Friday, April 18, 2008
Professional expansion teams are not supposed to be immediate title contenders that go nearly unbeaten – at least that’s not what usual expectations are. The Cleveland City Stars proved that it can be done last year with a stunning 10-1-9 campaign that saw them finish two points back of regular season champion Richmond despite having two fewer losses due to their unusually high number of draws.
The City Stars opened the year with four straight wins against opposition that proved to be among the bottom half of the table as the year wore on, but extended the unbeaten run with two draws, including a 2-2 affair with Harrisburg, who had only one loss through their previous seven.
A 0-1 loss to 2005 champion Charlotte midseason proved to be their only defeat as they went on to finish the season with a mark of 3-0-6, posting a pair of 1-1 draws against the defending champion Kickers to advance to the playoffs.
Harrisburg, however, proved to be their undoing in the playoffs as they edged the first-year side in Cleveland 1-0 in the Semifinals to advance to the Final, where they would edge Richmond on penalties after a 1-1 draw. Richmond had defeated Charlotte 2-1 in the other semifinal, showing just how closely each of the four were in the championship capabilities.
The 2008 Season
Cleveland’s immediate success turned into an inaugural offseason of balancing departures of key players with equally capable or better players. While the club was able to retain Defender of the Year Mark Schulte and GAA Champion Hunter Gilstrap, the side saw its top two scorers depart in Nigel Codrington and Adam Moffat.
Other top players staying on board for the second season are Dana McGregor, Derek Potteiger, Jeremy Tolleson and Luke Williams. Other significant departures in players who saw significant time were Chris Lemons, Jack Cummings and John De Vae.
To fill in for the departures the club has added a number of unknown foreign players from Brazil and Europe, but more importantly USL-1 veteran Godfrey Tenoff from Minnesota and veteran Eagles midfielder Adam Ruud. In addition, the club also brought in several former MLS development players and, as if Gilstrap was not good enough in goal, standout 2007 USL-1 goalkeeper Eric Reed from California.
The First Five
On paper, the good news for Cleveland is that three of their first five games are against opposition that are essentially in their first year. The bad news is they also face the defending champion City Islanders twice. The City Stars open at home April 19 against the Pittsburgh Riverhounds, who are making a return to the league after a year’s absence. They then face the club that knocked them from the playoffs on the road the following week and host them May 2. Following the pair of semifinal rematches, Cleveland will square off with expansion Real Maryland Monarchs at home May 10 and in Maryland May 17.
