September 19, 201410 yr This one dates from 2008 and takes a rather literal reworking of the existing Crew logo. Interesting, but as one commenter said at the website link below - "from Village People to fascists, not sure if that's much of an improvement". More at http://www.underconsideration.com/brandnew/archives/in_brief_columbuss_new_crew.php
September 19, 201410 yr The MLS website had an article in January 2014 about the professional graphic designer and soccer fan that did a more radical redesign of the Crew logo at http://www.mlssoccer.com/sideline/news/article/2014/01/31/club-re-design-graphic-designer-gives-columbus-crew-brand-new-look. At the graphic designer's website he expanded this into variations of the new logo and how it could be used a promotional campaigns at http://mwillis.com/post/75161598280/identity-sketches-for-the-columbus-crew
September 19, 201410 yr A 2013 message board post at http://boards.sportslogos.net/topic/95880-columbus-crew-will-refresh-brand-in-time-for-2015-mls-season/page-2 reworked the Crew logo into a copy of German club Borussia Dortmund's crest:
September 19, 201410 yr The Massive City FFC fansite had 28(!) redesigned crests at http://www.massivecityffc.com/search/label/28%20in%2028. These two were kind of interesting, in light of the rumor that a CBUS skyline might be part of a new logo. The second one was submitted at http://www.columbusalive.com/content/blogs/thelatest/2014/02/28-crew-logos-in-28-days-week-one.html
September 19, 201410 yr Columbus Alive had a few submissions at http://www.columbusalive.com/content/blogs/thelatest/2014/02/more-fan-designed-crew-logos.html. This one was pretty interesting. What I found different about this one was the use of an abstracted Ohio flag in the design. Also note the tiny hardhats incorporated into the logo. For many years, a Crew version of the State of Ohio flag has been used by fans.
September 19, 201410 yr And, although this isn't a redesign submission, I thought I'd end with this one. The Massive Report website uses a stylized version of the Crew hardhat on its website at http://www.massivereport.com/. I like the hardhat logo and simplicity of this design. Below shows versions of it with and without the Massive Report lettering:
September 21, 201410 yr Big win last night for the Crew against the Revs. The Crew had plenty of scoring chances in the first half but could not cash in. It was 0-0 at halftime. Then Crew legend Frankie Hejduk was inducted into the Crew's Circle of Honor between the halves. Only 3 minutes into the second half, the Crew had another great scoring chance on a free kick just outside the NE box. Channelling the Spirit of Frankie, Higuain struck a brilliant ball over the defensive wall, eluding the diving keeper into the net for a 1-0 lead. The Crew had an opportunity to clinch the win in the 84th minute, when Meram took a pass from Tchani in the NE box on a counter-attack and was fouled. But Higuain couldn't convert the PK. New England had a couple chances to draw even after that but were denied by Crew goalkeeper Steve Clark. The first chance in the 86th minute was the best one when Charlie Davies stole a pass and was completely unmarked at the edge of the box. But Clark's fingertip save edged the shot wide of the net. Jermaine Jones uncorked a dangerous knuckling long shot in the 89th minute that Clark safely smothered to preserve the 1-0 win. Recap at http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2014/09/20/columbus-crew-1-new-england-revolution-0-mls-match-recap and video highlights at http://www.thecrew.com/match/columbus-crew-vs-new-england-revolution-september-19-2014
September 21, 201410 yr The Crew win over the Revs edged Columbus within two points of 3rd-place New England. The win also allowed Columbus to keep pace with 4th-place New York (who won yesterday) at 1 point behind and move 2 points ahead of 6th-place Philadelphia (who drew yesterday). Current standings at http://www.mlssoccer.com/standings
September 25, 201410 yr 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." The circle part looks to be confirmed. From and
September 28, 201410 yr Now for that other football game played last night in Columbus. The Crew got a much needed 2-0 win over Montreal to stay above the playoff line. Match recap and video highlights at http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2014/09/27/columbus-crew-2-montreal-impact-0-mls-match-recap Ethan Finlay got the first goal only 2 minutes into the match. Trapp set up Finlay with a beautiful leading pass that was blasted past the MTL keeper. The Impact withstood the Columbus pressure until the Crew was awarded a PK in the 56th minute. This time Higuain converted the PK to give the Crew a 2-0 lead. The Crew should have gone up 3-0 in the 87th minute, but Tchani's shot rang off the right post and then Anor's rebound shot hit the left post. Montreal almost halved the Crew lead in stoppage time on a PK. But Crew keeper Steve Clark made a spectacular save to preserve the shutout.
September 29, 201410 yr Columbus exits the weekend in a better playoff position than they entered. Because of NY's loss last night at LA and the Crew win on Saturday, Columbus over takes NY for 4th place. In other games over the weekend: NE helped their playoff chances (and hurt KC's) with a win at KC - Philly hurt their chances with loss at DC - Toronto looks to have righted their ship with their 2nd straight win (and 1 game-in-hand) - Houston barely stayed in the race with a win over Chicago (and 1 game-in-hand). Below are the top 8 in the East: 1. D.C. United 51 2. New England Revolution 45 3. Sporting Kansas City 45 4. Columbus Crew 43 5. New York Red Bulls 41 ----- Playoff Line ------ 6. Toronto FC 40 (1 game-in-hand) 7. Philadelphia Union 38 8. Houston Dynamo 36 (1 game-in-hand) Full standings at http://www.mlssoccer.com/standings
September 29, 201410 yr Despite the Crew's current good standing at 4th in the East, the final four games - and especially the next three - with determine if they stay above the playoff line. After two straight home wins, the next three games are all on the road against east teams in the playoff hunt (NE, PHIL, NY) before a final home game against Philadelphia to end the regular season. The Crew have their playoff fate in their hands. And the path to the playoffs is clear. Win and they're in. Draw or lose and hope others do the same.
October 6, 201410 yr The game at New England was played under some ugly conditions Saturday - not just the heavy rain but the field marked up for Sunday night's Pats game. :x The Crew had the first good scoring chance in 18'. From wide left Francis darted a pass into the 18yd box for Finlay, which Finlay redirected to Schoenfeld at the right edge of the 6yd box. But the Revs keeper Shuttleworth made a spectacular save. Instead it was NE's Lee Nguyen that opened up the scoring in the 20th minute. Then the Crew equalized just five minutes later on a great through-pass from Tchani to Finlay, who nicely finished it for the goal. The game stayed 1-1, despite two golden Crew scoring chances in the second half. Finlay at 52' and Jimenez at 62' both had fine shots saves by NE keeper Shuttleworth. Those key saves allowed NE to take the lead in the 67th minute. A free kick about 30yds out went into a sea of players rushing into the 18yd box. It hit the bouncy field-turf and dropped in front of Jermaine Jones, who headed in it for the 2-1 lead. After that, Francis picked up his second yellow card of the night in 70' and Higuain got a yellow late in regulation. Both players were only one yellow from an accumulation suspension and that will keep them both out of next Saturday's match at Philadelphia. Recap and video highlights at http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2014/10/04/new-england-revolution-2-columbus-crew-1-mls-match-recap
October 6, 201410 yr DC clinched their playoff birth. NY helped their cause with a win over HOU. PHI hurt their's win home draw. TOR got thumped in LA. TOR and HOU will take care of their game-in-hand advantage with a mid-week match before joining the rest of East with weekend matches. Below are the top 8 in the East: 1. D.C. United 52 2. New England Revolution 48 3. Sporting Kansas City 46 4. New York Red Bulls 44 5. Columbus Crew 43 ----- Playoff Line ------ 6. Toronto FC 40 (1 game-in-hand) 7. Philadelphia Union 39 8. Houston Dynamo 36 (1 game-in-hand) Full standings at http://www.mlssoccer.com/standings
October 8, 201410 yr The Crew rebrand will be unveiled tonight at 6:30PM. The team website has a couple of articles about their process and motivation behind the rebranding effect (linked below). No details about what the new logo will look like are given away in the articles, just background info. http://www.thecrew.com/news/2014/10/behind-brand-story-newcrew-part-i http://www.thecrew.com/news/2014/10/behind-brand-story-newcrew-part-ii
October 8, 201410 yr The team also announced a big roster move leading up to tonight's rebrand. Veteran former MLS player and EPL player Kei Kamara will be joining the #NEWCREW in 2015. The Crew used their top MLS allocation spot to sign Kamara yesterday. http://www.thecrew.com/news/2014/10/crew-signs-forward-kei-kamara http://www.thecrew.com/news/2014/10/crew-use-top-allocation-ranking-sign-kei-kamara This gives the Crew a top striker for the 2015 season. Because of international transfer rules, the 30-year-old Kamara cannot join the Crew roster until January 1, 2015. Kamara was originally drafted by the Crew in 2006 and played for Columbus in 2006 and 2007. But Kamara might be best known to Crew fans in his 4 seasons with KC from 2009-2013. After that he played for two different EPL teams in 2013 and 2014.
October 8, 201410 yr They've been hyping this new logo a lot. Hopefully it's good. I anticipate being really underwhelmed, but I'm hopeful.
October 8, 201410 yr ^ I kind of feel the same way. If only because these rebrands almost always disappoint on some level. (ex: the new MLS logo)
October 9, 201410 yr I like the meaning behind some of the design, but it just is too bland for my liking. i cant quite place my finger on it. i was hoping for a l.a. galaxy redesign, which i feel was a huge leap forward. this gives a description of the logo http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2014/10/08/columbus-crew-unveil-new-logo-brand-identity-nods-teams-heritage-locale-fans
October 9, 201410 yr ^ Like I said before, these rebrands almost always leave someone disappointed about something. However, if you look at the MLS article you cited, most of the comments are very positive toward the new logo. Probably the most controversial part is the use of SC vs. FC. Here is Massive Report's take: http://www.massivereport.com/2014/10/9/6950599/a-laymans-review-of-the-new-columbus-crew-sc-badge
October 9, 201410 yr I think adding the SC is a smart move. After some MLS teams added the international FC to their team names, I think the pendulum is swinging toward SC in MLS. Columbus won't be the only SC club next season: Orlando's team will be known as Orlando City Soccer Club or Orlando City SC. If you look at the dicussions at mlssoccer and bigsoccer, there seems to be a trend developing toward the Americanized SC over the international FC moniker. A sort of staking out and strengthening the soccer niche within the dominant American Football landscape.
October 9, 201410 yr I like the logo. Very German. Probably playing to the German heritage of Ohio/Columbus.
October 11, 201410 yr The new Crew SC logo is getting positive reviews - including this USA Today blog which called it "now the best in MLS": http://ftw.usatoday.com/2014/10/mls-columbus-crew-new-logo That USA Today blog also linked to this image of the new Crew SC logo along with the 19 other MLS logos for 2015. The new NYCFC and Orlando SC logos are there. The Chivas USA logo is not because their 2015 status is TBD.
October 11, 201410 yr It's interesting to watch how the league has gone from trying to look like other American sport to adopting the conventions of the rest of the world's soccer teams.
October 12, 201410 yr The Crew faced a tough task going into Philadelphia last night. Philly needed a win or they would be eliminated from the Eastern playoff race. Columbus was playing without leading scorer Federico Higuian and top assist man Waylon Francis, who were both suspended due to yellow card accumulation. In the frist half the Crew played like they were missing some key personnel. In the second half it got worse - before it got better. After 0-0 first half, Philly scored first in the 68th minute. Then added another goal in the 75th minute to lead 2-0. And it looked like the Philly's playoff chances might brighten at the expense of the Crew's. But then, an amazing comeback began for the Crew. Finlay started it with a goal in the 78th minute. Meram followed with a goal only one minute later at 79'. And then Arrieta finished it off in the 82nd minute with a goal he scored off a string of passes from Anor to Tchani to Arrieta. Three goals in five minutes!!! Turning the 0-2 deficit into a 3-2 win!!! This win could put the Crew within one more win of clinching a playoff spot (depending upon the result of today's HOU vs. DC match). RECAP AND VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS: http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2014/10/11/philadelphia-union-2-columbus-crew-3-mls-match-recap
October 13, 201410 yr The Crew's improbable comeback win has taken them to the brink of the 2014 MLS Playoffs. With the Crew's win over Philly and Houston's loss to DC on Sunday, only Toronto can possibly catch Columbus. And with only two games remaining, it is almost impossible for Toronto to catch Columbus. The only way for Toronto to catch the Crew is if Toronto wins both of their remaining two games and Columbus loses both of their remaining two games. If Toronto loses or ties either of their remaining two games or if Columbus wins or ties either their remaining two games, then the Crew clinch. With Columbus playing at NY next week, the Crew also have a chance to leap-frog NY into 4th-place with a win. And there are even some long-shot scenarios that move Columbus into 2nd or 3rd-place, which is gone into at http://www.massivereport.com/2014/10/13/6963595/crew-playoffs-4caster-game-32. Here are the current Eastern standings. All teams have two games remaining. For the Crew, the playoff scenario is simple. If Montreal wins or draws against Toronto next Saturday, the Crew will clinch a playoff berth. If Toronto wins, then a Crew win or draw against NY on Sunday will clinch it. x - 1. D.C. United 55 x - 2. New England Revolution 49 x - 3. Sporting Kansas City 49 x - 4. New York Red Bulls 47 5. Columbus Crew 46 ----- Playoff Line ------ 6. Toronto FC 40 z - 7. Philadelphia Union 39 z - 8. Houston Dynamo 39 x=clinched playoff berth; z=eliminated from playoffs Full standings at http://www.mlssoccer.com/standings
October 17, 201410 yr With the Crew's present playoff situation looking mighty fine, the team made a signing this week that looks to the future. The Crew signed 17-year-old Ben Swanson to a Homegrown Player Contract. http://www.massivereport.com/2014/10/16/6986771/columbus-crew-announce-ben-swanson-signing-from-academy http://www.columbusunderground.com/crew-signs-new-17-year-old-player-ben-swanson-crew1 http://www.thecrew.com/news/2014/10/swanson-signing-says-lot-about-crew-academy-system These Homegrown Player contracts are something MLS has done to encourage player development through local club youth development systems. The payoff for the local club is if they think a player has future MLS prospects, they can sign him to this exclusive contract instead of going through the MLS SuperDraft. More about this at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homegrown_Player_Rule_(Major_League_Soccer) In this case, Ben Swanson came up through the Grove City Soccer Program, Crew Juniors and the U-15/16 and U-17/18 Crew Soccer Academy, while also participating in U.S. Soccer’s Development Academy program plus multiple call-ups to U.S. Soccer’s youth national teams. Swanson is the 8th player the Crew has signed via this homegrown player route since 2012. While not every player signed will make an impact at the MLS level, Wil Trapp (a regular starter in 2014) and Ben Speas (a regular reserve in 2013 and 2014) are two recent players who have. And this year, Seattle's DeAndre Yedlin became the first MLS Homegrown player to compete in a World Cup.
October 18, 201410 yr Thank you Montreal! Montreal got a road draw at Toronto - knocking them out the playoff race. The Crew are in the playoffs!!! Tomorrow's match at New York will be a battle to see who hosts the wild-card game. If the Crew lose, they won't host it. A Crew win or a draw would give them a chance to host it. Although a win would much better because they would leap-frog NY into 4th-place.
October 20, 201410 yr The Crew already knew they clinched an Eastern playoff spot going into yesterday's match at NY. After a 3-1 win at NY, the Crew's playoff seeding looks even better. First the match: Schoenfeld got the scoring started off an assist by Finlay in 17'. Then Finlay got his own goal in 34' off a Tchani assist to put the Crew up 2-0 going into halftime. The Red Bulls halved that lead in 58'. Finally, Schoenfeld got his second goal of the match in 80' off another assist from Finlay to clinch the 3-1 victory. Video highlights and recap at http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2014/10/19/new-york-red-bulls-1-columbus-crew-3-mls-match-recap
October 20, 201410 yr Now, here are the Eastern playoff seedings going into next weekend's final game: 1. D.C. United 58 (#1 spot clinched) 2. New England Revolution 52 (#2 spot clinched) 3. Sporting Kansas City 49 4. Columbus Crew 49 5. New York Red Bulls 47 Both DC and NE clinched their spots with wins last weekend. They cannot move up or down from their current seeding. But seedings 3 thru 5 are still up for grabs. The Crew victory at NY leapfrogged them into 4th-place over NY. The Crew host Philly for their final game on Sunday at 4PM. Third-place KC hosts fifth-place NY on Sunday at 8:30PM. Here are the possible seeding scenarios going into the Crew's final game combined with different results from the NY/KC game (note: point ties in the standings are resolved by most wins, then goal differential): - If the Crew win and NY wins -------- Crew finish in 3rd-place - If the Crew win and KC/NY draw --- Crew finish in 3rd-place - If the Crew win and KC wins -------- Crew finish in 4th-place - If the Crew draw and NY wins ------ Crew finish in 3rd-place - If the Crew draw and KC/NY draw - Crew finish in 4th-place - If the Crew draw and KC wins ------ Crew finish in 4th-place - If the Crew lose and KC wins ------- Crew finish in 4th-place - If the Crew lose and KC/NY draw -- Crew finish in 4th-place - If the Crew lose and NY wins ------- Crew finish in 5th-place
October 22, 201410 yr Even though French player Thierry Henry has never been with a team I've rooted for, he's been one of my favorite players since he joined MLS four years ago. His smooth play makes his goal scoring seem effortless. That, and he seems like a smart classy player. Henry proved that again after the Crew's 3-1 victory over his Red Bulls last weekend. After the game, Henry went out of his way to praise Crew defensive midfielder Wil Trapp. Unlike Ethan Finlay, who had one goal and two assists, and Aaron Schoenfeld, scorer of two goals, Wil Trapp didn't show up on the game's scoring line. But, as reported at http://www.massivereport.com/2014/10/21/7028267/thierry-henry-gives-credit-to-columbus-crew-wil-trapp-for-victory, Henry said this after the game about the 21-year-old midfielder: "Wil Trapp was outstanding today. I know Higuain usually gets all the [credit]. Their striker will get [some] I'm sure because he scored two goals and Finlay wasn't bad either. But Wil Trapp is the key of that team. And today, given the tempo of that team, bringing the ball out of the back, Higuain doesn't have to drop and get the ball. He will get it in good positions because Wil Trapp does his job. He brings the ball out for them and it's difficult to stop." And Henry is right on the mark. Trapp's impact isn't seen on the scoreboard - he has only 1 goal and 3 assists, plus only 11 shots and 3 shots-on-goal. But his impact is felt everywhere else. Trapp has started 27 of the Crew's 33 games-to-date. And many believe that the Coach Berhalter's possess-and-attack system doesn't work without the play of Wil Trapp. So kudos to Henry for giving the youngster some credit.
October 25, 201410 yr A breakout season for Ethan Finlay has earned him a two-year contract extension. Not bad for a player drafted in 2012 and whose first career goal didn't come until May 17 of 2014. But since the MLS all-star break, Finlay's been the striking forward this team has been looking for. Finlay is tied for team leader in goals (11) and assists (7) with the Crew's DP Federico Higuain. Plus all 11 of Finlay's goals have come during the run-of-play, whereas 5 of Pipa's goals are PK's. More about Finlay's contract extension below: http://www.thecrew.com/news/2014/10/crews-ethan-finlay-signs-contract-extension-after-breakout-2014-season http://www.massivereport.com/2014/10/24/7068253/a-breakout-season-leads-to-new-contract-for-columbus-crews-ethan
October 25, 201410 yr The Crew are in the playoffs for the first time since 2011. And that success is being matched by this season's attendance. The Crew is estimating that with the current amount of tickets sold for Sunday's match against Philadelphia, they will break the all-time record for total attendance in a single year at Crew Stadium. The previous attendance record for Crew Stadium was set in 1999 - its opening year. http://www.thecrew.com/news/2014/10/crew-set-attendance-record-sundays-match
October 26, 201410 yr The Crew did all they could to get a #3 seed in the Eastern MLS Playoffs with a win over Philadelphia today. The Crew took a 1-0 lead only 13' into the match when Ben Speas hit a beautiful through-pass to a wide-open Arrieta, who tapped it past the charging goalkeeper. The Crew kept that lead until Philly tied in back up in the 85th minute. -- Then, in the 90th minute, Anor deflected in a Tchani shot for the 2-1 win! With this win, we need to root for NY to not lose at KC tonight. Here are the playoff scenarios for the Crew from tonight's NY/KC match: - If NY wins -------- Crew finish in 3rd-place - If KC/NY draw --- Crew finish in 3rd-place - If KC wins -------- Crew finish in 4th-place
October 27, 201410 yr NY finished what the Crew started yesterday with a 2-0 win over KC last night. With that win the Crew finish in 3rd-place, avoiding the Wild-Card Knockout game for the 4th & 5th place finishers. Here are the East's regular season final results for the top 5 playoff teams: 1. D.C. United - 59 pts (17-9-8) 2. New England Revs - 55 pts (17-13-4) 3. Columbus Crew - 52 pts (14-10-10) 4. New York Red Bulls - 50 pts (13-10-11) 5. Sporting Kansas City - 49 pts (14-13-7) - NY will host KC in the East's wild-card knockout game on Thursday 10/30. (Winner plays DC in a home-and-away semifinal series) - NE will play Columbus in a home-and-away semifinal series
October 27, 201410 yr More about the New England vs. Columbus home-and-away semifinal series: GAME 1: at Columbus on Saturday, November 1 - 4PM GAME 2: at New England on Sunday, November 9 - 5PM - This series will be determined by a home-and-away aggregate-goal format. After a 90-minute game at Columbus and then a 90-minute game at New England, whoever has the most aggregate goals advances to the East Finals. - However, if the teams are tied in aggregate goals, then the team that scored more goals away from home advances to the next round. If there is still a tie after the away goals rule is applied, a 30-minute overtime period will be played. If it is still tied after the overtime, a penalty kick shootout will determine the winner.
October 31, 201410 yr Two bits of Crew news about the future of the club, on-field and off-field: On-field: The club signed Swedish midefielder Mohammed Saeid for the 2015 season. Coach Berhalter scouted him while he was coaching in Sweden. Saeid is a possession-based central midfielder in the style of Wil Trapp or Tony Tchani -- http://www.massivereport.com/2014/10/29/7129057/columbus-crew-sign-swedish-midfielder-mohammed-saeid Off-field: The club's long and elusive goal to get a naming rights deal for Crew Stadium might be getting closer. Several companies are said to be meeting with the Crew this week as negotiations proceed -- http://www.massivereport.com/2014/10/27/7079003/mapfre-insurance-targeted-as-possible-stadium-naming-rights-partner
October 31, 201410 yr The New England vs. Columbus home-and-away semifinal series: GAME 1: at Columbus on Saturday, November 1 - 4PM GAME 2: at New England on Sunday, November 9 - 5PM - This series will be determined by a home-and-away aggregate-goal format. After a 90-minute game at Columbus and then a 90-minute game at New England, whoever has the most aggregate goals advances to the East Finals. - However, if the teams are tied in aggregate goals, then the team that scored more goals away from home advances to the next round. If there is still a tie after the away goals rule is applied, a 30-minute overtime period will be played. If it is still tied after the overtime, a penalty kick shootout will determine the winner. Above are the particulars of the upcoming Crew playoff series with New England that begins tomorrow. This playoff series will match up two of the hottest MLS teams. Columbus is 10-3-2 in their last 15 matches and New England is 9-1-1 in their last 11 matches. The Crew holds a 2-1 season series edge over the Revs - winning 2-1 at NE on 7/26 and winning 1-0 in CBUS on 9/20. But the Revs won the final match 2-1 at NE on 10/4.
November 3, 201410 yr Well, we were all geared up for the first playoff match since 2010 to be played at Crew Stadium on Saturday. And then - pfffffttttt!!! The Revolution onslaught began with two badly defended free-kicks. The first at 34' led to an easy header into the Crew goal. The second at 51' led to a 2-0 lead for NE. The Crew did halve that lead when Meram cleaned up a deflected pass for a goal at the 64th minute. But then two counter-attacking goals scored by the Revs at 70' and 78' took the lead to 4-1. The Crew did salvage some minor hope when a NE defender got called for a hand-ball in the box deep into second half stoppage time. The PK was converted by Higuain for the 4-2 final score. RECAP: http://www.massivereport.com/2014/11/1/7143969/big-letdown-in-columbus-crew-playoff-opener BOX SCORE: http://www.espnfc.us/gamecast/statistics/id/408620/statistics.html VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS: http://www.mlssoccer.com/mlscup/2014/news/article/2014/11/01/columbus-crew-2-new-england-revolution-4-mls-cup-playoffs-match-recap
November 3, 201410 yr GAME 2: at New England on Sunday, November 9 - 5PM - This series will be determined by a home-and-away aggregate-goal format. After a 90-minute game at Columbus and then a 90-minute game at New England, whoever has the most aggregate goals advances to the East Finals. - However, if the teams are tied in aggregate goals, then the team that scored more goals away from home advances to the next round. If there is still a tie after the away goals rule is applied, a 30-minute overtime period will be played. If it is still tied after the overtime, a penalty kick shootout will determine the winner. Since Columbus is down 4-2 after hosting the first game, the most likely way (so to speak) for the Crew to advance into the finals is to win at NE by 3 goals. Because of the aggregate-goal plus away-goals format, if the Crew would win by 2 goals (say 3-1 or 2-0) they still wouldn't advance. A two-goal win at NE would even up the aggregate goal total - but the away goals total would still favor NE. (Unless the Crew duplicated the Revs 4-2 away win, which would force an overtime period.) So the Crew have a nearly impossible task ahead for themselves next Sunday at New England.
November 4, 201410 yr The Crew made some MLS history last week . . . that they would have preferred some other team had made. Crew player Daniel Paladini, who has been on injured reserve for a broken leg since September, is being investigated for a reported domestic dispute. In a first for MLS, he has been suspended by the league while the investigation continues. http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2014/11/03/major-league-soccer-issues-statement-columbus-crew-player-daniel-paladini
November 9, 201410 yr The odds are really stacked against the Crew to advance after falling behind 4-2 to the Revs in last weekend's game. But the Crew will get it the old college try - meaning, if they don't dominate the Revs like the Buckeyes against the Spartans, this will be the final game of the season for them. http://www.massivereport.com/2014/11/6/7171489/columbus-crew-must-balance-the-game-in-new-england
November 10, 201410 yr Horribly disappointing way for a very fine 2014 season to end for the Crew. After falling behind 4-2 in the home opening leg of the Eastern Conference semifinal to the New England Revolution, the Crew had a mountain to climb. The Crew had many good chances in the first half to chip away at that mountain. But as the game wore on, the Revs kept adding boulders to that mountain - eventually winning the second leg 3-1. RECAP: http://www.massivereport.com/2014/11/10/7185107/new-england-revolution-dismantle-the-columbus-crew-end-championship
November 12, 201410 yr I just wanted to post some good news related to the Crew: http://www.massivereport.com/2014/11/11/7193687/justin-meram-becomes-first-mls-player-call-up-to-iraq-national-team Justin Meram was born in the U.S. (Shelby Township, Michigan to be exact) but both of his parents were born in Iraq. And Meram is a dual citizen of Iraq and the United States. After this year's breakout season with the Crew, the 25-year-old Meram gets the live his dream of playing for the Iraqi National Team in the 2014 Gulf Cup of Nations to be held over the next two weeks.
November 25, 201410 yr The Crew had an unexpectedly good 2014 season with a new head coach, new management and a new owner. Some holdover players like Wil Trapp, Tony Tchani, Ethan Finlay and Justin Meram all had big seasons under the new system. While other holdover players like Jairo Arrieta and Dominic Oduro did not. New players brought in by Coach Berhalter also made great contributions to the successful season. Goalkeeper Steve Clark started all 34 MLS games. While Michael Parkhurst and Giancarlo Gonzalez made for a solid central defense. Parkhurst was named team captain and started for the entire season. Gonzalez started the first half of the season, then played well for Costa Rica during the World Cup and was sold off to Palermo in Italy for big bucks. The Crew also signed some new players that didn't play in 2014, but should make a big impact in 2015. The signing of Kei Kamara gives the team a proven striker. Austrian defender Emanuel Pogatetz should give the team a veteran central defender to pair with Parkhurst. While the signing of Swedish midfielder Mohammed Saeid gives the team another possession-style midfielder for the Berhalter system. http://www.massivereport.com/2014/11/17/7235945/more-questions-than-answers-as-the-crew-sc-prepare-to-navigate-the http://www.massivereport.com/2014/11/20/7250399/five-things-we-learned-from-the-columbus-crews-2014-season
November 25, 201410 yr One of the questions going into the 2015 season was the status of Designated Player Federico Higuain. Higuain is one of the Crew's most skilled midfielders. And has been a team leader since being acquired in the second half of 2012. He was team captain in 2013, but Coach Berhalter named Michael Parkhrst team captain for 2014. Higuain's dimished role under Berhalter led many to wonder if the Crew would exercise their 2015 option to keep Higuain. However, the Crew announced last week that they did exercise their option on Designated Player Federico Higuain for 2015. The Crew also exercies options for goalkeeper Steve Clark, defenders Waylon Francis and Tyson Wahl, midfielders Tony Tchani and Hector Jimenez and for forwards Adam Bedell and Aaron Schoenfeld. Jairo Arrieta, Daniel Paladini and Agustín Viana were among the most prominent players to have their options declined for 2015. Three other prominent players are currently out of contract but still eligible to be re-signed for 2015: Eric Gehrig, Bernardo Anor, and Justin Meram. (More about these contract moves below): http://www.massivereport.com/2014/11/18/7243457/federico-higuain-headlines-2015-roster-as-crew-sc-announces-roster http://www.thecrew.com/news/2014/11/core-2014-mls-cup-playoff-team-return-crew-sc-exercises-options-contracts-16-players
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