After last night's lightning strike, the best thing about today's rescheduled game was the Nordecke fans painting special signs supporting off-duty Columbus fire lieutenant Stu Tudor before the game . . .

 

 

. . . and the Crew players signing the largest "Get Well Stu" sign after the game was over:

 

 

Whether it was the hot and muggy conditions or the thoughts of what happened last night - see http://www.thecrew.com/news/2014/06/crew-plays-heavy-hearts-following-injury-lt-stu-tudor - today's rescheduled game seemed lackluster and ended in a 0-0 draw.  Game recap at http://www.thecrew.com/news/2014/06/mls-match-recap-columbus-crew-0-fc-dallas-0

Another game, another draw for the Crew.  But at least it wasn't another 0-0.  This time it was a 1-1 draw at Colorado.  Which isn't bad, considering the high altitude, that Colorado is playing well, and that the crew have lost every road match there since 2009.

 

Actually, the Crew probably played well enough for a road win - outshooting the Rapids by 19 to 9 and shots-on-goal by 8 to 2.  The Crew's first "goal" in the 58th minute was disallowed due to an offside call.  Colorado made the Crew pay by taking the lead only one minute later. --- After that, the Crew generated some great scoring chances that were denied by the Colorado keeper.  Ironically, the tying goal for the Crew came in the 76th minute on a bizarre back-pass by a Colorado midfielder that was intercepted by Jairo Arrieta.  Arrieta found an open Ethan Finlay whose shot beat the keeper for the equalizer. --- So ultimately, "could-have-been-better/could-have-been-worse" --- Game stats and video highlights at http://www.thecrew.com/match/colorado-rapids-vs-columbus-crew-july-4-2014

 

Higuain didn't travel with the team to Colorado.  Despite playing as a sub in previous Friday's Dallas game, the team sat him down due to his hamstring injury.  Don't know if this was a precaution or if his injury got worse.  Hopefully it's just a precaution to rest him for the upcoming busy schedule of next Saturday (7/12) at NY Red Bulls, then back home to following Wednesday (7/16) against KC, than again Saturday (7/19) against Montreal.

Costa Rica's amazing run in the World Cup is over.  Which means that two starting defenders will be returning to the Crew lineup - Giancarlo Gonzalez and Waylon Francis.  But it's the future of Gonzalez that is of particular interest.

 

Gonzalez started all of Costa Rica's World Cup games as their central defender in a five-man defensive backfield.  This "defense-first" strategy propelled Los Ticos out of the "Group of Champions" against England, Italy and Uruguay, into a Group of 16 victory over Greece, before being eliminated - via shootout - by the Netherlands in the quarterfinals. 

 

Gonzalez was a standout player on this underdog team.  Because of this, the 26-year-old defender is getting international interest.  The Guardian in London named Gonzalez as one of its emerging players from the World Cup.  The Big Lead sports blog listed Gonzalez as one of 12 players who could be “ hot summer transfers.”  Which makes the Crew’s signing of Gonzalez late in the preseason is look more and more like a coup.  Gonzalez had fallen out of favor with his Norwegian club and allowed him to sign with the Crew.  He started the first 11 games in MLS next to Michael Parkhurst in the central defense before joining Costa Rica for the World Cup in June.

 

Despite the international interest in acquiring Gonzalez, the Crew still hold his signing rights and would like to keep him on the team.  But if a big money transfer offer emerges, the Crew might be presented with "an offer they can't refuse".  So we'll see if such an offer comes as the European leagues start to gear up for their fall seasons.

 

http://www.thecrew.com/brazil/news/2014/07/giancarlo-gonzalez-performing-among-worlds-elite-2014-fifa-world-cup

 

http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2014/07/02/offers-world-cup-standout-giancarlo-gonzalez-columbus-crew-will-do-whats-bes

 

http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/sports/2014/07/04/great-play-could-pay.html

Have there been any hints as to the rebranding efforts? Like what a possible new logo could look like? More traditional European logo (not that the current one is too far with the shield) would be cool.

 

I would personally like one of two things:

 

1) A name change to Columbus Crew Football Club. I would love for MLS to ween themselves off of the use of the word soccer. Not because I'm a purist, but because I think it adds more legitimacy to the league. The more teams that identify as football instead of soccer I think the better. Perhaps even changing the league name in a decade or two to something like Association Football of America.

 

2) A slight slant more towards Ohio in the logo. Perhaps using the shape of Ohio as the background/shield. I've never liked the Crew logo. I think the name is good, but the logo just seems a little too... realistic? I don't know.

I've heard next to nothing about the rebranding efforts.  Outside of Precourt's press conference after he bought the team last year (where he brought up the subject) and last month's Dispatch article (where it was mentioned again), the rebranding has been completely under the radar.

 

FWIW, I'm okay with the current name and logo.  But I agree that after almost 20 years, they both could be freshened up.  I like both of those ideas.  Something like that could help the brand and bring them more in line with the current MLS.

San Jose just updated their logo:

 

Before: After:

 

Huge improvement. Though I wish they would have removed the soccer ball from their logo entirely. The Crew's logo isn't awful. Certainly not like the old Earthquakes logo, but freshening it up with a timeless design would be ideal. Something that 20, 40, 60 years from now would still look good. It's certainly not an easy task, but I think the way to do it is to look at the European leagues logos. That's what MLS teams should try to emulate in their designs.

^ Something along those lines would be fine with me too.  I haven't really thought about the Crew's name or logo for a while, but now I'm starting to get excited for a rebrand. 

 

When the Columbus joined MLS in 1996 as a founding member, most teams had "American-style" names:  Columbus Crew, Chicago Fire, New England Revolution, Colorado Rapids, Kansas City Wizards, Dallas Burn etc.  Only D.C. United stood out with a "European-style" or "international-style" name at the time.  But since then most new teams have used more international football names and logos.  Columbus, Chicago, New England and Colorado kept their american-style names.  But Kansas City went from Wizards to Sporting K.C. and the Dallas Burn changed to FC Dallas.

^ Something along those lines would be fine with me too.  I haven't really thought about the Crew's name or logo for a while, but now I'm starting to get excited for a rebrand. 

 

When the Columbus joined MLS in 1996 as a founding member, most teams had "American-style" names:  Columbus Crew, Chicago Fire, New England Revolution, Colorado Rapids, Kansas City Wizards, Dallas Burn etc.  Only D.C. United stood out with a "European-style" or "international-style" name at the time.  But since then most new teams have used more international football names and logos.  Columbus, Chicago, New England and Colorado kept their american-style names.  But Kansas City went from Wizards to Sporting K.C. and the Dallas Burn changed to FC Dallas.

I too am excited for a rebrand. While not horrible, there is something about the Crew logo that just makes it too "not legitimate" in my opinion.  Just a small point of clarification, Chicago was not a founding member of the MLS, they were an expansion and the Wizards started as the Wiz.  That being said, I thought the Fire had the best shield/crest and name of the league when they joined. Now, I would argue the best names and crests are the Galaxy, Timbers, and Sounders, uniquely American.

I disagree with ryanlammi in that I think we should the word football out of MLS and FC out of clubs names.  The MLS is the U.S.'s league and should not try to be Europe.  We call it soccer here, and the league itself calls it soccer.  Let's be honest, the NFL and NCAA are not changing football to anything else, nor should they.  I would be in favor of clubs using AC (athletic club) or SC (sporting club), but not FC.  Which brings me to another point, Salt Lake using Real in their name. Really, what is royal about the club or the city of Salt Lake?  I could maybe see the argument of Charlotte or Cincinnati using Real as they have the nickname of Queen City, but in the end, just call it Royal.

^ Something along those lines would be fine with me too.  I haven't really thought about the Crew's name or logo for a while, but now I'm starting to get excited for a rebrand. 

 

When the Columbus joined MLS in 1996 as a founding member, most teams had "American-style" names:  Columbus Crew, Chicago Fire, New England Revolution, Colorado Rapids, Kansas City Wizards, Dallas Burn etc.  Only D.C. United stood out with a "European-style" or "international-style" name at the time.  But since then most new teams have used more international football names and logos.  Columbus, Chicago, New England and Colorado kept their american-style names.  But Kansas City went from Wizards to Sporting K.C. and the Dallas Burn changed to FC Dallas.

I too am excited for a rebrand. While not horrible, there is something about the Crew logo that just makes it too "not legitimate" in my opinion.  Just a small point of clarification, Chicago was not a founding member of the MLS, they were an expansion and the Wizards started as the Wiz.  That being said, I thought the Fire had the best shield/crest and name of the league when they joined. Now, I would argue the best names and crests are the Galaxy, Timbers, and Sounders, uniquely American.

I disagree with ryanlammi in that I think we should the word football out of MLS and FC out of clubs names.  The MLS is the U.S.'s league and should not try to be Europe.  We call it soccer here, and the league itself calls it soccer.  Let's be honest, the NFL and NCAA are not changing football to anything else, nor should they.  I would be in favor of clubs using AC (athletic club) or SC (sporting club), but not FC.  Which brings me to another point, Salt Lake using Real in their name. Really, what is royal about the club or the city of Salt Lake?  I could maybe see the argument of Charlotte or Cincinnati using Real as they have the nickname of Queen City, but in the end, just call it Royal.

 

I like the name "Real Salt Lake" to me it's okay. There's no Kings per say in Los Angeles or Sacramento but sounds okay for a sports nickname. And "real" is used in California enough that one can argue it's Americanized.

 

In general I like the change up of having the nickname in front of the city. I always rooted for Dynamo Kiev - loved the name!  What sounds better Houston Dynamo or Dynamo Houston? I like the latter.

^^ I like most of the logos in the league today. I especially like Seattle, DC, LA, NYCFC, Philadelphia, and Vancouver. They aren't identical to European teams, but they lean much closer to that than the current Crew logo does.

 

I definitely have no issue with the name Columbus Crew, though. I like that it isn't named after an animal like almost every NFL team is. DC United probably has the best name.  And I agree with you about Salt Lake. I've always hated that name.

^Good point, the name doesn't have to reflect the local history, geography, etc. for it to work.  However, I personally like the names of clubs that do.  Like the Green Bay Packers, 49ers, Knickerbockers and I think the local fan base has a tendancy to support a team like that even through the difficult years because there is more of a "connection". Perhaps that is just my rationalization, but I guess it all boils down to whether or not the name soccer or football needs to be in your name.  People know what sport the Detroit Lions play, they dont have to have football in their title.  And I feel the same way about soccer clubs and their names.  In the end, I just want a successful team with an attractive logo/crest.

^Good point, the name doesn't have to reflect the local history, geography, etc. for it to work.  However, I personally like the names of clubs that do.  Like the Green Bay Packers, 49ers, Knickerbockers and I think the local fan base has a tendancy to support a team like that even through the difficult years because there is more of a "connection". Perhaps that is just my rationalization, but I guess it all boils down to whether or not the name soccer or football needs to be in your name.  People know what sport the Detroit Lions play, they dont have to have football in their title.  And I feel the same way about soccer clubs and their names.  In the end, I just want a successful team with an attractive logo/crest.

 

Agree I like AC and SC, especially since lets face it, it's hard to pick a nickname nowadays that's cool or original. That was proven with the horrid announcement of the Kansas City Wiz. (Let's go Wiz!)

 

I am digging the use of heritage names ie Sounders, Earthquakes, Whitecaps and Timbers. That still leaves room for the Rowdies, Strikers, Kicks, Roughnecks and Force to get to MLS someday :-)

The Crew and the New York Red Bulls entered saturday night's match with identical 4-5-8 records and tied for the fifth and final playoff spot in the MLS eastern conference.  Ninety minutes later the Red Bulls thumped the Crew 4-1.  The lowlights were many and the highlights few in what the head coach called "our worst performance of the year".  Match recap with video at http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2014/07/12/new-york-red-bulls-4-columbus-crew-1-mls-match-recap

 

LOWLIGHTS:  Forward striker Jairo Arrieta was lost to an apparent hamstring injury in the first half.  Team captain central defender Michael Parkhurst got subbed out in the second half and looked none too happy about it.  Anor got a red card ejection late in the second half.  And 36-year-old ageless wonder, former World Cup winner Thierry Henry, ran wild on the Crew - netting 1 goal, 3 assists, and a MLS Player-of-the-Week selection.

 

HIGHLIGHTS:  Arrieta's replacement, 6'7" forward Adam Bedell, scored his first-ever MLS goal to equalize the game at 1-1 in the 39th minute.  (Suprisingly, not from a header off a set piece, but a nifty right-footed strike during the run of play.)  And speaking of heads, superb midfielder Federico Higuain, and older brother of Argentina World Cup starter Gonzalo Higuain, decided to end the battle with his receding hairline. 

Close shave Barbasol!

Fortunately, the Crew have a quick turnaround to atone for that 4-1 loss with two more games this week: Wednesday against KC and Saturday against Montreal, both at Crew Stadium.

 

Unfortunately, they will be without Arrieta.  This leaves the Crew with only rookie Adam Bedell and USL Dayton Dutch Lions loanee Aaron Schoenfeld as the remaining strikers on the roster.  More about this at http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2014/07/14/jairo-arrieta-injured-columbus-crews-forward-options-become-even-more-limite

 

Although Bedell did score against NY and Schoenfled has been scoring in the USL, I bet the Crew wishes they still had Oduro available (who btw scored on Saturday night for Toronto).  At least the defense should be improved with Giancarlo Gonzalez and Waylon Francis returning to the lineup for their first start since World Cup duty.

... I bet the Crew wishes they still had Oduro available (who btw scored on Saturday night for Toronto).

 

Even more so, after today's shocking news about the player Toronto exchanged with Columbus for Oduro:

 

Crew, Alvaro Rey part ways

By Adam Jardy, The Columbus Dispatch

Tuesday, July 15, 2014 - 1:37 PM

 

The Crew and midfielder Alvaro Rey have mutually agreed to terminate his contract.  Today at the Crew’s training facility in Obetz, coach Gregg Berhalter said the move was made due to personal reasons on Rey’s end.  “Alvaro’s having a difficult time,” Berhalter said. “He had some personal issues that were weighing on him and in the end he expressed a deep desire to return to his home country.  It’s not an easy decision.  We thought he could’ve played a role with our organization but in the same respect, it’s about life.  It’s about him being with his family in this time period.  We allowed him to go back to his home country and meanwhile we freed up some cap space to make a move and that’s going to be different as we move forward.”

 

The 25-year-old Rey was acquired from Toronto in early June in exchange for forward/midfielder Dominic Oduro, who led the Crew with 13 goals last season but fell out of favor in Berhalter’s system.  Berhalter said the Crew had no idea about Rey’s situation when it acquired him and that it appeared on his radar “three or four days ago.”

(. . .)

After being named the Crew’s coach and sporting director following the 2013 season, Berhalter re-signed Oduro to a deal with $251,666.67 in guaranteed compensation, according to information provided by the MLS Players’ Union.  Rey’s 2014 guaranteed compensation was listed at $204,450, but he will not count against the Crew’s salary cap because the decision for the two sides to part way was mutual.  The move means the Crew has even more room under the salary cap to make at least one impact signing during the summer transfer window, which closes August 6.

 

MORE: http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/sports/2014/07/15/0715-crew-move.html

The Crew's up-and-down season rolls on with a busy week of MLS play.  They just finished up their 3-games-in-8-days stretch in a typical up-and-down fashion.  This 3-games-in-8-days stretch started badly with a 4-1 loss at NY Red Bulls then back home Wednesday (7/16) against KC.  Then home again Saturday (7/19) against Montreal.

 

---

The Wednesday match saw the Crew give up the first goal late in the first half to KC.  KC looked like the better team starting the second half too.  But then a straight red card to a KC player in 55th minute swung the advantage to the Crew.  Columbus finally cashed in on the one-man advantage in the 69th minute when a Barson to Higuain got knocked in by a KC defender.  But the Crew couldn't get the go-ahead goal. --- Then, in the 89th minute, Wil Trapp got his second yellow card of the night - and both teams went down to 10 men.  It then looked like both teams might settle for getting one point in the standings with a draw.  But in the 93rd minute, in the dying moments of stoppage, on what turned out to be a final play of the night, KC's Benny Feilhaber uncorked an amazing outside blast for the 2-1 game-winner.

 

Heartbreaking way to lose for the Crew, but that shot was amazingly placed.  A few inches lower, Crew keeper Steve Clark would've saved it - a few inches higher, the crossbar would've stopped it.  As it was, the Feilhaber shot grazed the bottom of the crossbar into the back of the net.  This shot plus the game highlights are at http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2014/07/16/columbus-crew-1-sporting-kansas-city-2-mls-match-recap

 

---

The Wednesday loss and the previous loss at NY made the Saturday match against Montreal even more critical for the Crew.  However, despite the Crew desperately needing a win, Montreal was up 1-0 at halftime.  The second half didn't seem to be going much better for the Crew until . . . ANOR!!!

 

Bernardo Anor, a midfielder who hadn't scored since March 22, found two moments of brillance.  The first was a left-footed long-range blast in the 56th minute.  The second was a right-footed long-range blast in the 75th minute.  In between, goalkeeper Steve Clark made three highlight reel saves to keep the tied.  The Crew desperately needed points to stay in the eastern playoff race - and Anor and Clark got it for them with the 2-1 victory.  Anor's two goals, Clark's saves plus the game highlights at http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2014/07/19/columbus-crew-2-montreal-impact-1-mls-match-recap

The first two losses in that 3-games-in-8-days stretch nearly knocked the Crew out of the Eastern Conference playoff race.  But that 2-1 Saturday win against put them right back in it.  In true up-and-down fashion the Crew ends this busy stretch of 3 games almost exactly where they started it.

 

Before the NY loss, the Crew and NY were tied for the fifth and final playoff spot in the East with identical 4-5-8 records and 20 points (although NY held the tiebreaker).  After the heartbreaking KC loss and the heartpounding Montreal win, the Crew are again tied for the fifth and final playoff spot in the East.  Columbus, Philadelphia and New England all have 23 points (although New England holds the fifth playoff spot via tiebreaker and Philadelphia holds a tiedbreak advantage over the Crew).  Full MLS playoff standings at http://www.mlssoccer.com/standings

 

The win over Montreal broke a seven-game winless streak that saw the Crew go 0-3-4; and a 16-game streak going back to April that saw the Crew go 1-7-8.  See the MLS results map at http://www.mlssoccer.com/results

 

Another loss, or even a draw, just wouldn't do.  A win against a Montreal team below the Crew in the standings was exactly what they needed.  Especially given the amount of angst building up thru the past week.  See this progression of articles from after the NY loss - to after the KC loss - to after the Montreal win:

 

http://www.massivereport.com/2014/7/15/5900671/incomplete-gregg-berhalters-project-in-columbus-is-far-from-finished

 

http://www.massivereport.com/2014/7/18/5917085/the-columbus-crew-hate-has-gone-too-far

 

http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2014/07/19/columbus-crews-spirits-raised-win-over-montreal-could-be-season-turner

 

Plus getting an overflow sellout crowd of over 21,000 for the Montreal game felt pretty good too:  http://www.massivereport.com/2014/7/20/5920967/photos-columbus-crew-vs-montreal-impact

Crew captain/defender Michael Parkhurst was named to 2014 MLS All-Star Game roster.  The MLS squad will face Bayern Munich on August 6 at Portland.  Parkhurst becomes first Crew All-Star since 2010.  (I didn't realize it had been that long ago)  More about this at http://www.thecrew.com/news/2014/07/crew-captain-michael-parkhurst-named-2014-att-mls-all-star-game-roster

 

In other exhibition match news, the Crew face Crystal Palace from the EPL tonight.  Columbus resumes its MLS schedule Saturday with a match at New England.  This will be the first of two straight road matches, when they go to Chicago on Saturday, August 2.  Then - with the Ohio State Fair finished - they can resume home games at Crew Stadium, starting with LA on 8/16 and Houston on 8/23.

Couple of Columbus Crew shoutouts from MLS today:

 

- Goalkeeper Steve Clark got this week's Save-of-the-Week Award: http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2014/07/25/columbus-crews-steve-clark-earns-save-week-award-impressive-double-stop

 

- Nice write-up about former Crew 2012 first-round draft pick Kirk Urso at http://www.mlssoccer.com/sideline/news/article/2014/07/25/order-your-copy-kirk-urso-forever-massive-told-2012-columbus-crew-team.  Urso's professional soccer career was only just getting started when he tragically passed away in 2012 from an undetected congenital heart defect at the age of 22.  To order your copy of Kirk Urso: Forever Massive, head over to the order page on the Crew's website at http://www.thecrew.com/forevermassive

In the midst of a rebuilding year and having only 2 wins in their last 17 matches, you wouldn't think the Crew would also be in the middle of playoff race too.  But the Crew did get 8 draws in those last 17 matches.  And with the MLS Eastern Conference being parity central this season, that's enough for a fifth place tie in points.  But the Crew still isn't in prime playoff position because they are in 7th place when all the tiebreaks are applied. 

 

However, the upcoming schedule gets easier.  The Crew beat last-place Montreal last week, and will face them two more times this season.  New England's season had a good start, but they have lost 7 straight matches heading into this Saturday's match with the Crew.  This is the first of three matches remaining with them this season.  The Crew also have 3 matches remaining with teams behind them in the standings (1 match with Chicago and 2 matches with Houston).  Plus 2 matches remaining with Philadelphia, who they are currently tied with in points.

^ Yeah but Houston in the streach run into the playoffs is always dangerous.  Dom Kinnear always seems to get his team into the playoffs no matter how they have started the season, and then makes an improbable run in said playoffs.  He's just a periannial thorn, just ask KC who had been eliminated 2 years running before getting that monkey off their back last season.

^ Yeah, the Crew needs to win it on the field and not just "on paper".  Just saying they're currently behind the Crew in the standings and those are the kind of games the Crew needs to win (or at least get a point) to get into the playoffs.

 

With that mid-season swoon, it seems improbable to talk about the Crew and playoffs this year.  But that 2-1 win over the Revs on Saturday vaulted the Crew from 7th place into 4th place in the MLS parity central division (aka eastern conference).

And speaking about that 2-1 win over the Revs . . .

 

It didn't start out too well.  For much of the first half, it seemed like the Crew was always on the defense.  But despite the Revs earning 9 corner kicks in the first 23 minutes(!), they didn't have many quality scoring chances.  In the 30th minute, a Crew counterattack led to an Anor header that went just wide of a open net.  Then, in the 43th minute, Anor drew a foul to set up a free kick just outside the 18-yard box in a dangerous area. --- As the Revs set up their defensive wall and their keeper got into position, Federico Higuain sized up his shot.  At the ref's whistle, he right-footed a beautiful shot that when over the wall and into the upper right portion of the goal.  The goal-of-the-week candidate gave the Crew a 1-0 lead into halftime.

 

The Revs fought back with two great scoring chances early in the second half.  In the 49th minute, a Rev player just missed with a shot that beat Clark but trickled wide of the open net.  That near miss set up another corner kick for the Revs (they ended up with 15).  This time, the Revs capitalized with a header on this one to tie it 1-1.

 

Coach Berhalter then made two subs in the 83rd minute.  Justin Meram was one of them.  And it was his touch only a minute later that set up the deciding goal.  Meram lobbed a well-timed long ball thru the middle of the Rev defense to Ethan Finlay.  He got behind the final Rev defender and beat the Rev goalkeeper with a fine finish to get the game-winning goal.

 

Review and game highlights at http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2014/07/26/new-england-revolution-1-columbus-crew-2-mls-match-recap

And here's a video of that Higuain goal.  What a shot! 

This is from the Revs broadcast.  Listen to the Revs announcers praising Pipa - "that, is quality".

 

Big game for the Crew tonight at Chicago.  Columbus enters tonight's match clinging to the fifth and final playoff spot in the East.  Another road win would do wonders for the Crew's playoff hopes.

 

This looks like a favorable matchup for us on paper.  The Crew are riding a two-game winning streak, while the Fire has only one win in their last 10 games (1-3-6).  Plus Chicago is on short rest, having played on Wednesday.  But the game is at Toyota Park - a place that the Crew has not won at since Oct. 7, 2006 (0-6-4).

 

After this road game, the Crew will have three straight home games against Toronto, L.A., and Houston - before a road game at Montreal finishes the month of August.

^ Well, the Crew didn't break their winless streak at Toyota Park.  But they did get a 1-1 draw and managed to hold on to their fifth place eastern playoff spot.  Yet another draw for Chicago (3-5-13) puts them three draws away from matching the all-time record for ties in an MLS season – a mark currently held by the 2011 Fire.

 

The Crew had a lackluster first half in which they generated zero shots-on-goal.  The Fire didn't generate that many good scoring chances but did keep the pressure on.  That pressure led to an iffy hand-ball-in-the-box call that led to a 37th minute penalty kick they converted for a 1-0 lead at halftime.

 

Coach Berhalter admitted to the lackluster first half, but he got the team geared up for the second half start - http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2014/08/03/columbus-coach-gregg-berhalter-rues-crews-slow-start-draw-chicago-fire-first.  The second half started with a Crew set play from the kickoff that caught Chicago by surprise.  From the kickoff, Trapp launched a long ball forward, aiming for 6'-7" Bedell.  The long shot missed Bedell, but got knocked around, eventually landing at the feet of Federico Higuain.  Higuain beat one defender and the keeper for the tying goal - only 10 seconds into the second half!!

 

The energized Crew had multiple good scoring chances later in the half but the Chicago keeper made multiple superb saves to preserve the draw.  Game recap and video highlights at http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2014/08/02/chicago-fire-1-columbus-crew-1-mls-match-recap

The Crew might bring in a DP (designated player) or possibly a USMNT player currently signed overseas.  Or they might not.  We'll know one way or the another by this Wednesday, when the MLS international transfer window closes.  But FWIW, here's the latest:

 

Columbus Crew pledge to use top allocation spot, say "big national team" player has contacted club

Andrew King, MLSsoccer.com

July 31, 2014

 

Could a big-name international be coming to Columbus?  Crew head coach Gregg Berhalter said after training Thursday that it might be an option.  “I’m not going to say names, but I got a call yesterday about a guy who wanted to specifically come to Columbus,” Berhalter said, “A big national team player. I thought that was interesting. All of a sudden, we’re getting calls that people are coming to us.”

 

The Crew sit atop the MLS allocation order, and while there has been talk of Jermaine Jones in Chicago and Sacha Kljestan in LA, Berhalter made it clear that those players will have to be declined by the Crew before they go to another team, and that to suggest that the Crew are not able to bring in those kinds of players is incorrect.

 

Berhalter admitted that things might move quickly, noting that the “timeframe for that is Aug. 6,” the close of the MLS international transfer window.  While he didn’t rule anyone out, Berhalter also would not specifically comment on the Kljestan rumors.

 

MORE: http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2014/07/31/columbus-crew-pledge-use-top-allocation-spot-usmnt-player-contacted-club

 

There might be third option to the Crew signing a DP or possibly a USMNT player currently signed overseas by Wednesday.  According to the Dispatch's Crew reporter Adam Jardy at http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/sports/2014/08/05/crew-may-be-looking-at-greek-forward.html

 

According to Jardy's report:  "Greek forward Dimitrios Papadopoulos has been linked to the Crew, and coach Berhalter declined to comment on the team's interest in the 32-year-old national team player." ... "Papadopoulos most recently played for Greece's Atromitos FC, scoring 14 goals in 35 appearances." ... "Because he is out of contract, he would not have to be signed before the MLS summer transfer window closes on Wednesday."

The rumors of the Crew trying to sign an overseas USMNT player were true.  The player they targeted was Mix Diskerud.  And the Crew thought they had him signed yesterday - until the deal was scuttled at last minute by Diskerud's father/agent. 

 

A lot of commentators are saying the Crew did their best to sign him and are not to blame for this non-signing.  Apparently a similar scuttling happened between Mix and his father/agent with Portland last season.  Mix might want to get another agent - unless he really enjoys playing in Norway! 

 

Much more about this from the Massive Report website: http://www.massivereport.com/2014/8/6/5976063/mix-diskerud-more-than-a-rumor

The Dispatch's Crew reporter also had this to say today about the Crew, Mix Diskerud and their prospects for signing an international player this season:

 

Adam Jardy - CREW CAN'T AGREE TO TERMS WITH NATIONAL TEAM PLAYER

 

The Crew came up short in a bid to land U.S. national-team midfielder Mix Diskerud.  Yesterday marked the closure of Major League Soccer’s summer transfer, and throughout the day, reports surfaced linking the Crew to Diskerud, who is under contract with Norway’s Rosenborg BK.  During the first half of last night’s MLS All-Star Game, Crew investor-operator Anthony Precourt confirmed the link and that the deal came up short.  “Really wanted Mix in Columbus,” Precourt tweeted.  “We gave it everything, so as disappointed as we are, we didn’t leave anything on the table.”

 

According to multiple reports, the deal was all but final before Diskerud's father, who is also an agent, scuttled the deal by asking for more at the final deadline.  ESPN analyst Taylor Twillman said the Crew offered more than double what he is making in Norway.

 

Yesterday marked the final date that MLS teams could sign players under contract in other countries.  FIFA's worldwide transfer does not close until August 31, which means MLS teams could still sign players from other countries who entered the summer window without a contract.  That means the Crew still has time to sign players such as Greek forward Dimitrios Papadopoulos.

 

MORE: http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/sports/2014/08/07/0807-sports-report-art-gp7tls8m-1.html

Toronto has had the Crew's number in their first two games this year.  Game #3 on Saturday night was no different.

 

It was a back-and-forth first half with both teams getting decent scoring chances.  But it was Toronto who cashed in first in the 43rd minute.  The Crew rebounded with two straight corner kicks after this.  The second corner kick was headed for the goal when it hit the arm of a Toronto defender.  The ensuring PK was converted by Higuain to tie it 1-1 at halftime.

 

However, in the second half, Toronto had the Crew on its heels.  Toronto took a 2-1 lead in the 60th minute.  The Crew got a bit of a lucky break in the 82nd minute when Justin Meram's pass into the box missed both his intended Crew target and the Toronto keeper to bounce into the goal.  But the 2-2 tie was broken only two minutes later when Toronto scored the game-winning goal for the 3-2 win.

 

Game recap and video highlights at http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2014/08/09/columbus-crew-2-toronto-fc-3-mls-match-recap

The Crew's failure to get any points from last Saturday's match against Toronto knocked them below the eastern conference playoff line - http://www.mlssoccer.com/standings

 

Columbus has an identical 6-8-9 record and point total as Philadelphia in fifth place.  But Philly holds the playoff tiebreaker (goals scored).  KC and DC have virtually clinched the top two spots.  Toronto is well ahead of the pack for the third spot.  Which leaves a cluster of six teams with legit chances for the final two eastern playoff spots. 

 

NY, Philly, C-Bus, NE, Chicago and Houston are all still in the mix with 11 games remaining for some and 12 games remaining for others.  For a deeper dive into this Eastern Conference playoff picutre go to http://www.massivereport.com/2014/8/11/5985465/crew-playoffs-4caster-game-23

Massive Report did some more good reporting about the Mix Diskerud non-signing with the Crew at http://www.massivereport.com/2014/8/14/6002423/mix-diskerud-speaks-on-transfer-saga.  Diskerud himself posted a message on a BigSoccer forum about what happened.  So take it FWIW.

 

No word if Alvaro Rey has posted anything to a spanish-language version of BigSoccer or not. :wink:  There's been alot of news about these two players and the Crew - considering that neither player actually played for the Crew!

Now, onto tonight's big match against L.A.  It's big for a number of reasons:

 

1) L.A. doesn't visit Columbus every year.  But when they do, it's usually a sell-out.  Previously, Beckham was the main attraction.  This year, it's a late summer Saturday match - with fireworks!  And also...

 

2) ... Landon Donovan.  With his Aug. 6 announcement that he will retire after this MLS season, this is likely the last time Donovan will play in Crew Stadium.  And as pointed out at http://www.massivereport.com/2014/8/15/6004835/landon-donovan-to-make-final-appearance-at-columbus-crew-stadium-on and http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/sports/2014/08/16/u-s--losing-its-face-of-soccer.html - he's had a rich history in Crew Stadium with both the MLS and the USMNT.

 

3) It's a big game for the Eastern Conference playoff race.  Philly lost at Houston last night, so the Crew are temporarily in the East's fifth playoff spot.  But if the Crew can't get a win or tie against L.A. tonight, they'll fall back under the playoff line again.

Before the Crew vs. L.A. game on Saturday, the Crew took care of business in another way.  They named Andy Loughnane as their President of Business Operations.  Since new owner Andrew Precourt acquired the team last year, he reorganized team operations into on-field and off-field groups.  Gregg Berhalter will continue to manage the team on the field as Head Coach and Sporting Director.  Loughnane will be handling off-field business operations, such as boosting season-ticket sales and selling naming rights for the stadium.

 

Loughnane has had an interesting and varied career.  He worked for the Detroit Red Wings in the late 1990’s and for the Columbus Blue Jackets in their two opening seasons.  Then he moved on to Columbus-based Glimcher Realty before founding an internet company in 2008.  Then he ended up as Vice President of Corporate Partnerships for Palace Sports & Entertainment, parent of the Detroit Pistons, before joining the Crew.  More about this below:

 

http://www.thecrew.com/news/2014/08/crew-names-andy-loughnane-president-business-operations

 

http://www.massivereport.com/2014/8/16/6024983/andy-loughnane-hired-as-president-of-business-operations-for-the

Then the Crew took care of business on the field Saturday night.  The big matchup against L.A. started with a pre-game ceremony honoring Landon Donovan.  Lots of Donovan memories at Crew Stadium.  But this game was one to forget for him.

 

The Crew withstood the early LA pressure.  Then the Crew pressures LA.  In the 24th minute, Tchani passes to Justin Meram about 22 yards in front of the LA goal.  The LA defense fails to shut down Meram and he turns with a beautiful shot into the upper right net. --- Then, in the 33rd minute, Meram fools the LA defense with a deft pass to Ethan Finlay inside the 18-yard box.  The unmarked Finlay smashes it past the LA goalkeeper.

 

The Crew kept the 2-0 lead into halftime.  Then LA cut the lead to 2-1 in the 49th minute.  After absorbing some more LA pressure, the Crew started to get some counter chances.  At 62’ Higuain had a brilliant chest-to-foot volley shot that just missed scoring.  At 66’ 2nd-half sub Schoenfield rang a shot off the post. 

 

But it was another 2nd-half sub, Ben Speas that put the game out of reach.  In the 75th minute, Speas took a pass from Finlay in the box, maneuvered for a shot, then blasted it past the keeper for a 3-1 lead. --- In the 84th minute, the Crew tacked on one more goal with a Giancarlo Gonzalez header off a Higuain corner kick.  A Pipa to Pipo goal as the Crew fans called it on twitter.

 

The big 4-1 win over LA moves the Crew into 4th place in the East.  Houston comes to town next Saturday.  One other positive from the LA game was no yellow cards, because key midfielders Tony Tchani and Wil Trapp are sitting one yellow card away from a one-game suspension.

 

Game recap and video highlights at http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2014/08/16/columbus-crew-4-los-angeles-galaxy-1-mls-match-recap

That L.A. win was so fun, I just had to include this photo post showing some of the events surrounding it.  Photos are from the Crew's twitter feed and from http://www.massivereport.com/2014/8/17/6025885/photos-columbus-crew-vs-los-angeles-galaxy

 

There was a pre-game ceremony honoring the L.A. Galaxy's Landon Donovan, who is retiring after the end of this MLS season.  Team owner Anthony Precourt, Team Ambassador (and former teammate) Frankie Hejduk and Head Coach (and former teammate) Gregg Berhalter were on hand to present Donovan with framed memorabilia from his many games played at Crew Stadium for MLS and the USMNT:

 

If you look in the background of the first pic, you can see that the Nordecke was unveiling this special TIFO while Landon Donovan's memorabilia was being unveiled:

 

With the Crew leading 2-0 at halftime, a parachutist dropped in before the second half started:

 

After the Crew won 4-1 - Post-Game Fireworks!

 

Just don't be on the field during the grand finale!!!

Coming off the big L.A. game, the Crew needed to guard against a letdown in Saturday's match hosting Houston.  Early on Houston put the pressure on the Crew defense.  In the 18th minute, a really bad Trapp turnover got shut down by Clark coming out from the goal.  The Crew missed a golden opportunity in the 23rd minute - Finlay hit a cross to Bedall left of goal, who headed back in front of goal to an unmarked Higuain in front of a wide open goal.  Higuain got underneath the bouncing ball and headed over the crossbar.

 

The Crew finally cashed in at the 35th minute on a Houston turnover to Justin Meram.  Meram took the turnover, avoided one defender and blasted a shot past the keeper before two other defenders could stop him.  After taking the 1-0 lead into the second half, the Crew stuck again in the 59th minute.  Some hustle by Finlay forced a corner kick.  Then Meram gathered the deflected corner and drove the pass into the 6-yd box that 6'-7" Bedell headed home for the second goal.  The scoring closed out in the 64th minute with the Crew on the attack.  Finlay gets the ball to wide to Francis, who swings a crossing pass into the box, where Schoenfeld heads it in for the third goal.  CREW WIN 3-0

 

Game recap and video highlights at http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2014/08/23/columbus-crew-3-houston-dynamo-0-mls-match-recap

It's amazing what two straight home wins can do for the Crew's playoff hopes.  Before those wins, the Crew was below the Eastern playoff line.  After the two wins, the Crew is tied with 3rd-place Toronto in points.  Columbus is actually in 4th-place due to a tiebreak and TFC having two games-in-hand over the Crew.  But NY and NE are nipping at our heels with only 2 pts and 3 pts behind and both having one game-in-hand over the Crew.  Even 7th-place Philly is only 3 pts behind with the same amount of games played as the Crew.  Full standings at http://www.mlssoccer.com/standings

 

So the Crew needs to keep winning to stay ahead of the pack.  Fortunately, 8 of the Crew's final 9 games are against teams below their playoff lines.  And the next two are against teams in last-place in their conferences - at Montreal (last in the east) then Chivas at home (last in the west).  The Crew still have two home-and-away series against New England and Philadelphia - two teams just behind Columbus in the east.  Full schedule at http://www.thecrew.com/schedule

Although the Crew won big last Saturday, they also lost.  Before the game, the Crew announced that they had reached an agreement to transfer central defender Giancarlo Gonzalez to Palermo in Italy's top division.

 

After Gonzalez's stellar play with Costa Rica in the World Cup, he was rumored to be a top transfer target for multiple European clubs.  This transfer deal is reportedly to be finalized later this week.  According to other reports, this transfer deal will be one of the richest in MLS history.  The Dispatch's Adam Jardy is reporting Palermo will pay a $5 million transfer fee to acquire Gonzalez.  The Crew only paid a $250,000 fee to acquire Gonzalez from his previous club in Norway.  So basically, this was an offer the Crew couldn't refuse.

 

More about the ins and outs of transfer rules and fees at http://www.massivereport.com/2014/8/23/6060435/mls-transfer-rules-many-ways-to-cut-the-pie

 

More about the Gonzalez transfer at http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2014/08/23/columbus-crew-manager-gregg-berhalter-confirms-giancarlo-gonzalez-transfer-p and http://www.thecrew.com/news/2014/08/pending-gonzalez-transfer-accelerates-berhalters-field-vision

As good as the Gonzalez transfer deal is to the Crew's bottom line and its vision for the future, it does create a hole in the middle of the defense for the rest of this season.  When Gonzalez was playing for Costa Rica during the early summer, both Eric Gehrig and Tyson Wahl filled in at the central defender role.

 

Gehrig is the younger of the two and generally did a fine job.  Wahl has more MLS experience but has been more uneven in this central defending role.  Wahl got the start in Saturday's 3-0 win over Houston and was solid.  Which is good because Wahl's last start on August 2 at Chicago was very lackluster.  It's thought that both Gehrig and Wahl will share time as Gonzalez's replacement during the Crew's push for an eastern playoff spot.

 

The Gonzalez transfer deal to Palermo is now official:

 

http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2014/08/26/columbus-crew-make-it-official-announce-transfer-giancarlo-gonzalez-serie-si

Instead of an easy win against a last-place team, the Crew got ambushed by an improving team in Montreal on Saturday.  Montreal's new designated player Ignacio Piatti got both Montreal goals in their 2-0 win over Columbus.  Piatti's first goal came in the 40th minute.  The Crew pressed for the equalizer in the second half.  But Montreal set back and Piatti got his second goal on a counter-attack in the 95th minute to clinch the win.

 

Game recap and video highlights at http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2014/08/30/montreal-impact-2-columbus-crew-0-mls-match-recap

Last weekend's loss at Montreal dropped the Crew right back in the middle of the East's playoff race.  They are now barely above the playoff line via a tiebreak:  http://www.mlssoccer.com/standings

 

So the Crew really need a home win this Sunday against last-in-the-west Chivas.  And they'll need to do it without two key players.  For all of August, central midfielders Wil Trapp and Tony Tchani have been in yellow-card peril - only one yellow-card away from a one-game suspension.  At Montreal, both Tchani and Trapp got yellow cards.  So the Crew will be without these key midfielders against Chivas. 

 

Reserves Daniel Paladini and Kevan George are likely replacements for Trapp and Tchani on Sunday.  More about this at http://www.massivereport.com/2014/9/4/6109041/columbus-crew-must-make-do-with-central-midfield-duo

The Crew badly needed a win Sunday against last-in-the-west Chivas.  And they got it.  Game recap and video highlights at http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2014/09/07/columbus-crew-3-chivas-usa-0-mls-match-recap

 

But didn't it look like at halftime with the game tied 0-0 after a lackluster first half for the Crew.  Kind of looked like the Montreal game.  Higuain even missed a PK off the crossbar in the 45th minute.

 

Once again, it was Justin Meram to the rescue.  In the 52nd minute, Meram gets the ball in an unmarked position at the edge of 18 yd box and uncorks a beautiful curving shot past the Chivas keeper to put the Crew up 1-0.  After that the game opened up for the Crew.  Schoenfeld nearly headed in another goal one minute later.  Higuain nearly got one 2 minutes later.  But it was again Meram who put the Crew up 2-0 in the 59th minute.  Meram intercepted a clearing pass and moved to the top of the 18 yd box and uncorked another wizzer.

 

Anor headed in the final goal of the game in 80'.  The 3-0 win puts the Crew over the playoff line into 4th place going into next week's game at Houston.

The Crew may have found a long-term replacement for central defender Giancarlo Gonzalez, who they sold to Palermo.  MLS is reporting that the Crew will be adding 31-year-old Austrian central defender Emanuel "Mad Dog" Pogatetz.

 

http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2014/09/08/columbus-crew-confirm-addition-austrian-center-back-emanuel-pogatetz

The Crew announced the date of their rebranding in an invitation to an event on October 8.  Below is the invitation announcement from http://www.massivereport.com/2014/8/20/6051475/a-new-crew-the-columbus-crew-will-announce-their-rebrand-on-october

 

A tale of two halves last night at Houston.  The first half was the Dymano's - scoring first off a corner kick in the 12th minute, then during the run of play in the 38th minute to take a 2-0 lead into halftime.

 

But the Crew fought back early in the second half to tie it up.  In the 48th minute, Waylon Francis found Wil Trapp wide open on a throw-in about 30 yard from goal.  Trapp moved in unmarked to about 25 yards out and uncorked a low screamer past the Houston keeper for his first-ever MLS goal.  Then in the 54th minute, Francis hit a crossing pass from wide left into the 6-yard box that was nicely headed into goal by Ethan Finlay.

 

The Crew looked like they might be awarded a PK in the 82nd minute on a handball-in-the-box penalty.  But after consulting with the side official, the referee called off the PK.  So the game ended in a 2-2 draw.  Game recap with video highlights at http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2014/09/13/houston-dynamo-2-columbus-crew-2-mls-match-recap

 

Because of this draw - and other results earlier on Saturday - the Crew kept pace in the East and stayed in the fifth and final playoff spot.

Only six regular season games remaining for the Crew and they're still right in the middle of a bunch of teams vying for playoff spots in the MLS East.  With most of the teams equalized in number of games played, DC and KC look like playoff locks with 47 and 45 points.  The surging Revs at 42 points could pull away from "the pack" with a few more wins.  And "the pack" includes NY at 38 points, Columbus and Philadelphia at 37 points, and possibly reeling Toronto at 34 points (plus 1 game-in-hand) if they start winning.  Full MLS standings at http://www.mlssoccer.com/standings

 

Five of the Crew's six remaining games are against teams in the eastern pack - two crucial home-and-away series with New England and Philadelphia, plus a road game at New York.  Here is the full remaining regular season schedule from http://www.thecrew.com/schedule:

 

9/20  - NEW ENGLAND

9/27  - MONTREAL

10/4  - at New England

10/11 - at Philadelphia

10/19 - at New York

10/26 - PHILADELPHIA

The Crew's official announcement on their re-branding isn't until October 8: http://www.massivereport.com/2014/8/20/6051475/a-new-crew-the-columbus-crew-will-announce-their-rebrand-on-october.  And the only hint I've seen about it (other than that link) was from Dispatch reporter Bob Hunter's "Rumblings" column.  This is a weekly sports gossip/rumor column that is sometimes on the mark and sometimes not.  But FWIW, here's what Hunter's column had to say about the Crew re-branding:

 

"The details we have learned so far are that the team name and colors are not changing, but the logo is.  The new logo will feature Columbus, it will incorporate the skyline and the number "96" (to reflect 1996, the year the team was founded), and it will be a circle."

 

Now, Hunter's information on the new logo may or may not be accurate.  But while poking around for some other information, I did find some non-Crew sanctioned re-branding attempts recorded over the years.  So here's a few of them in the following posts.