July 21, 200915 yr Great game and we will extend the unbeaten streak to 19 this weekend versus Toronto.
July 21, 200915 yr And Columbus' finest will be welcoming TO's fans with open tasers. This'll be a hot one, all right...
July 21, 200915 yr And Columbus' finest will be welcoming TO's fans with open tasers. This'll be a hot one, all right... The atmosphere in the stadium is going to be electric. Really wish i could make it down for this one but i wont be able to get off of work.
July 26, 200915 yr CREW 3, TORONTO FC 2 Posted by Shawn Mitchell on July 25, 2009 - 11:23 PM http://blog.dispatch.com/crew/2009/07/crew_3_toronto_fc_2.shtml
August 3, 200915 yr CREW 1 | RAPIDS 0 Crew: Gritty effort yields third straight win Sunday, August 2, 2009 - 3:51 AM By Theresa Smith, For The Dispatch COMMERCE CITY, Colo. -- Last night's victory extended the Crew's win streak to three games and keeps it atop the Eastern Conference at 8-3-9 (33 points). It was only the second road victory of the season for the Crew, whose depth passed muster in the absence of injured players Guillermo Barros Schelotto (hamstring) and Frankie Hejduk (quadriceps strain). The Rapids (7-6-6) had their share of opportunities, outshooting the Crew 8-1 in the first half and 16-5 overall. But while Colorado's early attempts were off-target or secured by goalkeeper William Hesmer, the Crew scored on its only attempt of the first half. Defender Chad Marshall, returning from a tour with the U.S. national team in the Gold Cup, fired a low, 28-yard shot to the right corner of the net for a 1-0 lead in the 39th minute. Marshall also used a well-timed kick to block a shot by Colorado's Omar Cummings in extra time before halftime. Read more at http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/sports/stories/2009/08/02/Crew_Gamer_0802.ART_ART_08-02-09_C2_NHELETK.html?sid=101
August 9, 200915 yr Crew 3 | Earthquakes 0: No MVP? No problem for champs SAN FRANCISCO - The defending Major League Soccer champion Crew continues its forward march without injured league MVP Guillermo Barros Schelotto. The Crew methodically dismantled the San Jose Earthquakes 3-0 last night in Candlestick Park, scoring three second-half goals in their fourth straight victory. The match was followed by FC Barcelona battling Chivas of Guadalajara in an exhibition. Read more at URL above.
August 10, 200915 yr Well i WILL be making a trip down to Columbus from Cleveland for my first Crew match (second at Crew stadium, i went to the U.S. v Mexico game in February) with about 4 friends if they make the playoffs. Its hard to get a saturday off work and would rather go see a playoff match instead of a regular season match. Does anyone know how Nordecke seating and ticketing works? I'd like to sit there and experience the supporter groups firsthand instead of being in other parts of the stadium where sitting is preferred. Any info would be great
August 10, 200915 yr They've changed the rules recently for Nordecke, the ticket office may know or the websites for each of the cheering clubs might be of value.
August 10, 200915 yr The major groups are Local 614, Hudson Street Hooligans and Turbina Amarilla. You can definitely reach out to the groups via their myspace pages, but no matter where you sit, the Nordecke is a blast to watch.
August 16, 200915 yr Crew 2 | Dallas 0: Another impressive victory for hot Crew Marshall, Gaven score in team's fifth straight win Sunday, August 16, 2009 - 3:35 AM By Shawn Mitchell, The Columbus Dispatch Fans in the Nordecke section of a nearly full Columbus Crew Stadium began chanting the name of MVP Guillermo Barros Schelotto in the 63rd minute of a 2-0 victory over FC Dallas last night. They wanted to see their favorite Argentine star on the field after he had missed the previous four games because of a hamstring injury. They got their wish when Schelotto entered in second-half stoppage time. It was a cursory appearance. By the time Schelotto trotted out, the deep and talented Crew had a two-goal lead and was cruising to its fifth consecutive victory in front of a season-high 19,115. Read more at http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/sports/stories/2009/08/16/crew_8-16.ART_ART_08-16-09_C1_5FEPIV5.html?sid=101
August 17, 200915 yr The ref was quite bad and the Crew really could have put it away if Moreno had gotten his boot on a couple pretty crosses early on. It was really ugly actually from the 30 minute until the subs starting coming on after the 70th, though Coach W almost held back on the subs for too long again. Ekpo cannot hack a whole game. The crowd was very umm. . . passive.
August 17, 200915 yr Moreno can't get a break this season, which is an extra shame because he's one the nicest (if not the nicest) guys on the team. I run into him at Costco all the time.
August 17, 200915 yr What a weekend for my teams. Rangers and Columbus both come up with victories on Saturday and Tottenham caps off the weekend by beating Liverpool on Sunday. The attendance of 19,000+ is very impressive, hopefully it can continue throughout the rest of the season. Great the see Scheletto back as well, this team is red hot right now and they are going to be even more dangerous when he can contribute regularly again. I just noticed that there are a few Sunday evening matches coming up that Im going to try to make it down for. With the Dynamo match being my number one priority. If they hope to capture the Supporter's Shield this year again that is a must have 3 pointer.
August 18, 200915 yr Crew's dual schedule begins Tuesday, August 18, 2009 - 3:11 AM By Shawn Mitchell, The Columbus Dispatch The Crew opens play tonight in the Champions League, which is staged by CONCACAF, the regional governing body for North and Central America and the Caribbean. It will play the Puerto Rico Islanders in Crew Stadium. The game is the first of six for the Crew in group-stage play. As MLS Cup champion, it earned a bye into the 16-team stage, a perk that does not come without a price: Those six games will be played at the end of the MLS season, a taxing addition for a team chasing a playoff spot. Read more at http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/sports/stories/2009/08/18/crew_8-18.ART_ART_08-18-09_C1_08EQ4CO.html?sid=101 REMAINING 2009 MLS SCHEDULE AND CHAMPIONS LEAGUE SCHEDULE CHAMPIONS Aug. 18 Puerto Rico Islanders (Crew Stadium) 8 p.m. CHAMPIONS Aug. 26 at Cruz Azul (Mexico) 10 p.m. MLS Aug. 30 at New York 6 p.m. MLS Sept. 13 Houston (Crew Stadium) 5 p.m. CHAMPIONS Sept. 16 at Saprissa (Costa Rica) 10 p.m. MLS Sept. 20 at Chicago 3 p.m. CHAMPIONS Sept. 23 Cruz Azul (Crew Stadium) 8 p.m. MLS Sept. 26 Los Angeles (Crew Stadium) 7:30 p.m. CHAMPIONS Sept. 29 Saprissa (Crew Stadium) 8 p.m. MLS Oct. 3 Seattle FC (Crew Stadium) 7:30 p.m. MLS Oct. 10 at New England 7:30 p.m. MLS Oct. 17 at D.C. United 8 p.m. CHAMPIONS Oct. 20 at Puerto Rico Islanders 8 p.m. MLS Oct. 25 New England (Crew Stadium) 8 p.m.
August 18, 200915 yr The Crew are first in the east division and tied for the MLS point lead. Schelotto is back in the lineup. The team is on a major league roll right now. Everything should be setting up for a final push to the MLS playoffs, right? So why do I feel like the upcoming six Champions League matches might derail the Crew to repeating as MLS champs? I hope I'm wrong!
August 18, 200915 yr I really wish Columbus and the rest of MLS would take the Concacaf Champions League serious and go into play like it is a trophy they want to win. I know it doesnt have the presitge as the uefa champions league and south american tournaments, but the tournament still crown's the club champion of our region. It seems that the sole focus of every MLS team is for MLS Cup, and nothing else. The US Open Cup and even the Supporters Shield seem to carry little relevance for MLS teams.
August 18, 200915 yr I, too, fear the CONCACAF will take a toll on the Crew. The big thing they have going for them, though, is their astonishing depth (goalkeeping aside). Stay healthy, guys.
August 19, 200915 yr CREW KICKS OFF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE PLAY WITH 2-0 WIN OVER PUERTO RICO TUESDAY AT CREW STADIUM Steven Lenhart scored in the 58th minute and Robbie Rogers knocked home an insurance goal in the 79th as the Columbus Crew defeated the Puerto Rico Islanders, 2-0, Tuesday at Crew Stadium in the first Group C match of the 2009-10 CONCACAF Champions League. Read more at URL above.
August 19, 200915 yr REMAINING 2009 MLS SCHEDULE AND CHAMPIONS LEAGUE SCHEDULE CHAMPIONS Aug. 26 at Cruz Azul (Mexico) 10 p.m. MLS Aug. 30 at New York 6 p.m. MLS Sept. 13 Houston (Crew Stadium) 5 p.m. CHAMPIONS Sept. 16 at Saprissa (Costa Rica) 10 p.m. MLS Sept. 20 at Chicago 3 p.m. CHAMPIONS Sept. 23 Cruz Azul (Crew Stadium) 8 p.m. MLS Sept. 26 Los Angeles (Crew Stadium) 7:30 p.m. CHAMPIONS Sept. 29 Saprissa (Crew Stadium) 8 p.m. MLS Oct. 3 Seattle FC (Crew Stadium) 7:30 p.m. MLS Oct. 10 at New England 7:30 p.m. MLS Oct. 17 at D.C. United 8 p.m. CHAMPIONS Oct. 20 at Puerto Rico Islanders 8 p.m. MLS Oct. 25 New England (Crew Stadium) 8 p.m. Great first win on the Champions schedule for the Crew. A win or tie at Cruz Azul in Mexico next Wednesday would put the Crew in a strong position to advance from their Champions group. The Crew catches a break in only having to play at New York to finish out MLS play in August. New York is last in league with a 2-16-4 record. (Huge fall for NY after reaching the MLS Cup Final last year!) That sets up a busy Sept. 13 to Sept. 29 stretch of games that feature three Champions matches and three MLS matches. Once that stretch is weathered, October would focus back to domestic play with four of the last five games being MLS matches. So, its a good start on the dual schedule but its far from over.
August 19, 200915 yr Getting a win in Mexico would be huge because that schedule gets really grueling and we might need to run out a B team for a couple Champions League games toward the end of that stretch.
August 27, 200915 yr Champions League | Cruz Azul 5, Crew 0 Crew's Mexico trip turns ugly in a hurry Jaime Lozano had a hat trick last night to help Cruz Azul of Mexico beat the Crew 5-0 in a Champions League game in Mexico City. It was the first 5-0 loss in Crew history and the team's worst loss since a 6-0 defeat at Morelia of Mexico in 2003. Lozano started the scoring in the fourth minute on an assist from Ramon Nunez. Nunez scored in the ninth minute on a 25-yard blast that caught Crew goalkeeper William Hesmer off-guard. Read more at http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/sports/stories/2009/08/27/crew_8-27.ART_ART_08-27-09_C1_7TESVJ9.html?sid=101
August 28, 200915 yr This CONCACAF schedule is brutal. It has to play a big role in the relative few back-to-back Championships in MLS history, though DC United and Houston have done it.
September 1, 200915 yr Red Bulls 1, Crew 0: Solid effort, but no points Monday, August 31, 2009 - 3:11 AM By Jeff Gold, For the Columbus Dispatch EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Excuses were certainly available for the Crew yesterday after a 1-0 loss to the New York Red Bulls, the team with the worst record in Major League Soccer. Read more at http://crewxtra.com/live/content/sports/stories/2009/08/31/crew_8-31.ART_ART_08-31-09_C1_OLEU0LI.html?sid=101
September 1, 200915 yr Ugh! Not a good result at NYC for the Crew. The Crew still retain first place in the east by one point over Chicago. So it's not time to panic. But maybe we should signal yellow alert because of the upcoming September schedule. Three more Champions League matches sandwiched between three MLS games. And the MLS competition is very stiff for the rest of the year. The Crew face the MLS best Houston Dynamo on Sept. 13. Followed by Chicago, LA, Seattle, DC and two games against New England. Despite being in first place now, a playoff spot is not guaranteed for the Crew.
September 15, 200915 yr Crew 2, Dynamo 1: Gaven wins it; tempers run hot Wild match on Sunday between the east leading Crew and the west leading Houston Dynamo. The match had 19 shots, 27 fouls, two yellow cards and two red card ejections late in the game for Houston defender Mike Chabala and Crew forward Steven Lenhart. But the important stat was one deciding penalty kick in second-half stoppage time that brought another home victory for the Crew. Frankie Hejduk opened the scoring in the 34th minute, scoring his first goal of the season for the Crew. The Dynamo equalized in the 80th minute. Eddie Gaven converted the game-winning penalty kick in the 91st minute. The win leaves the Crew 11-4-9 with 42 points. The Dynamo still leads the west at 11-8-7 with 40 points. The Crew now leads the east by three points over Chicago.
September 19, 200915 yr Crew 1, Saprissa 0 Gaven's goal all Crew needs The Crew's chances of advancing past the initial Champions League group was helped greatly win with a 1-0 against Saprissa in Costa Rica. I caught a tape-delayed view of this game on Fox Soccer Channel. And it was oddily enjoyable to witness the game on the 1980's style artificial turf playing field in Costa Rica. Eddie Gaven scored in the fifth minute after controlling a high bouncing long pass and shooting a quick blast past the goalkeeper. With many of the Crew regulars on the bench, the Crew simply tried the hold onto the lead through the rest of the game. Ultimately, Crew goalkeeper William Hesmer was the player of the game as he made great save after great save in the second half to preserve the win.
September 21, 200915 yr Crew 2, Fire 2 The Crew rally from 2-0 halftime deficit to tie the Chicago Fire on the road. The tie preserves the Crew's three point lead over Chicago in the east. Schelotto scores both Crew goals in the second half - the second coming on a PK. Additional coverage at Schelotto scores twice in 'big-time' rally
September 24, 200915 yr Cruz Azul 2 | Crew 0 (Champions League) Cruz Azul looks like the class of their four team Champions League group by winning in Crew Stadium. The first home loss for the Crew this season. The Crew pressured the visiting Mexican team all game long. But the finishing shots for the Crew were a touch off all game long too. Timely saves by the Cruz Azul goalkeeper and two quick counterattacking goals in the first half were enough for the win.
September 24, 200915 yr How is the MLS doing economically? Will it survive? What is the average attendance for a Crew game?
September 24, 200915 yr It is doing alright. They have a pretty good limits on costs compared to other leagues. Most teams now have soccer only stadiums which has helped the quality of play and the stability of the league. Their TV contract has been getting better with each cycle. The Crew draw roughly 14-15k per game in a stadium that sells out at around 24k. I don't see it going anywhere at this point. I think the MLS is a permanent part of the American sports scene. I'd hope that in a decade or so, the MLS will be ready to shift to the same schedule the rest of the world has - which is Sept. to May roughly. I'd imagine it will get another shot in the arm with the World Cup next year.
September 24, 200915 yr As much as i would love to see MLS follow the world calender, i dont really see it happening. There would have to be some sort of winter break if the did switch. Late december through early march would be very hard to play due to the weather in chicago, new york, new england, philadelphia, and the other 'winter cities'. I think what is more important to MLS is that they follow the FIFA calender and dont schedule league matches during international breaks. It is nice to see them finally catch on by taking 2 weeks off during the group stages of the World Cup, but id like to see it continue to other international dates. Oh yeah, single table and relegation/promotion system too :-D
September 24, 200915 yr Germany takes a winter break. I think you could probably play into late December in most places and you could plan to send the northern teams on a road-trips to the southern teams for a month or so when it picks back up in early February.
September 25, 200915 yr How is the MLS doing economically? Will it survive? What is the average attendance for a Crew game? It seems like MLS is in good shape economically. It has survived its growing pains since forming in 1996 and looks like its finding a solid niche in the American sports landscape. MLS is up to 15 teams with the addition of Seattle this year. 2010 will add an expansion team in Philadelphia. 2011 will add expansion teams in Vancouver and Portland (Oregon). More info at www.mlsnet.com. National media exposure could be better, but is improving. ESPN2 and Fox Soccer Channel cover at least one game weekly. And I just read that this year MLS Championship game will broadcast on ESPN in prime-time at 8:30PM. Now that's partly because its being played at Seattle, but its still an improvement from previous afternoon broadcast times. Player salaries and overall expenses seem reasonably low, so the revenue hurdle is a relatively low one for team profitablility. One of the best routes to team profitability is controlling stadium revenues. Obviously, ticket revenue is first. But capturing parking revenue, concession revenue and merchandise revenue are major factors toward team profitability. And team ownership of their stadium is key toward capturing those revenue streams. In this respect, I think MLS is showing some economic strength. Consider that in 1999, the Columbus Crew was the only MLS team to own its home stadium. The previous three years the Crew played at Ohio Stadium. Every other MLS team had similar arrangements to share either college football or NFL stadiums. By 2009, eight of the 15 teams had built new soccer-specific stadiums. A ninth team, the Houston Dynamos, shares a renovated soccer stadium with the University of Houston. Three other teams, New York, San Jose and Kansas City, have plans to build new soccer stadiums (with NY's stadium coming online next season). By next year, only three of the current 15 MLS teams will share their home stadiums, with DC using RFK Stadium, New England using Gillette Stadium and Seattle using the Seahawks Qwest Field. So, all in all, the future looks good for MLS. As for attendance, I found a rundown of 2009 team attendance figures here at www.mls-daily.com. It tracked attendance up to August 24, 2009, so its missing some recent games. For instance, the Crew attendance through 11 games averages 13,659. But this doesn't include the most recent 14,000+ home game. Plus this Saturday's Crew home game against LA is sold-out, so that will add over 22,000. The overall seating capacity for Crew Stadium was reduced to 22,555 with the construction of a permenant concert stage in the north end last year.
September 25, 200915 yr The Dispatch had a recent story (can't find online) talking about conversations between Crew staff and Cruz Azul staff about the pay levels for teams at the top of the Mexican League and the size of the teams versus the MLS. The Mexicans pay a lot more was the gist. I think this league is for the long term. One of the other sports will drop the ball at some point probably with labor issues and that might let MLS take advantage and move higher in the national mind.
September 25, 200915 yr Who else uses RFK Stadium? I thought it was just DC United, but i saw faded american football lines on the pitch during last nights CCL match. My guess would be high school or college football programs.
September 26, 200915 yr The Dispatch had a recent story (can't find online) talking about conversations between Crew staff and Cruz Azul staff about the pay levels for teams at the top of the Mexican League and the size of the teams versus the MLS. I thought that was interesting too and I found the story. It was part of the Dispatch's Crew blog. Here is the excerpt from the blog. "You could see the difference in the level of play," Crew technical director Brian Bliss said. "There’s a big difference in the payroll and the amount of guys that they are carrying (on their roster)." "I don’t know their exact payroll, but we had some good discussions with these guys at Cruz Azul and I almost fell off my chair when I heard how many guys are pretty high up there (in salary). I don’t know if the answer in our league right now is to pay our guys more money, but certainly you could add two or three players somewhere and be able to compete." Full blog entry at http://blog.dispatch.com/crew/2009/09/the_first_goal_scored_by.shtml
September 26, 200915 yr Who else uses RFK Stadium? I thought it was just DC United, but i saw faded american football lines on the pitch during last nights CCL match. My guess would be high school or college football programs. You are right. I had confused RFK Stadium for the current Washington Redskins stadium when including DC United as playing in a shared NFL stadium. Technically, DC United is the main tenant of old RFK. But after reviewing their website, apparently DC is also looking to build a soccer-only stadium. Which makes sense because playing in an oversized aging stadium would not serve the DC team well. Most of the newly constructed soccer stadiums have been in the 20,000+ seat range. Here's the capacities I've been able to find: Columbus: 22,555 Chicago: 20,000 Chivas: 27,000 Colorado: 18,000 Dallas: 21,000 LA Galaxy: 27,000 Salt Lake: 20,000 Toronto: 20,000 NY Red Bulls: 25,000
September 27, 200915 yr Big win tonight. Though I've never seen so many yellow cars handed out - 8 of 'em, though they felt pretty evenly distributed. No Beckham and Donovan was non-existent. The new Venezuelan guy is a beast, it was fun to watch him.
September 28, 200915 yr That was a big 2-0 win over LA. According the CrewXtra blog, the Crew have clinched an MLS playoff spot. Crew clinches playoff spot San Jose defeated D.C. United 2-1 today. United can earn a maximum of 44 points and is now one of seven teams that cannot catch the Crew (46 points), ensuring Columbus of one of eight playoff spots. The Crew is 12-4-10 after 26 games.
September 28, 200915 yr And are STILL tied with Houston in the running for the Supporter's Shield. By virtue of the Crew's CONCACAF obligations alone the Shield should be theirs. Either way, amazing. Keep it going, fellas.
September 29, 200915 yr ^In case of a tie, do you know if they go by goal differential like the Prem or do they go to a single game playoff or even a home-away for the Supporter's Shield?
September 29, 200915 yr win-loss record in head to head games between the tied teams is the first tiebreaker. Goal diff is the second tie breaker, if they need it.
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