RESPECTING THE GREATS PART 1: ZORAN KARIC

               I remember as a kid watchin the Cleveland Crunch play on tv. The World Cup only played every four years, so watching arena soccer was the next best thing. The thing that I remember the most was watching the energy of Crunch great Zoran Karic. As a fan, Zoran was someone who captivated the crowd with so much energy it that it made fans want to come on the field and play with him. We hadn't seen anything like him since Browns Great Jim Brown was running through people. His years in Cleveland will fondly be remembered as a fantastic time for Cleveland sports fans when there wasn't much to cheer about. 

When you look back on those times in the 90's, for Cleveland sports fans those were some fun and also miserable times. For starters, the Browns left back in 1995 and left us without football for four years. The then Cleveland Indians had reached the World Series in 1995 and 1997 but didn't bring one home. The Cavs were abysmal. Yes we had great players such as Bobby Phills, Terrell Brandon, and Bob Sura, but dealing with a very tough eastern conference and Michael Jordan made watching the Cavs gut-wrenching. Then there was the Cleveland Crunch. The team we could always count on. While most people don't want to admit it, The Crunch were the ONLY team to bring a professional sports championship back to Cleveland. In actuality The Crunch brought three home, and that's part of what makes the Crunch and Zoran Karic so special and beloved to Crunch fans as well as the city of Cleveland as a whole.

For those that aren't in the know, Zoran was and still is regarded as one of the greatest players in Cleveland Crunch history. Beginning his Professional soccer career in 1987 with FK Partizan in Serbia, Zoran Quickly showed why he would be among the greats in all of soccer. When he started his Professional arena career a year later in 1988, Zoran helped the San Diego Shockers grow to be one of the most celebrated arena soccer teams in history. Karic would win his first two championships with the Sockers, but those wouldn't be the last.

In the 89'-90' season the Sockers would trade Zoran to the Cleveland Crunch, and from there the rest is history. Zoran would be paired with another Crunch great Hector Marinaro and together the two would become the most dominant set of forwards in all of indoor/arena soccer. Not to be confused with Batman and Robin, the duo of Karic and Marinaro would be the Batman and Superman of indoor soccer. Watching these two on the field at the same time was unbelievable. If you were a fan of the Crunch in the 90's then you know those games were exciting and memorable. 

To make this pair more memorable, Zoran and Hector would win their first championship as a team in 1994 in the NPSL. From there the sky was the limit. The two would reach the finals again in 1996 and once again Zoran would win his fourth title and second with the Crunch. There was no denying that Zoran was clearly one of the Crunch greats. It was not only his skills, but his energy and Charisma were the reason why he became and is widely regarded as royalty in indoor soccer in Cleveland. His final championship in With the Crunch would come three years later in 1999 and would set his legacy in stone as a soccer great. 

Zoran would play all the way until 2011 and retire that same year, but here in Cleveland his legacy will always be as a member of one of the GREATEST teams in Cleveland sports history! Just to give you a perspective of just how great Zoran was on the field, here are some stats you should put a eye to...

Rookie of the year- 1988

MVP- 1994

First team all star- 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998 ( yes nine years straight. to our current research as of this writing no other player in any sport has done that in consecutive years)

Goals leader- 1992

Assists leader- 1992, 1993, 1994, 1997, 1998, 1999

Points leader- 1992, 1994

All star MVP- 1993, 1995, 1999

Championships- 1988, 1989, 1994, 1996, 1999

The Crunch home opening weekend  is Saturday January 28, at 7pm against the Detroit Waza Flo and Sunday January 29th. That Saturday game will feature Zoran's jersey finally retired and put in the hall of Crunch greatness before the game. Tickets are on sale now, and if you're a Crunch fan you will not want to miss this truly special occasion to see one of the Greatest players in Cleveland sports history finally take his rightful place with the Legends! Zoran Karic, your flowers will be waiting for you on Jan 28th!