Cleveland Internationals

Cleveland Internationals was an American soccer team based in Cleveland, Ohio, United States. Founded in 2004, the team played in the USL Premier Development League (PDL), the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, in the Great Lakes Division of the Central Conference. The franchise folded at the end of the 2010 season and left the league thereafter.

The team played its home games at the Pinnacle Sports Complex in nearby Medina, Ohio. The team's colors were blue and white.

In addition to the PDL team, the Internationals had a sister club - Cleveland Internationals Women - in the USL W-League, as well as an entry in the Super Y-League.

History

The Cleveland Internationals were first entered into the PDL in 2004 by George Nanchoff, a Yugoslavian ex-NASL player who now runs the Internationals Soccer Club, which was established in 1976 as an outlet for young Ohio players who had graduated from college but still had a desire to continue to play competitively.

The Internationals' first competitive season was a difficult one. Despite winning their first ever game 3-0 over Toledo Slayers (goals by Anthony DiBello, William Kletzien and John Sand) they only managed to pick up one more win all season (ironically also over Toledo), and suffered through several tough defeats, including a 5-0 drubbing at the hands of Michigan Bucks, a 5-1 loss to Indiana Invaders, and a 4-1 defeat by Kalamazoo Kingdom. By the end of the year the team was dead last in the Great Lakes Division, with...
Read More