by Hector shares his first experiences and impressions of Cleveland and the Richfield Coliseum, ”My first impressions of Cleveland were amazing. Quite honestly, when I came down here in 1983 I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do with my life. I decided to take a chance and play for the Force. The first year in Cleveland showed me what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. Being cut a year later was devastating and tough, but it made me much stronger and work harder to get back in the league. That first year in Cleveland went a long way in showing me what I wanted to do with my career.
We were averaging 14,000 people a night for our games, then go to the Cavs game and see half that many.” Hector goes on to explain how he really enjoyed playing at the Richfield Coliseum, “The place was awesome. I hate driving by there now and seeing a big old empty field. I have great memories and respect for the Richfield Coliseum because of that first year.
After his short stint in Cleveland, Hector, who was only 19 years old, worked even harder to continue playing in the league. In 1986, he played for the Minnesota Strikers coached by Allan Merrick. Merrick’s decision to switch Marinaro from defenseman to forward altered the course of history for both indoor soccer and Marinaro.
Hector discusses the transition, “I always had a knack for scoring goals, even as a sweeper I would try to push forward out of the back and try to score. I remember in the semi-finals of the national championships in Canada when I scored three goals in one game as a defender. The transition was a little bit hard at first but it came together pretty fast. As long as you get back and play defense and have the right teammates, you can make the switch.”
The following season, Marinaro lived up to the faith that the coaches had in him by leading the league with 58 goals. Hector goes on to share memories of his time with the Strikers, “I was lucky enough to be teamed up with South African, David Byrne, in my tryout in Minnesota. We actually lived together for two years in Minnesota as he was my roommate and we formed a great bond. It is a funny story because I was in Minnesota on a trial and the teams back then were only allowed eight foreign players. And I would have made a ninth. Coach Allan Merrick wanted me to sign, but because they were full I could only go to practice but not play in the games. It was there that I met Bruce Miller who was the assistant coach at the time.
There was a point before I was officially on the team that I had to live in a hotel and when Bruce Miller found out, he invited me to stay in his home. I was lucky enough that the Strikers were a very veteran laden team. It was there that I met Ray Hudson who went on to call the play-by-play for soccer on the BN channel. He was a great player and better person. So it was a great team to really catch stride with.”
The Minnesota Strikers folded at the end of the season, which led Hector to the LA Lazers. After the Lazers folded, he came to a crossroads in his career. Remembering his love for Cleveland in the short time he played there, he decided to return to Cleveland and play for the newly formed Crunch. The atmosphere he had experienced playing for the Force was unmatched to any other team he played for, so when the opportunity presented itself to play in front of the same excited fans as a member of the Crunch, he jumped on it.
It also gave him the chance to be closer to his family in Canada. Hector reveals what brought him back to play in Cleveland, “Neither one of the cities I played with after Cleveland had the same atmosphere that I had in Cleveland. I once again wanted that atmosphere that only the Cleveland fans could create. I also wanted to be closer to my family living in Canada. When I was in Los Angeles it was all away across the country and it was too far away from my family. I am very close to my family and Cleveland was the closest city back to Toronto. It was a great reason to come back with the combination of playing close to family and in front of incredible fans.” This move showed his loyalty to family, but also his loyalty to the fans that were good to him years earlier. It shows a great deal about his strong moral character and humbleness.
With the great goal scoring of Hector Marinaro combined with the excellent defense in goal by Otto Orf, the team only needed one more piece to complete the package. The piece that brought everything together was Zoran Karic. He had grown up playing in his native country of Yugoslavia when his agent brought him to America to play for the San Diego Sockers of the MISL.
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