Match Preview | Ambassadors FC Ohio vs Cleveland SC
- Cleveland SC
- 50 minutes ago
- 3 min read
What to know for the first round of the playoffs against Ambassadors FC Ohio
BEREA, OHIO - The time has come for the postseason in the Great Lakes Conference in the National Premier Soccer League, and Cleveland SC has found itself firmly in the mix to compete.
Following a 7-1-4 regular season for the club, they will look to get back to their early-season form against a familiar opponent in Ambassadors FC Ohio.
Cleveland’s record was at one point a near-flawless 7-1-1 before a three-game skid at the end of the regular season dropped the club from second in the GLC to third.
The skid started with a 2-0 loss against No. 4 Flower City FC before a 5-4 loss against Rochester NY FC and a 4-3 loss against Erie Commodores. That loss to the Commodores was a tough one, as Cleveland led one of the best teams in the country 3-2 before a late comeback gave them their third straight loss.
Head coach Joe Jovanovski and his squad will look to flush the results of the last three games away as they will be traveling to Canton, Ohio, to play Ambassadors at Malone University on Wednesday, July 8.
Cleveland has had some real success against that Ambassadors team so far this season, as the two clubs have met twice with Cleveland coming out on top in both matches.
The first game was a highly anticipated contest as both teams were undefeated at the time, and Cleveland handed Ambassadors its first loss in convincing fashion with a 3-0 win.
The club looked like the better side all night, and the goals merely backed up that notion. Cleveland attacker Abdou Faye had a great game, notching a brace with two goals to help seal the win.
The win over Ambassadors put Cleveland squarely in the second spot in the conference behind Erie, but Ambassadors stayed close behind Cleveland throughout the rest of the schedule.
Ambassadors stayed strong and stayed composed all the way until the next meeting with Cleveland, which resulted in another clean-sheet win for the boys in orange and black, getting out of Canton with a 2-0 win.
Two early goals were all it took on the road for Cleveland, as again Abdou Faye found the back of the net in the ninth minute of the match and the club’s other top attacker, Hakim Musabbah, got on the score sheet in the 20th minute.
There were no goals for the rest of the game as the Cleveland backline and goalkeeper did their jobs in keeping the Ambassadors held in check.
Even with the dominance of Ambassadors displayed by Cleveland throughout the year, the Ambassadors are entering the match with much more momentum, coming off a huge 1-0 win over Erie to end the season, as opposed to Cleveland’s three-game losing streak.
All signs are pointing towards another huge clash between the two sides this Wednesday, and this time there is more on the line, with the winner playing the winner of Erie and Flower City in the GLC Final.
Match Information - Ambassadors FC Ohio vs Cleveland SC
📍 Malone University King Field at Pioneer Park - 2600 Cleveland Ave NW, Canton, OH 44709
🗓️ Wednesday, July 8, 2026
⏰ Kickoff at 7:00 PM EDT
🎟️ Tickets are available online and at the gate.
Follow the Match Live
Can’t make it to the match? Watch live on Ambassadors FC Ohio's Hudl channel. Fans can also follow live updates on Cleveland SC’s X account. [WATCH LIVE]
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