by Game one in St. Louis is one that Otto Orf wouldn’t soon forget. “In many ways it changed my career,” said Orf when asked about it years later. The Crunch was blown out 26-6 as Orf had one of his worst showings as goalie. He gave up numerous goals in the first period forcing coach Hindley to pull him from the contest. After game one, the Crunch faced another uphill battle.
Orf and the rest of the Crunch proved just how mentally tough they all were as they came back to win game two on the road 21-14, which evened the series heading back home to Cleveland. Orf learned from his mistakes in game one by playing great for the remainder of the series. His solid goalkeeping combined with the scoring attack of the dynamic duo, Zoran Karic and Hector Marinaro, led to a game three win, 29-8. In the identical scenario from a year earlier, the win placed our hometown heroes just one game away from winning the championship.
On April 27, 1994, a group of men, who received far too little fanfare, ended a thirty year curse that had haunted Cleveland sports teams. These men didn’t play for large amounts of money or fame. They played for the love of the game and the hunger to win. They took the pressures and hopes of an entire city on their back and in their hearts, and they didn’t stop until they fulfilled the dreams of every fan watching and supporting them. One of the most epic games in soccer history took place on this faithful night.
The Crunch fought hard all night, but still trailed by several goals late in the fourth period. With time against them, they needed to score quickly if they were to have any chance at coming back. With time winding down and the odds against them, Hector Marinaro managed to score and tied the game at 15, sending the contest into overtime. Between the end of the fourth quarter and overtime, fans could see Orf being stretched out by the trainer on the side lines.
Many, including Orf, thought that he was cramping up because of the length of the game and the intensity. It would be revealed later that Orf was playing on pulled hamstrings. Coach Hindley asked Orf if he wanted to come out of the game because of the intense pain he was in. However, with Orf being a fierce competitor and loyal teammate, there was no way he would allow himself to leave the game.
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