MUSKEGON – What was already a good season has suddenly turned into a very exciting one for the Muskegon Risers indoor soccer squad.
They have a chance to play for a league championship this weekend, on their home field, something few in the organization thought was possible when the season began.
But first they will have to get past a major hurdle – the undefeated Cleveland Crunch – in a league semifinal playoff game on Friday at 7 p.m. at Mercy Health Arena.
The Risers entered their first season of competition in the Major Arena Soccer League 2 with the simple goal of playing well against tough competition and making the playoffs.
[1]They did that, posting a 6-6 regular season record and finishing second in the Great Lakes Division, which brought an automatic playoff bid.
That would have been enough of an accomplishment for a team that played very little over the past two years due to COVID, but then the season took an even better turn last Saturday when the Risers dominated the Chicago Mustangs 8-2 in a first-round playoff game. They won despite playing without three of their top four scorers, and secured a berth in the league’s Championship Weekend, which will take place at Mercy Health Arena on Friday and Sunday.
The San Diego Sockers and Omaha Kings will play in the first semifinal game on Friday at 4 p.m. The Risers and Cleveland will match up at 7 p.m. The winners of the two games will play for the league championship on Sunday at 3 p.m.
“We’re really excited,” said Risers head coach Ben Ritsema about the opportunity to play for a title at home. “Our goal to start the year was to just make the playoffs, but every team wants a championship. Now that we’re here and hosting, we’d love to win. We’re just two wins away from a championship.”
[2]If the Risers are to advance to the title game on Sunday, they will have to find a way to defeat a Cleveland team that has already beaten them four times this season, by a combined score of 45-23.
“They like to spread the field,” said Ritsema about the Crunch, who are the defending league champions. “They have lots of great one-on-one players. They’re going to try and find their best players in those matchups and take the ball to the goal. I think they have the top two scorers in the league, and that shows you the firepower they have.”
While the series between the teams has definitely been one-sided, the Risers gave the Crunch a fight on Feb. 11 in Cleveland, falling 11-9. They had high hopes of beating the Crunch in their final regular season matchup in Muskegon on March 5, but lost 16-4.
“I think we kind of learned something,” Ritsema said about the last loss. “Their field is a lot smaller, and we tried to replicate how we played there at home, but it didn’t work on our larger field. You learn something each time you play an opponent, and I think by now we’ve seen all their top players play.”
[3]If the Risers are successful in keeping the game close, it will likely be due to limiting big scores Mike Derezic and Admir Suljevic, who have 28 and 21 goals, respectively, for Cleveland.
“The lowest scoring game is the probably the best for us,” said Ritsema about what will be needed to pull off the upset. “I think that’s best for any team that’s the underdog in arena league. The closer the score is, the more in the game you are. I think if it’s low scoring, it’s in our favor.”
One key to that will be the play of Risers rookie goalkeeper Akani Miyambu, who was spectacular against Chicago, holding the Mustangs scoreless in the first half, which is rare in high-scoring indoor soccer.
His availability is questionable, however, because he suffered an injury in the second half of Saturday’s game and missed most of the fourth quarter.
The Risers are also hoping for the return of leading scorer Miguel Flores, who has been out with an injury since March 5. Flores, who was third in the league with 21 goals this season, said earlier this week that he’s been working out and will try to play, but there is no guarantee.
[4]The Risers do have other scoring threats, including Colin O’Keefe, a talented player who has been on loan from the big-league Harrisburg Heat, as well as skilled veterans like Aldony Mendez and TJ Ifaturoti. All three helped compensate for Flores’ absence on Saturday by scoring against Chicago.
Ritsema is hopeful that a home environment will be an advantage for the Risers, with another big, noisy crowd on hand, like they had for last Saturday’s playoff game.
Having the league’s Championship Weekend in Muskegon is an added bonus. The Risers put in a bid to host the event months ago, but only learned in the last few weeks that they had been chosen over several larger league cities.
“We’ve played well at home,” Ritsema said. “They’re the only team to beat us at home. We know we play well at home, and we know our fans are a huge reason why. Their excitement and vocal support brings our energy level up, and I can see it in our guys.”
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