CLEVELAND — Hector Marinaro lead the Cleveland Crunch to three championships in the 90s, but he said the first one in 1994 is his favorite.
“It's something I’m very proud of. I had already played professionally for 11 years and hadn’t won a championship,” said Marinaro.
He scored the game winning goal in double overtime against the St. Louis Ambush.
Scoring goals is what Marinaro is known for.
“It’s something special. A thousand goals was quite a milestone," he said.
In fact, Marinaro is still the all-time scorer for indoor professional soccer, which is made more impressive by the fact that he began his career as a defender.
"As they say, 'the rest is history.' It was a lot of fun to start scoring goals. I didn’t want to go back to defender," he said.
Marinaro’s career in Cleveland came to a close right around the same time the Cleveland Crunch organization folded.
"People always come up to me (and say), 'When are we gonna bring indoor soccer back?'"
Fifteen years later, fans' wishes are granted.
"They remembered the glory days of the Cleveland Crunch and they wanted to bring it back.”
A month ago, the Crunch officially joined the ranks of the Major Arena Soccer League and hosted their first game March 20. Finals will be in Wichita in July.
The team is led by president Eric Davis and coached by Tony Dore. Marinaro said he will help the new team any way he can.
“I’ve been pretty much a behind the scenes consultant for them, doing anything I can because I want them to be successful.”
He said. he’s thrilled to see the team back in Cleveland.
“The Cleveland Crunch is something special to me. It was who I was for 15 years," Marinaro said.