Crunch Goalkeeper Marijo Musa Named 2021 MASL 2 Most Valuable Player

TAMPA, Fla. – You never had to look very hard when watching the Cleveland Crunch play this past season to find the Most Valuable Player of the Major Arena Soccer League 2 season.

That was because goalkeeper Marijo Musa was in front of the Crunch net, making spectacular dives, leaps and challenges to lead Cleveland to its fourth indoor soccer championship in the city’s history.

“There were so many deserving players, but Marijo just stood out above the rest. He was so dominant, and so far ahead of all the other goalkeepers in the league statistically. He was the foundation on which the Crunch went all the way through to the title,” M2 Commissioner Chris Economides said. “He was the difference in so many ways, including the post-season, that you just couldn’t ignore his contributions.”

Not only does Musa win regular season MVP honors, he also took home the Hernan “Chico” Borja MVP award for his play in the M2 postseason, where the Crunch defeated the Amarillo Bombers and Wichita Wings to claim their crown.

Musa led the league in all the major goaltender categories, and by a wide margin. His wins (six), goals against average (5.50) and save percentage, a sensational .815, all contributed to league officials and team representatives picking him as MVP. Musa also picked up two goals, a rare stat line for keepers, scoring once in the regular season as well as in the post season playoffs with his rocket throw. 

He allowed just 33 goals in 178 shots against, and twice in the regular season allowed just two goals in a game, once on March 21 against the Colorado Inferno and again April 24 against the Mustangs. He has knocked on the door of the MASL on several occasions, training with the St. Louis Ambush, Mesquite Outlaws and Syracuse Silver Knights.

“Despite all the challenges, 2021 allowed us to lay a great foundation moving forward to the 2021-22 campaign, kicking off a 12-game regular season in January,” Deputy Commissioner Andrew Ross added. “The league will continue to grow as we welcome back franchises that didn’t play last year because of the pandemic, and move into many new markets to help further the growth of the league and the game. We will have lots of exciting announcements in the coming months that fans across the country can look forward to.”