November 8, 201014 yr Yes it was. I think that next year they may not make it back to the playoffs. Schelotto is getting old and its pretty clear that even at his age right now he has the best touch and vision. They need younger playmakers, specifically up top. Lenhart is a good target forward, but there is no one that can really run at people. Rodgers can to a degree, but it would be nice to have a solid attacking forward with ball control. Someone like Cummings or Buddle.
November 18, 201014 yr The 2011 Crew will look very different from the 2008, 2009 & 2010 Crew. Former MVP Guillermo Barros Schelotto and captain Frankie Hejduk will not be returning next year. Fellow veterans Gino Padula, Duncan Oughton and Jason Garey were also not resigned for next year. The Crew also declined their contact option with newcomer Frenchman Leandre Griffit, but might re-sign him at a lower salary. That's six players total, one quarter of its 24-man roster. Below are some links to various articles and blogs that examine the roster shake-up in more detail: Crew declines option on Schelotto Moves by Crew necessary, McCullers says - Team officials want younger, faster lineup Tidbits from Black Monday (and Tuesday)
November 18, 201014 yr The 2011 Crew will look very different from the 2008, 2009 & 2010 Crew. Former MVP Guillermo Barros Schelotto and captain Frankie Hejduk will not be returning next year. Fellow veterans Gino Padula, Duncan Oughton and Jason Garey were also not resigned for next year. The Crew also declined their contact option with newcomer Frenchman Leandre Griffit, but might re-sign him at a lower salary. That's six players total, one quarter of its 24-man roster. Below are some links to various articles and blogs that examine the roster shake-up in more detail: Crew declines option on Schelotto Moves by Crew necessary, McCullers says - Team officials want younger, faster lineup Tidbits from Black Monday (and Tuesday) Getting younger is probably a good thing. Hopefully with the reinstatement of the Reserve League there can be more development as well. Also that caused the rosters to be bumped up to 30 players, with up to six being from the club's development academy.
November 30, 201014 yr Major League Soccer had an expansion draft for their two new 2011 teams in Portland and Vancouver. The Crew lost Eric Brunner and Adam Moffat in the draft. Below is an article from the Dispatch. The MLS website has the full draft rundown at 2010 Expansion Draft: pick by pick: ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Crew: Brunner, Moffat go in draft Thursday, November 25, 2010 By Shawn Mitchell THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH The Crew is at half-strength after defender Eric Brunner and midfielder Adam Moffat were selected by the Portland Timbers in the Major League Soccer expansion draft yesterday. The Crew must fill 15 of 30 roster spots for next season. The team opens play in less than 13 weeks, facing Real Salt Lake in a Champions League quarterfinal on Feb. 22. "We're not panicking," technical director Brian Bliss said. "If we go into the game against Salt Lake with 20 or 21 guys, it's not the end of the world. The core of our team is still there." Brunner, 24, started 36 games the past two seasons. The Dublin Scioto graduate and former Ohio State player was acquired from the New York Red Bulls before the 2009 season. Moffat, 24, started 36 games in four seasons with the Crew. He played in 24 games this past season after three injury-filled years. Moffat scored five goals and had one assist in his tenure with the team. He married the sister of teammate Steven Lenhart last year. The Crew on Monday traded midfielder Brian Carroll to Philadelphia for a draft pick and allocation money. The team declined the contract options of Guillermo Barros Schelotto, Frankie Hejduk, Gino Padula, Duncan Oughton, Leandre Griffit and Jason Garey last week. MORE: http://www.crewxtra.com/live/content/sports/stories/2010/11/25/brunner-moffat-go-in-draft.html?sid=101
November 30, 201014 yr Below is a link to an article posted at MLSsoccer.com by Craig Merz. Merz used to be a sportscaster for one of our local TV stations: Making sense of Crew's offseason makeover: Breaking down Columbus' needs and concerns at every position
December 23, 201014 yr Stern John? Stern John got a mention in a recent off-season Crew article. From "Crew isn't close to signing two re-entry picks": "Coach Robert Warzycha said he had not spoken with forward Stern John in several months but did not discount the possibility of the former Crew striker joining the team for preseason camp if he is healthy. John, who said he would like to finish his career in Columbus, scored 44 goals in two seasons for the Crew before departing for England in 1999. He underwent knee surgery in the summer."
January 18, 201114 yr The Crew's off-season roster shake-up continues. Another fan favorite departs (this time via trade). Steven Lenhart gets traded for a first-round pick and MLS allocation money. The first-round pick was used to acquire a striker from the University of Michigan. More about this and rest of last week's MLS Draft from the Dispatch article below: Lenhart trade brings striker from Michigan Friday, January 14, 2011 By Shawn Mitchell, The Columbus Dispatch The Crew jettisoned another fan favorite yesterday when it traded forward Steven Lenhart to the San Jose Earthquakes for a first-round SuperDraft pick and allocation money. The deal helped the Crew acquire Michigan striker Justin Meram, a prolific scorer who had 12 goals in the Wolverines' final nine games last season. "If Meram wasn't available, we wouldn't have done it," Crew coach Robert Warzycha said. "But we liked his determination. He can shoot and he's a good finisher. He's very active in front of the net which is something we definitely needed." Perhaps no Major League Soccer forward was as active as Lenhart, a tireless and big-bodied menace. But San Jose offered the No. 15 pick and allocation money, reportedly $75,000. The Crew drafted Indiana defender Rich Balchan with its own first-round pick at No. 12. It added Duke midfielder Cole Grossman in the second round and South Florida midfielder Bernardo Anor in the third. The team has high expectations for Balchan, a player in the fast and physical mold of fellow Indiana product Danny O'Rourke. Technical director Brian Bliss said Balchan could compete for a starting job as a rookie and can play all four defensive positions and as a defensive midfielder. Balchan and Meram have agreed to contract terms with MLS and the addition of the San Jose allocation money gives the Crew about $385,000 in allocation funds to spend in addition to its $2.67 million salary budget. MORE: http://www.crewxtra.com/live/content/sports/stories/2011/01/14/lenhart-trade-brings-striker-from-michigan.html?sid=101
January 25, 201114 yr Crew re-signs midfielder it cut in November Thursday, January 20, 2011 By Shawn Mitchell THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH Leandre Griffit, one of five players jettisoned by the Columbus Crew during its "Black Monday" purge in November, will return to the team this season. The Crew, which indicated in November that it might not cut ties with the French midfielder, announced it signed Griffit to a new contract yesterday. The Crew liked what it saw of Griffit last season but balked at paying him his option-year salary this season and declined his contract option. Major League Soccer keeps contract terms confidential, but his option salary was expected to be considerably more than the near-minimum salary he made last season. Griffit, 26, signed with the Crew last May and scored a goal in his MLS debut July 14. He played in two more MLS games, five Champions League games and one U.S. Open Cup game. MORE: http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/sports/stories/2011/01/20/crew-re-signs-midfielder-it-cut-in-november.html?sid=101
February 1, 201114 yr More roster news for the Crew. First a Stern John story from Bob Hunter's weekly "Rumblings" column in the Dispatch. Then a Dispatch article about the team signing Jeff Cunningham, former Crew striker from 1998 to 2004, to the 2011 roster. Rumblings Friday, January 28, 2011 02:52 AM By Bob Hunter, The Columbus Dispatch After Stern John had knee surgery last June, the former Crew star said he would love to return to Columbus - a possibility that intrigued coach Robert Warzycha, a former teammate. That seems unlikely at this point; John hasn't even contacted the team, though Warzycha said he might try to contact him soon. A year ago, John played 23 games in the English first division - 16 for Crystal Palace and seven on loan to Ipswich Town. He scored three goals, a far cry from the 26 he scored for Columbus in 1998. John may not be ready to play, and if he is, he has a couple of strikes against him: If the Crew signs 34-year-old Jeff Cunningham, it will have five forwards, close to the maximum it wants to carry. Plus, John is 34. A third possible strike? He probably wouldn't come cheap. MORE: http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/sports/stories/2011/01/28/rumblings-1-28-art-gf3beb00-1.html?sid=101 Crew notebook: Striker signs multiyear contract Cunningham one goal short of MLS scoring record Saturday, January 29, 2011 By Shawn Mitchell, The Columbus Dispatch Jeff Cunningham will likely become the all-time leading scorer in Major League Soccer while wearing a Crew uniform. Cunningham, 34, signed a contract with the Crew and will play a 14th season in MLS for the team with which he began his career. Cunningham has 132 career goals, one fewer than MLS leader Jaime Moreno. D.C. United declined Moreno's contract option, and the Bolivian might play a final season abroad. Cunningham scored 62 regular-season goals with the Crew from 1998 to 2004 and is tied with Brian McBride for the club record. The Jamaican-born striker scored his 100th career goal in Crew Stadium during his first appearance for FC Dallas, one of four MLS teams he played for after Columbus traded him to Colorado for a first-round draft pick in 2004. He scored 33 goals in the past three seasons for Dallas, including a league-high 17 in 2009. Dallas declined his option at the end of last season. The Crew selected Cunningham in a December re-entry draft and reached an agreement with him yesterday after a lengthy negotiation. The contract is a multiyear deal with club options. Further details were not disclosed. Cunningham said he wants to play multiple seasons before he retires. MORE: http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/sports/stories/2011/01/29/striker-signs-multiyear-contract.html?sid=101
February 15, 201114 yr Couple of articles about the upcoming 2011 schedule for the Crew: Columbus Underground: The Sports Page: Crew Announce 2011 Schedule Columbus Dispatch: MLS schedule: Stars don't line up for Crew on TV
February 21, 201114 yr New faces, formation on tap for Crew Sunday, February 20, 2011 By Shawn Mitchell, THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH The field in Crew Stadium is more olive drab than green, but there are crisp, white lines adorning the winter-weary grass. Late February is soccer season, at least according to the calendar of the CONCACAF Champions League. The Crew will kick off its 16th season with a CCL quarterfinal opener against visiting Real Salt Lake on Tuesday, almost a full month before the Major League Soccer season begins and just in time for a cold snap that could put game-time temperatures into the lower 20s. The Crew, fresh off a nine-player offseason roster purge, has spent most of the past month preparing with practices and exhibition games in Arizona. The talent of a retooled roster, augmented by 10 signings in the past three days, might be less of an issue than its fitness and familiarity. MORE: http://www.crewxtra.com/live/content/sports/stories/2011/02/20/new-faces-formation-on-tap-for-crew.html?sid=101
February 21, 201114 yr Like the above article said, the new-look Crew will debut in a CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinal match tomorrow. The match is a home-and-away series with Real Salt Lake. Tomorrow's 8:00PM match being the Crew's home part at Crew Stadium and next Tuesday, March 1, being the Crew's away part at RSL. Tomorrow's game will be broadcast on the Fox Soccer Channel, as will the March 1st game. Familiar names and fan favorites like Guillermo Barros Schelotto, Frankie Hejduk, Gino Padula, Duncan Oughton, Jason Garey, and Steven Lenhart will be missing - let go in the 2010 post-season roster shake-up. Additionally, many other familiar names will likely be unavailable. Team MVP Eddie Gaven (ankle), top defensive midfielders Danny O'Rourke (knee surgery) and Kevin Burns (ribs), starting left back Shaun Francis (hamstring) and attacking midfielder Dilaver Duka (abdomen) are injured. Also, neither of the Crew's top two goalkeepers is ready to start. Starter William Hesmer has not yet recovered from the shoulder fracture he suffered in the final regular season game of 2010 - and backup Andy Gruenebaum is out because of a hip injury. The Crew signed former Ohio State and FC Dallas keeper Ray Burse Jr., who will start tomorrow's game. More about the current roster and an update on Hesmer injury from the Dispatch's Crew Blog.
February 22, 201114 yr The weather could be the saving grace in today's game, hopefully it will slow down Salt Lake's possesion. The Crew are putting out a pick up team at this point as they have almost no experience playing together. It will either be close 1-0 type game or the Crew will get rolled. I can't see any other outcome.
February 23, 201114 yr It was effing cold, especially since there was a layer of snow and ice under foot in the stands. They would have to make some serious changes (or a new stadium) if they MLS ever went to the international schedule. It was a good half of soccer, followed by clear signals that this was preseason. These teams do not like each other as evidenced by the number of cards shown.
March 2, 201114 yr The Crew play the second game of their home-and-away Champions League quarterfinal at Colorado tonight. Because of the Champions League tiebreaker rules, the Crew holds an advantage going into the game after the 0-0 result in Columbus. CONCACAF uses the number of "away goals" as its tiebreaker. If the Crew scores at least one goal tonight and the game ends in a tie, the Crew will advance because it will have scored more "away" goals than Real Salt Lake (0). If the teams play to another scoreless draw in Colorado then a 30-minute overtime would be played. If the game is still tied after overtime, then the series would be decided by penalty kicks. Here is a review of last week's chilly game from Columbus Underground: The Sports Page: CBJ and The Crew Reviews Here is a preview of tonight's game at a slightly warmer Colorado from the Dispatch: Crew returns for seconds - revamped team hopes to build on strong debut
March 2, 201114 yr Looks like Real Salt Lake played alot better on their warmer turf (and higher altitude) in Utah. Probably for the best that RSL advanced into the Champions League semifinals instead the Crew. RSL has last year's playoff team basically intact. Whereas the Crew is an injured team that's in rebuilding mode. This way RSL will be a better MLS rep in the semis. And the Crew will get some much needed practice time to prep for their March 19 MLS opener. Here's a recap of last night's 4-1 game from the Dispatch: Patchwork Crew's bad first half is knockout
March 11, 201114 yr THE GOOD NEWS: According to today's Columbus Dispatch, goalkeeper William Hesmer will be able to start the MLS season at D.C. United on March 19. THE BAD NEWS: According to Sports Illustrated Magazine's preview of the 2011 MLS season, the Columbus Crew is projected to finish 8th place in this year's nine-team Eastern Conference.
March 15, 201114 yr THE GOOD NEWS: According to today's Columbus Dispatch, goalkeeper William Hesmer will be able to start the MLS season at D.C. United on March 19. THE BAD NEWS: According to Sports Illustrated Magazine's preview of the 2011 MLS season, the Columbus Crew is projected to finish 8th place in this year's nine-team Eastern Conference. The entire MLS East Conference is extremely weak (much like the NBA East had been for years before Stars decided to start playing pickup with each other). I could see the Crew finishing that low, but I could also see them getting back into the playoffs as a 4 seed. It is really going to depend how quickly the younger players gel, and if we can get some goals.
March 22, 201114 yr THE BAD NEWS: The Crew lost their season opener at D.C. 3-1. THE GOOD NEWS: Plenty of room for improvement for the Crew's home opener this Saturday against N.Y. THE REAL GOOD NEWS (Non-Crew): U.S. national team forward Charlie Davies played his first MLS game for D.C. and scored two goals. Davies was expected to start for the U.S. in the 2010 World Cup. But a 2009 near-fatal auto accident derailed those hopes. The now 24-year-old Davies looked completely healed and returned to pre-accident form in Saturday's game. Bad news for the Crew, but very good news for American soccer.
March 28, 201114 yr THE GOOD NEWS: A tie is better than a loss. THE BAD NEWS: The 0-0 tie came at home and against a N.Y. Red Bulls team whose line-up was depleted by injuries and international call-ups. The Red Bulls set an MLS record for making six changes to its line-up from its Game 1 win to its Game 2 match against the Crew. THE FUNNY NEWS: The Nordecke began chanting "Guillermo" in the second half. The Crew will have another home match Friday night against FC Dallas. The game will be nationally televised on the Fox Soccer Channel.
April 4, 201114 yr THE GOOD NEWS: The Crew get their first win of the season, a 2-0 win over FC Dallas. THE BAD NEWS: Dallas was down one man after a red card at the 33th minute. But a win's still a win, right? The Dallas red card, which was an accumulation of two yellow cards for hard fouls, was deserved. And the Crew was looking good prior to the red card. Ekpo earned a penalty kick early in the second period, which was kicked in by Mendoza. Eddie Gaven finished a superb game with a goal in the 90th minute. It was a solid all-around game for the Crew. And no one chanted "Guillermo". The Crew travel to L.A. for a game against Chivas on Saturday.
April 12, 201114 yr THE GOOD NEWS: A tie on the road at Chivas is better than a loss. THE BAD NEWS: It was 0-0 tie. And with a better offense a win was easily within reach. The Crew return home Saturday to face Kansas City. The Crew are 1-1-2.
April 18, 201114 yr The Crew had another blustery April home game and defeated Kansas City 1-0. After giving up 3 goals in their MLS opener at DC, the Crew's defense has shutout NY, Dallas, Chivas and KC in four straight games. The off-and-on rain and the constantly high wind kept the offense to a minimum Saturday night. KC had the wind in the first half and managed two shots on goal. Without the wind, they got zero SOG in the second half. The Crew benched disappointing designated player Mendoza and started the combination of Duka, Burns, Ekpo, Rogers, Gaven, Renteria to try to jump start their offense. And with the second half wind advantage, they showed some life. Rogers scored in the 53rd minute off a Burns pass that was headed on by Duka. The Crew nearly went up 2-0 in the 68th minute, but a Gaven shot into what looked like a wide open net was foiled by a spectacular save by the KC goalie. After that KC got a player red carded from the game and the Crew ran out the clock for the win. Columbus is now 2-1-2 and near the top of the Eastern Conference. The Crew goes to Toronto next Saturday.
April 25, 201114 yr Its easy to see why Toronto FC fans hate Columbus. Going into Saturday's game Toronto was winless in its 11 total games with the Crew. And sometimes Toronto's been denied a win in unusual ways. Remember last year's 2-2 tie on goalkeeper Hesmer's header? This year Toronto was denied a win in another unusual way. In the 41st minute midfielder Tony Tchani gave Toronto a 1-0 lead. Then he celebrates by running into the stands. His excessive celebration got him a yellow card. And when combined with the yellow card he received earlier, got him a red card ejection and left Toronto one man down for the rest of the match. The Crew equalized the match when Renteria scored in the 49th minute. The game ended 1-1. Although a road tie is normally considered a good result, the Crew must feel like they let Toronto off the hook by not connecting on their many scoring chances in the second half. The Crew dominated play but the final scoring touch eluded them. The Crew (2-1-3) host one of this year's two new MLS teams next Saturday when the Vancouver Whitecaps come to Columbus.
May 6, 201114 yr After a shaky start to the 2011 season, the Columbus Crew are starting to compile an impressive record. That was helped with a 2-1 win over Vancouver on Saturday night. The Crew started out with two poor efforts (0-0 tie and 4-1 loss) against RSL in the Champions League. Then they began the MLS season with a 3-1 loss at D.C. But after that the Crew has been undefeated in their next six matches (3 wins, 3 ties). The games haven't always been beautiful - but the results look good. The same could be said for last Saturday's game. Emilio Renteria looks to have recovered from early season injuries. He drew a penalty and struck the PK in the 50th minute for a 1-0 lead. Renteria added a second goal in the 59th minute for the 2-0 lead. But instead of cruising to an easy win, Vancouver's 17-year-old rookie Omar Salgado scored in the 69th minute to narrow the lead to 2-1. In the next 20 minutes the Crew stopped multiple scoring chances to preserve the win. A good win - but still not a complete 90 minute quality game. The Crew is now 3-1-3 with 12 points. Only two points behind the Eastern Conference pre-season favorite New York. Columbus will host Seattle next Saturday.
May 6, 201114 yr The Crew should be a middle of the pack team. They play good defense, but have very little ability to maintain possession. Our midfield is disappointing. However because the East right now is really weak they can sneak up into the top half of the standing. They will likely make it back into the playoffs but quickly bounced.
May 7, 201114 yr I think Duka is maturing, which is good. It is time to move Ekpo along to some other team. I think Rusmir will only get better as he learns the language and the MLS game. Mendoza is a waste of money. The return of O'Rourke and Shaun Francis can only help going forward.
May 9, 201114 yr Another "could've been worse, could've been better" game Saturday night for the Crew against Seattle. The game ended in a 1-1 draw. It could've been worse because . . . Seattle scored an early goal in the 7th minute. With the heavy rain and poor playing conditions they might have been able to retreat into a defensive shell and preserve a 1-0 road win. It could've been better because . . . Columbus was awarded a PK in the 67th minute when Marshall was fouled on a corner kick. Renteria knocked in the PK for the tying goal. After that the Crew had numerous scoring chances, including one at the end of stoppage time. The Crew had advantages in shots, shots-on-goal and corner kicks, but once again lacked the final scoring touch. The Crew is now 3-1-4. Good enough for a second-place tie in the Eastern Confernce. Still two points behind New York. Columbus will travel to San Jose (1-4-2) next Saturday.
May 17, 201114 yr The Crew's seven-game unbeaten streak came to the crashing end with a 3-0 loss at San Jose on Saturday. A scoreless match was broken open in the second half by San Jose with three goals between the 50th and 62nd minutes. It won't any easier for the Crew next Saturday as they finish off their west coast road trip at Portland. Although one of the MLS' two expansion teams, Portland's Jeld-Wen Field had become one of the best home venues in the league. Portland is 4-0 in MLS games at Jeld-Wen.
May 23, 201114 yr Columbus fell 1-0 at Portland on Saturday. Former Crew member Eric Brunner drafted by the Timbers in the expansion draft headed in the winning goal in the first minute of the second half. Not a terrible game by the Crew - but not enough to overcome the new most intimidating venue in the MLS. The Portland Timbers are now 5-0 at home. It's becoming quite the scene. The Dispatch posted a video of the game here. And the Timbers Army also featured my favorite new sign at the game: The loss at Portland and the previous loss at San Jose has turned the Crew's previous seven-game unbeaten streak into a two-game losing streak. The Crew need some home cooking with a win against Chivas next Saturday at Crew Stadium.
June 2, 201114 yr Lots of goals for the Crew last Saturday. Fewer points in standings. The 3-3 draw against Chivas was both hopeful and frustrating. Hopeful for the amount of offense from the offensively challenged Crew. Hopeful because the goals came from two players the Crew need much better play from - Mendoza scored the first two goals; Ekpo assisted on one of those goals and scored their third goal. Frustrating because of the defensive lapses. Frustrating because the Crew had even more scoring chances - two shots were cleared by Chivas defenders on the goal line. And frustrating because Chivas was one-man down for the final 20 minutes and the Crew couldn't get a final goal for the win. The draw drops the Crew (3-3-5) to the middle of the pack in the Eastern Conference. They'll travel to Red Bull Arena to face New York (4-2-6) next Saturday.
June 5, 201114 yr I am now a converted Columbus Crew/MLS fan. The past few years whenever someone brought up soccer, all I'd say is "I hate soccer." And to be honest, I did. However, my experience was based on playing it as a kid, being bored watching my younger sibling's games and trying to watch the World Cup. I hated (and still kind of do) when the World Cup rolled around, because all of the sudden it seemed like everyone around me pretended to be the biggest soccer fan in Cincinnati. Things came to a head when I tried watching with a friend at a bar and every time I called it "soccer" he'd correct me and say: "No, it's football!" (he even threw in a faux accent and would say it like "fuutbawl") Some co-workers finally convinced me to join them on a trip to Columbus to see The Crew though. I love Columbus and even though I wasn't a soccer fan, I always thought they should've put an MLS team in Cincinnati at Paul Brown Stadium (which is able to accommodate a regulation soccer field). The experience was great. I loved the stadium, the atmosphere and seeing the game up close gave me a new-found respect for it. Watching it on TV never gave me that appreciation. Despite the weather and low attendance, I thought the crowd was great. The Hudson Street Hooligans are what I love seeing at games, AWESOME fan support. I had a blast and am now a Columbus Crew fan. Baseball will always be the most interesting thing in the world to me, but I have a new found appreciation for the MLS and especially The Crew. Just thought I'd share my story and wanted to say I've enjoyed reading this thread as a way to keep up with The Crew while working. I loved the video posted from Portland, that seems like a wild time. Edit: My only complaints about the game (and maybe someone can explain this better to me than my friends did): - Why does the referee just get to arbitrarily decide how much time to add on later? Couldn't someone just fake an injury and drag it out to waste time? - What is with everyone wearing scarves? It's summer. It's hot. Why the scarves?
June 5, 201114 yr Q1: It isn't necessarily arbitrary, it is just that referee keeps the time on the field and it isn't reflected on the game clock in the stadium (the MLS tried a more 'American' style clock at one point but abandoned it quickly). Theoretically, the ref is supposed to take into account who real an injury might be and generally once the clock moves past 45 there isn't supposed to be any added time. Q2: It is a European thing. It is like wearing a baseball cap w/ your team name on it. It is a little douchey. Welcome to Massive Nation! Glad you enjoyed the Crew game.
June 6, 201114 yr ^^ re: Time Keeping - time is kept on the field by the Ref, so technically he is the only one that knows how much time is left in the game. This is also true for Football (American, in case your friend is reading and got confused). It is just easier for the time keepers to keep track of the clock as there are much more defined stoppages of play. This is also why they are able to "reset the game clock". Soccer doesn't have the same stoppage in the course of play, even Goal/Corner Kicks are happening as the clock is ticking. The only stoppage should occur for injury or a goal. And to try and reset the game clock during those could be problematic. And welcome to the the Worlds Sport!! Be sure to catch some of the Gold Cup games this summer, the quality of soccer should be better than the MLS.
June 7, 201114 yr I am now a converted Columbus Crew/MLS fan. Welcome! Columbus has an interesting history with Major League Soccer. The Crew was one of MLS' original ten teams in 1996. Then in 1999, Crew Stadium was the first stadium built specifically for soccer in MLS. Since the 2008 Championship Season, the Nordecke supporters section been a model for other supporters sections in the league. MLS has been growing slowly but steadily since it started. Its up to 18 teams with Portland and Vancouver added this year. Most teams now have either built or renovated their own soccer-specific stadiums. Some, like the $200 million New York Red Bull Arena, virtual smaller-scale clones of european soccer palaces. And some of the newer franchises, like Seattle and Portland, have blown up the Nordecke-style cheering to the whole stadium. MLS ain't NFL size, but it has become a solid niche in the American sporting scene.
June 7, 201114 yr And speaking of New York Red Bull Arena. The Crew escaped with 1-1 draw last Saturday. New York scored early in the game's 9th minute. After some good defense by the Red Bulls and some missed scoring chances by the Crew, it looked like New York would get a 1-0 home win. The game moved into stoppage time and on the Crew's final scoring chance, two Crew rookies combined for the tying goal in the 92nd minute. Below is an MLS video link of Justin Meram passing to an on-rushing Rich Balchan for the goal. http://www.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter/2011-06-04-new-york-red-bulls-vs-columbus-crew/highlights?videoID=15476 And the look on Balchan's face is priceless in the photo from MASSIVE CITY FOOTBALL FAN CORPS: Columbus (3-3-6) has a rare two-game homestand this week. One against a strong team. The other against a weak team. On Wednesday, the Crew face Real Salt Lake (6-2-2). On Sunday, the Crew face Chicago (1-4-7).
June 10, 201114 yr Part One of this week's two game homestand started badly but ended well. Real Salt Lake scored early with a 7th minute header. Then RSL held off the Crew until a penalty in the box on the 76th minute. Mendoza converted the PK to tie the game. Gardner won the game in the 82nd minute with a booming right-footed kick. The 2-1 victory moves Columbus up to third place in the Eastern Conference. A Sunday win against Chicago could move the Crew into second place over New York or into a first place tie with Philadelphia.
June 10, 201114 yr Part One of this week's two game homestand started badly but ended well. Real Salt Lake scored early with a 7th minute header. Then RSL held off the Crew until a penalty in the box on the 76th minute. Mendoza converted the PK to tie the game. Gardner won the game in the 82nd minute with a booming right-footed kick. The 2-1 victory moves Columbus up to third place in the Eastern Conference. A Sunday win against Chicago could move the Crew into second place over New York or into a first place tie with Philadelphia. I am worried about any prospective fallout from the PK. It should have been Cunningham taking it, thereby tying him for all-time goals leader. It looked like Marshell and others were trying to tell him this too. Cunningham did say all the right things afterward and he will eventually get the overall lead, but drama like this can unravel a team. Also, the Crew really needs to stop giving up these early goals. That's 3 in their last 3 games inside 30 min. Playing from behind will eventually catch up to them. Luckily Chicago is pretty terrible, and just changed their coach. Should be an easy win, but with this team nothing seems guaranteed.
June 10, 201114 yr I am worried about any prospective fallout from the PK. It should have been Cunningham taking it, thereby tying him for all-time goals leader. It looked like Marshell and others were trying to tell him this too. Cunningham did say all the right things afterward and he will eventually get the overall lead, but drama like this can unravel a team. Yeah, that PK was "interesting". Mendoza has been a mess this season. And this was just the latest incident with him. First, poor play. Then, good but petualant play. Now, open defiance against the coach, the team and the fans. Crew management has been very supportive of him up to now. But that may be changing (see the Brian Bliss quote from the article below). What makes all of this worse is that Mendoza was given the team's DP money over Schelotto. So in the fan's eye, signing Mendoza forced out Schelotto. And replacing a fan favorite with an a-hole is never good! Soccer: Mendoza's latest actions test Crew Friday, June 10, 2011 By Shawn Mitchell, The Columbus Dispatch Crew designated player Andres Mendoza suffered a broken wrist on Wednesday during the Crew's 2-1 victory over Real Salt Lake. It is unclear whether the forward will continue to play with the injury, but a broken bone might be the least of Mendoza's worries. "With the coach, his teammates and the fan base, there seems to be an incident around every corner (Mendoza) turns," Crew technical director Brian Bliss said. "How much can you put up with for the quality he brings? Somewhere there is a tipping point. I'm not sure where it is, but I'm sure we're getting close." Mendoza converted a penalty kick for the Crew's first goal after ignoring pleas from the coaching staff and his teammates to allow Jeff Cunningham - one goal shy of tying the Major League Soccer scoring record - to make the attempt. READ MORE: http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/sports/stories/2011/06/10/mendozas-latest-actions-test-crew.html?sid=101
June 14, 201114 yr Sunday's match against the Chicago Fire had lots of positive vibes going into it for the Crew. The Crew had just beaten RSL, one of class teams in MLS, on Wednesday. The weather was absolutely perfect. A decent size crowd was on hand. Even Mendoza apologized for his PK incident (a PR issued written apology - but still). And the Crew was facing one of the bottom feeders in the East. A Chicago team with only one win in 13 games. A Chicago team fresh off a 0-0 match against equally hapless KC on Thursday. So Crew fans had good reason to feel positive going into the game. And then the game started... Both teams seemed low on energy in the first half, but the Crew looked especially punchless. With many offensive players like Renteria, Duka and Rodgers unavailable, they started Cunningham and Mendoza (who was wearing an enormous padded cast that went from wrist to forearm) as their attacking forwards. But there was very little attack in the Crew's offense. And the defense looked shaky as well. The second half seemed to be mostly played in the Crew's defensive end of the field as the Fire made some offensive subs and started to get numerous scoring chances. The Crew countered with defensive subs and looked content to play for the draw. But the Fire eventually connected on one of their scoring chances at the beginning of the 91th minute to win 1-0. Chicago deserved the win and the Crew well deserved the loss. Not only did the Crew put up a zero on the scoreboard - they got zero shots-on-goal and earned zero corner kicks! The Crew (4-4-6) are now tied for third-place in the East. Three of their next four games are on the road - starting next Saturday at Houston.
June 14, 201114 yr That was one of the most painful games in years to sit through and the Nordecke was very weak.
June 20, 201113 yr What a difference a week makes! The Crew travels to Houston and goes from offensively inept to offensively potent with a 2-0 road win. The two goals were scored by (You Know Who) and (Who?). You Know You is Andres Mendoza, who seemed unhampered by the gigantic cast on his left arm when he scored in the 41st minute. Who? is Bernardo Anor, who started his first ever MLS game. Anor scored in the 77th minute on a beautiful pass from second half sub Justin Meram. Anor also assisted on Mendoza's goal. The win moves the Crew two points behind first place New York and one point behind second place Philadelphia in the Eastern Conference. The Crew (5-4-6) return home to face Colorado (5-4-7) on Sunday.
June 27, 201113 yr Weird Sunday night at Crew Stadium: A team that billed itself as the Columbus Crew played a team that billed itself as the defending MLS Champion Colorado Rapids. Could that have been the formerly offensively inept Crew that won 4-1? Could that have been the formerly ineffective Andres Mendoza that scored two goals? Could that have been the defending MLS champs whose defense badly turned the ball over allowing two easy Crew goals in the first half? And what was over half of the Nordecke doing on the upper deck of the stadium during the second half? Well, at least that can be answered with this report from The Masive Report website: The Nordecke Takes a Vacation From The Corner The two consecutive wins moves Columbus into a tie for 2nd place in the East with New York - and only two points behind 1st place Philadelphia. The Crew (6-4-6) travel to Dallas (9-4-4) next Saturday.
July 5, 201113 yr FC Dallas had a solid 2-0 win over the Crew Saturday night in Pizza Hut Park. Dallas outshot the Crew 13-5 in the first half and 12-4 in the second half. Only a strong performance by goalkeeper William Hesmer kept the Crew in the game. But Dallas eventually broke through with two goals at the 58th and 76th minutes in the second half. Columbus is still third in the East. Two points behind New York and three points behind Philadelphia. The Crew (6-5-6) have a quick turnaround and play their next match at Vancouver (2-8-8) on Wednesday.
July 7, 201113 yr Those who stayed up late last night for the Crew's match at Vancouver were eventually rewarded with a 1-0 victory. But it took some time. Vancouver had the better of the play in the first half and for part of the second half - until they went down to 10 men with a red card in the 78th minute. Up to that point the Whitecaps had peppered goaltender Will Hesmer with quality shots on goal. In the 73rd minute, Hesmer even stopped a Vancouver PK to preserve a 0-0 score. But the 78th minute red card and a late game substitution of Jeff Cunningham turned the game Columbus' way. In the 88th minute a diving save of a Rogers shot forced a corner kick. Columbus retained prosession until a ball was sent into the box that Cunningham headed in for a goal in the 90th minute. Not only did that goal give Columbus the win, but it was Cunnigham's 133rd career goal - tying the all-time Major League Soccer scoring record. Below are links to the game highlights from MLS and an article from The Dispatch: VANCOUVER VS. COLUMBUS - 7/6/11 GAME HIGHLIGHTS Crew 1, Whitecaps 0: Cunningham ties record for career goals in MLS The win moves the Crew into a second place tie with Philadelphia in the East with 27 points. Both Columbus and Philadelphia are one point behind first place New York. Columbus (7-5-6) will be off until July 16, when they host San Jose (5-6-6) at Crew Stadium.
July 16, 201113 yr The Crew made a big trade yesterday that sent defender Andy Iro and midfielder Leandre Griffit to Toronto FC for midfielder Tony Tchani. According to the Dispatch article linked below, Tchani is viewed by the Crew as major building block for a revamped midfield. He's young (22), big (6'-4") and technically skilled (he had an impressive for Toronto against the Crew back in April). Iro had lost his starting job to Julius James this year. Griffit rarely played and was on the injured reserve. So the Crew didn't give up much for Tchani. If Tchani plays the way they think he will, this could be a great trade for the team. Crew lands Toronto FC midfielder: Tchani is acquired for Iro, Griffit; deal also clears cap space
July 18, 201113 yr The Crew played to a 0-0 draw against San Jose on Saturday night. But it wasn't a dull draw. Both teams had plenty of scoring chances. Ultimately the two goalkeepers were too good this night. Crew keeper Will Hesmer had five saves - some of them of the acrobatic variety. Quakes keeper Jon Busch six saves - including two breakaway attempts by Rogers and Mendoza. Below are links to the game highlights from MLS and an article from The Dispatch: SAN JOSE VS. COLUMBUS - 7/16/11 GAME HIGHLIGHTS A night for keepers - Crew's Hesmer, Earthquakes' Busch record shutouts; McBride honored at halftime At halftime, former Crew star Brian McBride was inducted into the team's new Circle of Honor. Guillermo Barros Schelotto attended and mingled with fans. Even Andy Iro, wearing his own jersey, paid a goodbye visit to the Nordecke after being traded on Friday to Toronto. So, not a bad Saturday night - even with the double goose egg finish. The draw moved Columbus into a first place tie in the East (for a few hours). Then a New York draw put them one point ahead and a Philadelphia win put them three points ahead of the Crew. Columbus (7-5-7) travels west for a Wednesday match against the MLS-best LA Galaxy (10-2-9).
July 21, 201113 yr No reason to stay up late for the Crew's match last night at LA. LA Galaxy win 1-0 with a goal in the 70th minute. "Highlights" included the following: Crew DP Mendoza leaving the game in the 2nd minute with a pulled hammie; David Beckham taking 14 corner kicks; Beckham receiving a yellow card for time wasting in the 92nd minute. The Crew (7-6-7) return to Columbus to host Portland (6-9-3) on Saturday.
July 24, 201113 yr On a hot and humid Saturday night the Crew hosted the Portland Timbers. The Crew went into the match undermanned. Added to the litany of player injuries for this game was the Crew's leading scorer Andres Mendoza and Crew starting goalkeeper William Hesmer. Mendoza went down with left hamstring injury in their previous game at LA. Hesmer suffered a left quadriceps strain in practice that he said was a symptom of a nagging knee injury. Backup keeper Andy Gruenebaum would be making his first regular-season MLS start for the Crew since Aug. 30, 2009. The heat and mediocre play made the first half unmemorable. The Crew gained the advantage in the second half, as Portland looked content to play for a road draw. In the 60th minute, Chad Marshall headed a corner kick that got past the Portland keeper and appeared to cross the goal line. But a Portland defender made a goal saving clearance kick and it was ruled a no-goal. Emilio Renteria came on in the 66th minute, his first appearance after a ten-game absence - which was good to see. The Crew eventually scored on a wild goalmouth scramble in the 79th minute. In a play that saw the ball ping-pong between multiple Crew players and Timber defenders, Eddie Gaven acrobatically kicked the ball toward the net and saw it bounce off a Portland defender's chest into goal. And that was all the Crew needed for the 1-0 victory. PORTLAND VS. COLUMBUS - 7/23/11 GAME HIGHLIGHTS Crew 1, Timbers 0: Gaven's goal gives Crew tie for lead in East The win vaulted the Crew (8-6-7) over New York and into a first place tie with Philadelphia in the Eastern Conference. Philadelphia (8-4-7) does have two less losses and two more games-in-hand then the Crew, but what-the-heck its still first place! Kind of amazing - considering all the roster changes, injuries and inconsistent play for the Crew this season. After the Crew host a "friendly" on Tuesday against Newcastle United of the English Premier League, they travel to Real Salt Lake (9-3-6) on Saturday.
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