers.
Year-by-year
| Year | League | Reg. Season | Playoffs | Attendance Average |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978/79 | MISL | 6th, 5–19 | Did not qualify | 3,116 |
| 1979/80 | MISL | 5th, Central, 12–20 | Did not qualify | 3,080 |
| 1980/81 | MISL | 2nd, Central, 21–19 | 1st Round | 4,884 |
| 1981/82 | MISL | 6th, Eastern, 15–29 | Did not qualify | 5,001 |
| 1982/83 | MISL | 2nd, Eastern, 29–19 | Semifinals | 6,609 |
| 1983/84 | MISL | 3rd, Eastern, 31–17 | Semifinals | 13,692 |
| 1984/85 | MISL | 3rd, Eastern, 27–21 | Semifinals | 12,929 |
| 1985/86 | MISL | 1st, Eastern, 27–21 | Semifinals | 12,793 |
| 1986/87 | MISL | 1st, Eastern, 34–18 | Semifinals | 14,111 |
| 1987/88 | MISL | 2nd, Eastern, 30–26 | Lost Finals | 11,279 |
Honors
Pass Master- 1986–1987 Kai HaaskiviKai HaaskiviKai Haaskivi is a retired, Finnish, soccer player. He starred in the North American Soccer League, playing outdoor as well as indoor soccer. He also played for the Finland national football team. He now coaches in the United States.- Professional :The 178 cm midfielder began his NASL career...
Defender of the Year
- 1982–1983 Bernie JamesBernie JamesBernie James is a former U.S. soccer player and current youth soccer coach. James spent twenty-four years as a professional, both beginning and ending his career with different versions of the Seattle Sounders. He played in the North American Soccer League, Major Indoor Soccer League, American...
Rookie of the Year
- 1984–1985 Ali KazemainiAli KazemainiAli Kazemaini is a retired Iranian-American soccer forward who currently coaches at Cleveland State. He spent eight seasons in the Major Indoor Soccer League and one in the National Professional Soccer League, earning 1985 MISL Rookie of the Year honors.-Youth:Born in Tehran, Iran, Kazemaini...
- 1986–1987 John StollmeyerJohn StollmeyerJohn Michael Stollmeyer is a retired United States soccer player. He played two seasons in Major Indoor Soccer League and one each in both the American Soccer League and the American Professional Soccer League. He also earned thirty-one caps with the U.S. national team from 1986 to 1990 and was...
First Team All-MISL
- 1980–81 Ian Anderson, D
- 1983–84 Kai HaaskiviKai HaaskiviKai Haaskivi is a retired, Finnish, soccer player. He starred in the North American Soccer League, playing outdoor as well as indoor soccer. He also played for the Finland national football team. He now coaches in the United States.- Professional :The 178 cm midfielder began his NASL career...
, M - 1986–87 Kai HaaskiviKai HaaskiviKai Haaskivi is a retired, Finnish, soccer player. He starred in the North American Soccer League, playing outdoor as well as indoor soccer. He also played for the Finland national football team. He now coaches in the United States.- Professional :The 178 cm midfielder began his NASL career...
, M
Second Team All-MISL
- 1978–79 Alan Hamlyn, D
- 1982–83 Kai HaaskiviKai HaaskiviKai Haaskivi is a retired, Finnish, soccer player. He starred in the North American Soccer League, playing outdoor as well as indoor soccer. He also played for the Finland national football team. He now coaches in the United States.- Professional :The 178 cm midfielder began his NASL career...
, F - 1983–84 Craig Allen, F
- 1985–86 Craig Allen, F
- 1986–87 Bernie James, D
Honorable Mention All-MISL
- 1981–82 Keith Furphy, F
- 1982–83 Bernie James, D
- 1984–85 Benny Dargle, D
- 1987–88 Kai HaaskiviKai HaaskiviKai Haaskivi is a retired, Finnish, soccer player. He starred in the North American Soccer League, playing outdoor as well as indoor soccer. He also played for the Finland national football team. He now coaches in the United States.- Professional :The 178 cm midfielder began his NASL career...
, M
Head coaches
Gordon FearnleyGordon Fearnley
Gordon Fearnley is a retired English association football player who spent time in the Football League, North American Soccer League and Major Indoor Soccer League....
(1978–79) 2–4 (.333) Peter Terry (1979) 3–15 (.167) Eddie McCreadie
Eddie McCreadie
Edward Graham "Eddie" McCreadie is a former Scottish footballer who played at left-back, mainly for Chelsea. He later became a manager....
(1979–82) 48–68 (.414); Playoffs: 1–2 (.333) Timo Liekoski
Timo Liekoski
Timo Liekoski is a Finnish soccer coach who managed teams in the North American Soccer League, Major Indoor Soccer League, American Indoor Soccer Association and Major League Soccer...
(1982–88) 178–122 (.593); Playoffs: 27–29 (.482)