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Vinny Bell is one of the leading scorers this season for the AFC Cleveland Royals, who will play the Sonoma County Sol for the NPSL national championship on Saturday at Independence High School's football stadium. (Courtesy AFC Cleveland Royals / Brent Durken)

CLEVELAND, Ohio - Can Cleveland's championship run continue? The AFC Cleveland Royals certainly hope so.

The Royals will play for the National Premier Soccer League national championship against the Sonoma County Sol on Saturday night at Independence High School at 7 p.m. Tickets for the game are $6 and are available on the team's website or at the gate. The game will also be available at YOUTUBE.COM/AFCClevelandFC.

The Royals feature several local players, many from the local college programs. Included are leading scorers Vinny Bell (Case Western Reserve) and Brian Potocnik (John Carroll). They have four goals and one assist each on the season.

Now in their fifth season, the Royals are making their first appearance in the national championship game under second-year head coach Carter Poe, a former player and also now the coach at Mount Union.

Cleveland advanced to the championship game after finishing first in the Great Lakes East Conference and earning the first-seed in the Midwest Region. They beat Grand Rapids FC, 3-1 on penalty kicks in the regional final, then beat the Clarkstown SC Eagles, 3-2, to become the Midwest champion. The Royals scored 25 goals to lead the Midwest Region this season, while allowing just nine, also best in the region.

Sonoma County is gunning for its second NPSL championship. The Sol defeated Albion SC Pros in the regional final, 1-0, then stopped Chattanooga FC, 2-1, in the national semifinal.

Earlier this year, Cleveland's championship run began when Eastlake native Stipe Miocic won the UFC 198 heavyweight championship, then the Lake Erie Monsters won the American Hockey League's Calder Cup championship. Finally, the Cleveland Cavaliers ended Cleveland's 52-year drought without a major sports championship by beating the Golden State Warriors for the NBA title.