Cleveland Crunch International Spotlight: Jannis Schmidt

In the full swing of his second season with the Cleveland Crunch, midfielder Jannis Schmidt is another international presence on the team.

From the Southwest Germany Municipality of Gensingen, Schmidt’s soccer background runs deep, growing up in one of the world’s capitals for footballing
fandom.

After much success in the U19 Bundesliga, Schmidt was stuck at the crossroads that many in his position have been; was he to take the professional route or focus on education? 

After some collaboration with talent agencies, Schmidt ended up at Cleveland State University.

“Initially, it was hard being away from home,” Schmidt reminisced. “But people take you in a lot around here, I feel like you can’t say that for many other places.” 

Schmidt’s five-year Viking career was a vibrant one. He played in 73 matches with 42 total goal involvements, and earned three All-Horizon League honors, two All-Region honors, and was named Horizon League Player of the Year in 2021.

Schmidt rightfully caught the attention of many in the Cleveland area, including former Cleveland SC Head Coach Lewis Dunne, who recruited Schmidt to play for the squad, where he met the likes of Boban Cancar, Admir Suljevic, and other previous and current Crunch players.

“These guys have been on me about [joining the team] since I graduated college,” Schmidt joked. “I wanted to have the chance to play with my friends and in front of a really cool crowd.”

Similar to many other players, Schmidt also had a great respect for the heritage the Crunch have left on Cleveland sports as a whole. 

“You look at the games, and you see some of these guys using the heritage
as a motivation…I used to be a kid sitting in the stands, and now I am here carrying on that legacy where you have the ability to make a core memory for someone.”

Schmidt is one of many explosive young players Head Coach Antonio Manfut has brought along in the last three years, recording 14 goals and 15 assists across 14 games. 

Not only is Schmidt great with playmaking and in transition, but his presence of mind on the pitch can really elevate the game, regardless of who else joins him on the field.

He continues to be crucial to the Crunch’s success. He is also growing his outdoor career, confirming his third season with Akron City FC this coming summer.

Get your tickets now at theclevelandcrunch.com/tickets.