July 29, 20159 yr Wow I haven't been by here in a while. Kamara and Finlay have been shredding up defenses, but our defense on the other hand, needs sorted out. We have like 600k in salary rapped up in two starting Center Backs so I don't know who the hell you bring in there. RB is the obvious place to make an addition though. Too bad that Zeca dude didn't come through. I wonder if theyre talking to anyone else to come in this transfer window. If we could stop making stupid mistakes in the defense and leaking goals, we'll be at minimum, contenders for the eastern conference championship.
July 30, 20159 yr The Crew might have found their right back replacement in 29-year-old Ghanaian defender Harrison Afful: http://www.columbuscrewsc.com/news/2015/07/crew-sc-signs-defender-harrison-afful http://www.massivereport.com/2015/7/30/9074273/crew-sc-hopes-ghana-international-afful-is-the-answer-at-right-back
August 1, 20159 yr The Crew could really use another road win to maintain their 2nd-place spot in the East. And tonight's game at Orlando looks like a good candidate for one. If the Crew can keep away from another defensive meltdown: - Match Preview: http://matchcenter.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter/2015-08-01-orlando-city-sc-vs-columbus-crew-sc/preview - Orlando City SC Game Presents Chance to Increase Eastern Conference Position for Columbus Crew SC: http://www.massivereport.com/2015/7/31/9083211/orlando-city-sc-game-presents-chance-to-increase-eastern-conference
August 2, 20159 yr If the Crew can keep away from another defensive meltdown: They didn't. Good lord, that was an ugly loss: RECAP: http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2015/08/01/orlando-city-sc-5-columbus-crew-2-mls-match-recap
August 5, 20159 yr The Crew have had defensive issues this season and been blitzed for 8 goals in their last three halves. So let's go get another forward striker? http://www.columbuscrewsc.com/news/2015/08/crew-sc-acquires-forward-jack-mcinerney-montreal-impact http://www.massivereport.com/2015/8/4/9094603/columbus-crew-sc-add-another-forward Actually, this looks like an opportunity signing for the Crew. 23-year-old Jack McInerney is an experienced striker who scored 12 goals for Philadelphia two seasons ago and was named to the MLS All-Star Game and the U.S. Gold Cup team. Montreal acquired him during the 2014 season. Now, Montreal has acquired international superstar striker Didier Drogba and is looking to shed some salary. So the Crew acquired McInerney for a 2nd-round pick. McInerney gives the Crew a proven backup to Kamara plus the ability to use a two striker formation, if they want to.
August 5, 20159 yr The Crew have also been rumored to be in talks with 25-year-old Argentine central defender Gaston Sauro: http://www.massivereport.com/2015/8/4/9094949/report-crew-sc-making-a-move-for-argentine-defender
August 6, 20159 yr Lots of wheeling and dealing for the Crew: - Crew SC waived rookie defender Kaylen Ryden and traded forward Adam Bedell to Orlando City: http://www.massivereport.com/2015/8/6/9108041/columbus-crew-sc-trades-bedell-and-waives-ryden-on-a-busy-deadline-day - These moves opened up two roster spots. One has been filled by newly acquired striker Jack McInerney. - The second roster spot is still open and can be filled until 5:00 PM today. It is expected that this open roster spot is for Argentine defender Gaston Sauro. Yesterday, there was almost confirmation from Sauro's agent and facebook page that the Crew had acquired him. But that got walked back as being premature: http://www.massivereport.com/2015/8/5/9101079/agent-gaston-sauro-has-signed-with-columbus-crew-sc
August 6, 20159 yr - The second roster spot is still open and can be filled until 5:00 PM today. It is expected that this open roster spot is for Argentine defender Gaston Sauro. Yesterday, there was almost confirmation from Sauro's agent and facebook page that the Crew had acquired him. But that got walked back as being premature: http://www.massivereport.com/2015/8/5/9101079/agent-gaston-sauro-has-signed-with-columbus-crew-sc Now it's official: http://www.massivereport.com/2015/8/6/9108589/crew-sc-secure-argentine-defender-gaston-sauro http://www.massivereport.com/2015/8/6/9108891/the-scouting-report-on-new-crew-sc-signing-gaston-sauro
August 8, 20159 yr The Crew could really use a road win tonight maintain their playoff spot in the East. And tonight's game at Colorado (who is last in the West) looks like a good candidate for one. If the Crew can keep away from a defensive meltdown ... again: http://matchcenter.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter/2015-08-08-colorado-rapids-vs-columbus-crew-sc/preview Actually, this should be an interesting matchup between two contrasting teams. Colorado's defense is one of the league's best vs. one of the league's best offenses in Columbus. Colorado's offense is one of the league's worst vs. one of the league's worst defenses in Columbus. And then there's always the altitude factor - which Columbus says isn't one - but yet the Crew hasn't won in Colorado since 2009 and has a 3-11-5 record all-time there: http://www.massivereport.com/2015/8/7/9117479/crew-sc-looks-for-rapid-rebound-in-colorado
August 9, 20159 yr Hey, a road win! At altitude in Colorado too! Actually this win was sorely needed for the Crew - after an ugly draw at home and an ugly loss on the road - going into a bye week. The win vaults Columbus temporarily back into 2nd in the East - NYRB is only one point behind and plays later today - plus both NYRB and Toronto have multiple games-in-hand over the Crew and play during the Crew's bye week. It didn't look like it was setting up for Crew win last night at halftime. The Crew was thoroughly out-played by Colorado in the first half and down 1-0 on a Rapids goal in the 42nd minute. But in the second half, Kei Kamara showed why he is the league-leading goal scorer with two top quality finishes. The first in 52' off an assist from Tchani. The second in 64' off an assist from Jimenez. Goalkeeper Steve Clark preserved the 2-1 win with two tough saves in the 82nd and 86th minutes. http://matchcenter.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter/2015-08-08-colorado-rapids-vs-columbus-crew-sc/recap http://www.massivereport.com/2015/8/9/9122397/columbus-crew-sc-defeat-the-colorado-rapids-2-1
August 12, 20159 yr Kei Kamara was named MLS Player of the Week. Second time this season for him: http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2015/08/11/columbus-crew-sc-forward-kei-kamara-named-mls-player-week-after-brace-colora
August 14, 20159 yr Bye weekend for the Crew, so no game to preview. But this pause in the marathon 34-game MLS season is a good spot to ponder where the Crew's season is headed. For a deeper dive into the Crew at a crossroads: http://www.massivereport.com/2015/8/10/9125857/6-thought-box-real-change-or-false-positives
August 14, 20159 yr The Crew are third in the East at 9-8-7 with 10 games remaining. Another playoff berth seems likely for this season. But the team's split personality gives one pause as to what kind of playoff run the Crew are capable of. If you look at the offense, the Crew looks like a dangerous team that could make a deep playoff run. If you look at the defense, the Crew looks like team that could get bounced after one round (like last season). The defensive issues are well known. The Crew play an attacking style that can leave their defense vulnerable. But beyond that, the defensive personnel just doesn't seem to be gelling this season. Coach Berhalter could modify his attacking style or use a different formation - but that seems unlikely. So bringing in new personnel seems like the way the Crew might improve their defense. And they've certainly been trying to acquire new players. So far, during this year's summer transfer window (which has now closed) the Crew acquired the following defensive players: - Argentine central defender Gaston Sauro - Ghanaian right back defender Harrison Afful Central defender Emanuel Pogatetz (who was brought in during last season's summer transfer window) has lost his starting job to MLS veteran Tyson Wahl. But this seems like a temporary fill-in. If Sauro develops the right chemistry with other central defender Michael Parkhurst, the job should be his. Afful could be a more permanent replacement for right back Hernan Grana, who left in May to return to Argentina. Some stability at both of these key defensive spots could go a long way to improving the Crew defense. The Crew also added the following offensive players to their roster over the past month: - Congolese midfield winger Cedrick Mabwati - Striker Jack McInerney acquired from Montreal Both of these players look like depth moves that could also serve as second half/injury replacements. The Crew offense is humming along quite nicely with Kamara, Higuain and Finlay occupying three of the forward four positions. Only Meram is regressing this season. In some recent games, Steindorsson has taken Meram's left wing position. But neither Meram or Steindorsson has locked down this position, so it could go back and forth between them (with Cedrick possibly in the mix) for the remaining 10 games.
August 18, 20159 yr No game during the bye weekend, so no game to recap. So how bout a feel-good story about the new Crew SC logo from USA TODAY? The Crew rebranding has met with near universal praise within MLS and the fan base. Now, the For The Win blog author at USA TODAY is adding to that praise. In fact, he thinks so much of the new Crew SC logo that he ranked it best in MLS, and 6th-best logo in American sports: http://ftw.usatoday.com/2015/08/best-logos-in-sports-dallas-cowboys-boston-celtics-pat-patriot-washington-bullets
August 18, 20159 yr And for an unofficial logo of the Crew, the story behind the Black & Gold Ohio flag created by a Crew fan: http://www.columbuscrewsc.com/news/2015/08/story-behind-nordeckes-iconic-black-gold-ohio-flag
August 18, 20159 yr ColDay Approved. "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
August 18, 20159 yr The Crew also began its 2016 Season Ticket drive during the bye week: http://www.massivereport.com/2015/8/15/9158731/2016-membership-campaign-continues-crew-scs-drive-to-strengthen-ties As an incentive to purchase 2016 season tickets, the Crew is offering buyers the opportunity to pre-purchase 2015 playoff tickets (those tickets will be made available to the general public Sept. 25). This is a strategy the CBJ used with good results two seasons ago: http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2015/08/12/crew-sc-creating-playoff-buzz-by-giving-2016.html
August 18, 20159 yr One more part to the 2016 ticket sales. The Crew supporters section in the northeast corner - known as the Nordecke - is expanding for 2016. The top half of Section 102 is being added to the Nordecke section. Below is a map of this change for 2016: According to this reddit thread, the idea is that after the top half of 102 is added in 2016, then the bottom half of 102 would get added in 2017:
August 19, 20159 yr After 10 days off, the Crew finally get back on the field tonight in the first of two home games this week. Tonight, its expansion club New York City FC making it's first ever trip to Columbus. The Crew exited the bye weekend still third in the East. NYCFC in 8th with a 7-11-6 record. Given that, it might seem the Crew would be in for an easy win tonight. But NYCFC has used the summer transfer window to fortify their team with Italian star midfielder Andrea Pirlo and English star midfielder Frank Lampard. Add them to Spanish star striker David Villa and USMNT star Mix Diskerud and you've got an expansion team that's going all in with some big money talent. GAME PREVIEW: http://matchcenter.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter/2015-08-19-columbus-crew-sc-vs-new-york-city-fc/preview The Crew made some summer transfer moves to stabilize their defense, bringing in center back Gaston Sauro and right back Harrison Afful. Afful has been training with the team for two weeks and is expected to start tonight. Sauro has been finalizing his visa paperwork since his signing and is expected to join the team on Thursday (so obviously he won't we playing tonight).
August 19, 20159 yr Another first trip to Columbus tonight is Mix Diskerud. Mix was nearly signed by the Crew during the 2014 summer transfer window in a deal that ultimately fell through. At the time there were hard feelings between Crew fans and Mix because it looked Crew management did everything they could to accommodate Mix, but instead he scuttled the deal. As it turned out, the Crew moved on and used the money reserved for Mix to sign striker Kei Kamara. And all we know how well that has turned out for the Crew in 2015! http://www.massivereport.com/2015/8/18/9175229/i-think-we-made-out-okay-columbus-crew-sc-doing-fine-without-mix So the hard feelings toward Mix have soften somewhat and he will likely get the expected booing of an opponent during introductions, but probably not the booing every time he touches the ball treatment. Well, maybe he'll get it from the Nordecke section. :wink:
August 19, 20159 yr Really good article up on the MLS website today about Wil Trapp's long recovery from concussion symptoms this season: http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2015/08/19/columbus-crew-scs-wil-trapp-opens-about-long-road-back-concussion-symptoms
August 20, 20159 yr This has been a rough summer weather-wise for Crew home games. Last night, another home game got delayed due to lightning in the area. (The third home game of 13 held so far this season.) And this time it might have cost the Crew two valuable points in the standings. Crew SC dominated the first half on possession and shots. In the 24th minute, Finlay broke open to the right of the NYCFC goal, made a move to juke a defender, and led a pass in front of goal that Kamara dove feet-first to beat the NYC goalkeeper for a 1-0 lead. The Crew carried this lead into halftime and nearly went up two goals at 48' on a Meram header from a corner kick that might have been saved by a NYC hand-ball. But instead, it was NYCFC who scored next. For all the talk of NYC's high-priced star players, it was rookie midfielder Kwadwo Poku who stole the show with two goals during the second half. The first goal came in the 57th minute and was set up by a perfectly weighted forward pass from Villa that Poku perfectly flicked on to beat the Crew keeper. The second NYCFC goal came in the 66th minute off a beautifully lofted Pirlo corner kick that was headed back to Poku for a 15-yard blast into the net. (Good goal but poor marking by the Crew defense on a set piece - yet again.) With the Crew down 2-1, they needed a spark. And they got it from one of their summer transfer additions, Cedrick Mabwati. Cedrick replaced Meram just after the second NYCFC goal. In the 72th minute, he made a charging run up the middle of the NYC defense to the edge of their 18-yard box. He made a nice drop-off pass to Kamara, who made an even better leading pass to Cedrick - who ran open into the box and beat the NYC keeper with a fine finishing shot to tie it 2-2. Then the lightning delay came in the 77th minute. So, instead of the Crew building on the momentum of the tying goal into the game's final minutes, they had a 77-minute energy sapping match stoppage. When the game resumed after the long delay, neither team seemed to have much vigor. NYCFC "parked the bus" and time-wasted to preserve their road draw point. While Crew SC couldn't regain the momentum they had before the weather delay to break the 2-2 draw. RECAP: http://www.massivereport.com/2015/8/19/9180885/a-wet-and-wild-contest-between-new-york-city-fc-and-columbus-crew-sc VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS: http://matchcenter.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter/2015-08-19-columbus-crew-sc-vs-new-york-city-fc/recap
August 22, 20159 yr I liked this Massive Report recap of the NYCFC draw: "a 2-2 midweek draw that had a couple of bright moments but mostly left a residual feeling of "meh" and a result that doesn't do anything to reaffirm/shake up the Eastern Conference standings": http://www.massivereport.com/2015/8/21/9182523/6-thought-box-crew-sc-mixed-bag-versus-new-york-city You can go to the Massive Report link for their breakdown on the many Crew defensive mistakes, particularly on set pieces. But there were some bright spots from Wednesday's match: - New starting right back Harrison Afful wasn't awful in his first game. In fact, he looked very good for the 60 minutes he played - before being subbed out in the second half. Afful got involved in the offense and didn't make any noticeable defensive mistakes. He's sort of a Waylon Francis for the right side. - Cedrick finally broke through with his first Crew goal. He was signed with some fanfare and an international reputation. So after he'd only played 72 minutes in 3 games, I was wondering what the big deal was him. But that goal and his interplay with Kamara showed that Cedrick could be an important second-half sub for the Crew going forward.
August 22, 20159 yr The second home game of the week for Crew SC is against Sporting KC tonight. KC is having another strong season with an 11-5-7 record that's good enough for third in the MLS West. With KC moving into the west this season, this will be our only regular season matchup with them. Like the Crew, KC is also coming off a Wednesday home game. KC's home game went far worse then the Crew's 2-2 draw. KC was down 3-0 at halftime en route to a 5-0 blowout loss to San Jose! (A very atypical result this season for KC.) Also, KC's star USMNT-midfielder Benny Feilhaber got red-carded in that loss and will be suspended for tonight match in Columbus. MLS GAME PREVIEW: http://matchcenter.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter/2015-08-22-columbus-crew-sc-vs-sporting-kansas-city/preview
August 22, 20159 yr Here's a couple of lengthier Crew SC vs. Sporting KC match previews from Massive Report: - Is wounded Kansas City dangerous or vulnerable ahead of matchup with Crew SC: http://www.massivereport.com/2015/8/21/9187469/is-wounded-kansas-city-dangerous-or-vulnerable-ahead-of-matchup-with - Columbus Crew SC Prepared For Another Talented Sporting Kansas City Midfield: http://www.massivereport.com/2015/8/22/9190049/columbus-crew-sc-prepared-for-another-talented-sporting-kansas-city The Crew will have only 8 regular-season games remaining after tonight (3 at home; 5 on the road). Given Wednesday's draw, tonight's home match is starting to seem like a must-win game for the Crew. But it won't be easy. Even without Feilhaber, KC is still a top team. And the Crew defense has its issues, and so remains vulnerable. As if this game didn't already have enough meaning - it also marks Kei Kamara's first game against his former team, since he departed for the English Premier League in Fall 2013: - Kei Kamara expects ‘emotional’ game against former club, Sporting Kansas City: http://www.kansascity.com/sports/mls/sporting-kc/article31772166.html
August 24, 20159 yr Crew SC won Saturday night's home match 3-2 over SKC. It felt like a "must-win" game for the Crew (even though it really wasn't). And in a matchup of contrasting styles, it looked like a game that they would either lose or draw for most of the night. The Crew's style (ala Berhalter) to possess and attack. KC's style is to stay defensively solid, press high to force turnovers, and then counter-attack. Early in the first half, KC's style was winning. In the 14th minute, poor defensive marking by the Crew led to an easy tap-in goal for KC. The Crew didn't even get a decent scoring chance until the 26th minute. Then, in the 35th minute, right back Harrison Afful showed his world-class speed on a great touch to break open wide right and deep into KC territory. Afful crossed the ball back to the center where Federico Higuain hit a one-touch shot that rattled off the crossbar. In the ensuing melee, Kamara found the ball wide left of the goal. He shot it across the goal-mouth to Finlay at the far right post, who headed it in the net. The 1-1 tie endured though halftime and into the 62nd minute of the second half. The Crew were caught upfield on a corner kick and KC cleared to USMNT-player Graham Zusi. Zusi showed why he is national team player with a calm clinical setup and shot to give KC a 2-1 lead. At this point, it looked like KC's style would prevail. The Crew had plently of possession, but KC's defense smothered any good scoring chances. After going down 2-1, the Crew made two key offensive subs. Newly acquired striker Jack McInerney came on for Meram - and then newly acquired winger Cedrick came on for Kamara. The subs seemed to inject new life into the Crew offense. On a free-kick in the 80th minute, Higuain's pass went through the KC box and was found by Tony Tchani near the endline and redirected into the net. (A set-piece goal! Yea!!) Now tied at 2-2, the Crew pressed for a game-winning goal. In the 88th minute, a long-ball was played forward to Higuain - who contorted himself for a one-touch shot. Higuain's shot blasted off the goalkeeper and onto an unmarked McInerney - who tapped the ball into the now empty net for the game-winner! McInerney's first ever goal for the Crew give them the 3-2 victory! VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS: http://matchcenter.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter/2015-08-22-columbus-crew-sc-vs-sporting-kansas-city/recap RECAP: http://www.massivereport.com/2015/8/22/9192911/columbus-crew-sc-bench-powers-come-from-behind-win-against-sporting
August 24, 20159 yr Probably the Crew Player-of-the-Game from that thrilling 3-2 win was a player that didn't register a goal: Federico Higuain. He was involved in all three Crew goals - either getting the scoring chance started or getting an assist. And beyond that, Higuain was seemingly everywhere on the field against KC. Here's what Coach Berhalter had to see about Higuain's performance after the match from http://www.columbuscrewsc.com/news/2015/08/post-match-quotes-crew-sc-vs-sporting-kc: "He was special tonight. ... He did it in so many different ways. ... He was back in build up controlling the tempo of the game, he was winning tackles, he was up in the box creating chances and he was shooting. It was a very complete performance by Federico and it was great to see."
August 29, 20159 yr Alright, so the Crew have a bit of momentum going into today's 4:00pm match at NYCFC. An historic first-ever match for the Crew in Yankee Stadium. Which is a great honor and all, but some road points would even more welcome. Here's the MLS preview of today's game and some previews/overviews from Massive Report: MLS PREVIEW: http://matchcenter.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter/2015-08-29-new-york-city-fc-vs-columbus-crew-sc/preview - Crew SC needs to address a few things in a rematch with New York City FC - How Small is too Small? Yankee Stadium as a Soccer Field Fits the Bill
August 29, 20159 yr The Dispatch's Crew reporter Adam Jardy also had some interesting articles about the CREW SC vs. NYCFC match this week. The first one looks at the possible impact of the undersized soccer field that is shoehorned into the Yankee Stadium outfield. The second looks at some of the dramatic contrasts between NYCFC (a high-spending expansion team co-owned by MLB's New York Yankees and EPL's Manchester City) and CREW SC (a budget-minded MLS original member team): - Crew faces squeeze play in Yankee Stadium: http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/sports/2015/08/26/crew-ny.html - Crew, NYC follow different blueprints: http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/sports/2015/08/29/crew-lead.html
August 30, 20159 yr The Crew's road troubles appear to be behind them as they netted another road victory yesterday - this time against NYCFC in Yankee Stadium. Last week's game-winner, backup striker Jack McInerney, was on suspension due to yellow-card accumulation. Which became an issue after starting striker Kei Kamara appeared to get injured midway in the first half and seemed to be operating at less than full speed. Federico Higuain was questionable with hamstring soreness but still started. The Crew traded scoring chances with NYC within the first 10 minutes. Then the Crew earned five straight corner kicks. CK's that were all taken by Wil Trapp instead of Higuain (likely due to the hamstring issue). But it worked out brilliantly in the 10th minute when Trapp's lofted kick was headed in by Higuain for a 1-0 lead. (If you watch the video highlights, you'll see some terrible marking from high-priced Andrea Pirlo - who dozed off and lost track of Higuain - leaving him wide open for the header.) After that, NYC got the better of the possession battle and had some decent scoring chances from the left side. But it was a long range chance that evened up the match. At 29', one of NYC's lower-priced players, Andrew Jacobson, uncorked a 30-yard blast that beat a diving Clark to tie it 1-1. The match held even into halftime and the Crew started winning the possession battle in the second half. They had two goals disallowed - one due to an offside call and one because of a handball by Kamara (both correctly called BTW). In a change from previous games, Cedrick started at left wing and then Justin Meram subbed in for him during the second half - which allowed Meram to have his moment-of-magic. It came in the 83rd minute off a NYC turnover. Tchani moves the ball to Higuain, who touches the ball forward to Meram in space to the left edge of NYC's 18-yard box. Meram maneuvers toward the middle and blasts a shot between two NYC defenders that beats their keeper on the opposite side of goal for the game-winner! That's the Meram we remember from last season! CREW WIN 2-1 VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS: http://matchcenter.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter/2015-08-29-new-york-city-fc-vs-columbus-crew-sc/details/video/48398 RECAP: http://www.massivereport.com/2015/8/30/9227083/crew-sc-take-down-nycfc-on-the-road-2-1
September 5, 20159 yr No Saturday night game today (instead a rare Sunday night game tomorrow with an even rarer National TV broadcast!). So one more day to savor last weekend's road victory - and a chance to ponder the Crew's playoff position in the East: - Vital Road Results are Beginning to Come at the Right Time for Columbus Crew SC: http://www.massivereport.com/2015/8/31/9235869/vital-road-results-are-beginning-to-come-at-the-right-time-for As I said during the Crew's mid-August bye week with 10 remaining games, a return to the MLS playoffs seemed likely. Now, with 7 remaining games, a Crew playoff berth seems more likely. However, the unanswered question is this: What playoff seed will the Crew earn? Currently in 3rd-place, the Crew are only three points behind DC with one game-in-hand. And although the Crew hold a four-point advantage over both 4th-place Toronto and 5th-place New England, TFC has two games-in-hand and NE one game-in-hand over the Crew. Plus, the 2nd-place NY Red Bulls hold two-games-in-hand over the Crew. - http://www.mlssoccer.com/standings - So, until the 'games played' equalizes among the top 5 teams in the East, the Crew could possibly advance to the top seed, or slide as low as 5th-place. And there's a big difference within the #1 to #5 playoff seeds. Seeds #5 and #6 must win an elimination game to stay in the playoffs. Seeds #3 and #4 don't have an elimination game but then play an opening round home-and-away series with those lower seeded teams. Seeds #1 and #2 get an opening-round bye and then play whoever advances. So finishing 1 and 2 is best; 3 and 4 is still okay; but 5 or 6 gets the toughest playoff path. So the Crew just need to keep raking in the points and hope to stay above the #5 seeding. Fortunately, the Crew roster seems to be rounding into form. Heading into the stretch run, the wing defensive problems have been lessened with the addition of Afful. Late-season pickups - Cedrick and McInerney have contributed on the score sheet. And if newly acquired defender Gaston Sauro can stabilize the central defense, the Crew will be good-to-go for the playoffs.
September 5, 20159 yr So, reason for optimism headed into tomorrow's nationally televised home game against a strong Dallas FC team. The Crew are 3-0-1 in their past four matches; 5-2-1 in their past eight; 7-3-2 in their past twelve (even with a couple giveaway results included those numbers). And as said previously, the new additions to team have the roster rounding nicely into form. Only something like losing nine players this week to international call-ups would break that optimism: Starters: Kei Kamara (Sierra Leone) Justin Meram (Iraq) Waylon Francis (Costa Rica) Harrison Afful (Ghana) Wil Trapp (U.S. U-23 team) Cedrick Mabwati (Congo) Reserve Players: Kevan George (Trinidad & Tobago) Ben Swanson (U.S. U-20 team) Sergio Campbell (Jamaica)
September 5, 20159 yr ^ Okay, that happened. The Crew lost a league-high nine players to international call-ups this week! The Crew will be without six starters for tomorrow's game against Dallas. The only consolation is that Dallas also lost six players to call-ups. So both teams are depleted. But the Crew is still more depleted in this key home match during the stretch run. So who will the Crew start? Fortunately, the newly acquired McInerney can replace Kamara at striker. Steindorsson can replace Meram/Cedrick at left wing. And Mo Saeid can replace Trapp at defensive midfielder (as he did earlier when Trapp was out with concussion issues). However, the two defensive wing/back position replacements get more dicey. Klute might replace Francis at left back and Barson or Jimenez could replace Afful at right back. But that gets us to the "defensive miscue games" that haunted the team previously. So buckle up! The always informative Massive Report does a deeper dive into tomorrow's possible starting XI roster at the links below: - http://www.massivereport.com/2015/9/2/9248337/potential-starting-xi-for-columbus-crew-sc-against-fc-dallas - http://www.massivereport.com/2015/9/4/9261385/as-international-schedule-messes-with-mls-crew-sc-messes-with-texas
September 7, 20159 yr Missing players and missed opportunities: That was the story of the Crew's 3-0 loss against Dallas last night Missing players: McInerney replace Kamara at striker, while Klute and Jimenez replaced Francis and Afful at left/right back. Ben Speas was a slight surprise replacement for Meram/Cedrick at left wing. But the biggest surprise starter was Trapp (who took a red-eye flight, returning late Saturday for Sunday night's match). Gaston Sauro was also a surprise start at center back, making his Crew debut. But his debut only lasted 3 minutes. While attempting to head a long ball, Sauro's forehead struck the back of Trapp's head. Sauro got the worst of the collision, was helped to the locker room and replaced by Tyson Wahl. Missed opportunity #1: The Sauro departure may have been an omen for this game. At 24' McInerney was fouled within the 18-yard box by Dallas and Columbus was awarded a penalty kick. However, the PK taken by Higuain a minute later goes wide left! Then two minutes later at 27', Dallas scores off a corner kick that was headed from one open player to another and then into the net. Instead of the Crew leading by one, it was Dallas up 1-0. Missed opportunity #2: At 61', Saeid sends a nicely weighed pass to McInerney just inside the 18-yard box. The Dallas keeper can't track the ball and McInerney finds himself alone with only one defender in the area, and then misses an open net shot! Only two minutes later, a Dallas player breaks open on a counter-attack and doesn't miss his shot. So instead of the Crew equalizing, Dallas goes up 2-0. After that, Dallas got one more counter-attack goal in the 71st minute to set the final score at 3-0. VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS: http://matchcenter.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter/2015-09-06-columbus-crew-sc-vs-fc-dallas/details/video/49235 RECAP: http://www.massivereport.com/2015/9/6/9270973/fc-dallas-capitalize-to-defeat-columbus-crew-sc-3-0
September 9, 20159 yr The Dispatch's Adam Jardy confirms what we guessed about new Crew defender Gaston Sauro, after his head-to-head collision in Sunday's game. Sauro suffered a concussion in Sunday’s loss to FC Dallas and will not play Saturday at Philadelphia, coach Gregg Berhalter told him today: http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/sports/2015/09/09/0909-sauro-concussion.html Jardy reports that Sauro was taken to a hospital after the collision and stayed overnight as a precaution before seeing a neurologist on Monday. Sauro is going through the normal concussion protocol now. A protocol the team is familiar with after Wil Trapp's concussion suffered in March. Berhalter said today, “He's going through the concussion protocol and you advance based on symptoms. You do the protocol and then if you don’t advance, you stay at that stage.” More mid-week player and team updates: http://www.massivereport.com/2015/9/9/9296143/wednesdays-practice-pitch-updates
September 12, 20159 yr As much as we love sports (and we love sports in the U.S. on multiple platforms to the tune of billions) they are still, at their core, just a game. Sometimes it takes hearing the back story of current Crew striker Kei Kamara to realize that. Below is a link to the MLS feature of Kamara's back story and the youtube video they produced about it: MLS Insider: Columbus Crew SC striker Kei Kamara survives civil war to become MLS, Sierra Leone star: http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2015/09/11/mls-insider-columbus-crew-sc-striker-kei-kamara-survives-civil-war-become-ml
September 12, 20159 yr Back to the game: Tonight the Crew travel to Philadelphia for a key road match. In this season's previous two meetings with Philly, Crew SC has had great success (4-1 win in April) and great disappointment (3-0 loss in June). With Kamara, Francis, Afful, Meram and Cedrick all returning to the lineup, the Crew are hoping for a road victory after last weekend's home loss: - http://matchcenter.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter/2015-09-12-philadelphia-union-vs-columbus-crew-sc/preview - http://www.massivereport.com/2015/9/11/9311503/crew-sc-has-reasons-to-be-optimistic-against-philadelphia
September 13, 20159 yr The Crew needed some road points after last weekend's home loss. Philadelphia needed a home win to stay in the Eastern Conference playoff race. Who wants it more? In the beginning it was the Crew. With their starters returned from international duty, the Crew played the Berhalter possess-and-attack style to perfection in scoring two goals during the first half. Both goals followed a similar pattern: - At 21', with Crew possession in midfield, Higuain finds Afful to the right of Philly's 18-yard box; Afful sends a lofting ball over to Kamara near the back goal post; Kamara heads it in to give the Crew a 1-0 lead. - At 26', Higuain again finds Afful open at the right edge of Philly's 18-yard box; Afful drives a low crossing pass over to Kamara near the back goal post, who makes a feet-first slide to give the a 2-0 lead. With the Crew holding the 2-0 lead going into the second half - and Philadelphia desperately needing a home win - Philly when into all-offense mode. They kept near constant pressure on the Crew and finally broke though with a goal in the 66th minute. Crew goalkeeper Steve Clark made a fingertip save in the 78th minute to preserve the one-goal lead. And eventually, the Crew regained some possession to relieve the pressure. Or Philly just ran out of gas. Either way, the Crew held on to win 2-1. VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS: http://matchcenter.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter/2015-09-12-philadelphia-union-vs-columbus-crew-sc/details/video/49565 RECAP: http://www.massivereport.com/2015/9/13/9317863/columbus-crew-sc-beat-the-philadelphia-united-2-1
September 13, 20159 yr Kei Kamara showed again how important his finishing ability is to the Crew attack. His first-half brace earned his 19th & 20th goals of the season. Which is still a league high and did not go unnoticed by MLSsoccer.com: http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2015/09/12/kei-kamara-caps-special-week-brace-lead-columbus-crew-sc-victory
September 16, 20159 yr More Kamara notice from MLS: http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2015/09/14/mls-golden-boot-columbus-crew-sc-striker-kei-kamara-widens-lead-goals-19-20 Massive Report's analysis of the 2-1 in Philadelphia: http://www.massivereport.com/2015/9/13/9320803/6-thought-box-afful-ness-mvps-and-three-points-in-philadelphia-for
September 16, 20159 yr As I've been saying for the past few weeks, the playoff for Columbus is not a matter of "if they will make the playoffs" but "where they will make the playoffs". In fact, with five weeks remaining in the regular season, the Crew could mathematically clinch an eastern playoff berth if they win at DC and 7th place Orlando loses at Chicago this weekend. So let's look at the top six Eastern teams in the standings (i.e. the playoff teams) and see where the Crew stands: EASTERN STANDINGS: http://www.mlssoccer.com/standings 1) New York Red Bulls (13-7-6) 45 POINTS - 26 GP (8 games left) - 1.73 PPG -- NYRB is in the drivers seat with the highest PPG (points per game). They hold a tie-break lead over 2nd-place DC and have the most games remaining to be played, except for Montreal. They play a key mid-week road match at New England tonight. One disadvantage is they must play 3 mid-week+weekend combo matches in the final five weeks. 2) D.C. United (13-10-6) 45 POINTS - 29 GP (5 games left) - 1.55 PPG -- DC is in good position, but only have five games remaining on their schedule. However, that is an advantage as far as resting players and regular pace of play, since they are all weekend matches. Three of the final games are at home, two on the road (including a final road game at Columbus). 3) Columbus Crew SC (12-9-8) 44 POINTS - 29 GP (5 games left) - 1.52 PPG -- Pretty good position for the Crew. Like DC, they only have five games remaining on their schedule (two at home and three on the road). Four of their final five matches are against Eastern playoff teams (DC - NYRB - TFC - DC). Of those four games, only the final regular season match against DC is in Columbus - so the schedule is tough. But on the other hand, the Crew can pretty much control its own destiny. 4) New England Revolution (12-9-7) 43 POINTS - 28 GP (6 games left) - 1.54 PPG -- Decent position for the Revs, but a must-win home match against NYRB tonight. Their schedule is easier than the Crew's with three remaining games against non-playoff teams (PHI, CHI & NYCFC). They could sneak into the top spot. 5) Toronto FC (11-12-4) 37 POINTS - 27 GP (7 games left) - 1.37 PPG -- They've got some points to earn to reach the top 4 and avoid an elimination game. But they've also got the games-in-hand to earn those points. However they'll need to break out their recent doldrums (3-5-0 in their past 8 games). 6) Montreal Impact (9-11-5) 32 POINTS - 25 GP (9 games left) - 1.28 PPG -- Montreal still has a bunch of games remaining because of a back-loaded MLS schedule that accommodated Champions League games earlier in the season. Which is good for potentially advancing in the standings. But it also requires 3 mid-week+weekend combo matches in the final five weeks, which could overtax their roster.
September 19, 20159 yr Key road match for Columbus Crew SC tonight at DC. D.C. United has been one of the strongest teams in the East this season and the Crew fared poorly at RFK in May with a 2-0 loss. But DC has looked vulnerable lately, having gone 0-3-1 in their last four games. A road point would be helpful. Three road points even moreso because it would vault Columbus over DC in the standings: http://matchcenter.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter/2015-09-19-dc-united-vs-columbus-crew-sc/preview http://www.massivereport.com/2015/9/18/9353565/d-c-poses-a-tough-matchup-for-crew-sc-this-week
September 20, 20159 yr Key road victory for the Crew last night at DC. The 2-1 win solidifies their Top 4 and Top 2 playoff hopes. In fact, the win (along with a New England loss yesterday) moves them into first-place in the East. (Although NYRB plays later today and a win would vault them one point over the Crew) The first Columbus goal came in 27'. Parkhurst struck a long ball deep into DC territory. The ball was headed on by Kamara - as three DC defenders converged on him - to Tyson Wahl?!? Yes, central defender Wahl was somehow way forward on the left flank to gather the ball and flick it over to Ethan Finlay in front of DC's goal, who turns and shoots for a 1-0 lead. The second Columbus goal came very early in the second half in 49'. DC came out of the locker room to put pressure on for an equalizer. With almost everyone in or near the Crew 18-yard box, Tchani gathers the ball and runs it forward to midfield. Tchani then lays a perfectly weighted pass forward to Kamara, who makes a perfectly timed run to blow past the final DC defender. Kamara finds himself one-on-one with the DC goalkeeper and beats him with a calm finish for a 2-0 lead. After that, DC kept the pressure on and the Crew bunkered down defensively. (Although Meram nearly made it 3-0 in the 60th minute) DC finally broke through in the 67th minute when a shot/pass from outside the box hit Crew defender Klute on his arm inside the box, giving DC a penalty kick. The PK was converted to halve the lead to 2-1. DC later had two offside calls that disallowed shots that went into the net - one an obvious offside, the second a borderline call. And with that the Crew hung on for this key road victory. VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS: http://matchcenter.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter/2015-09-19-dc-united-vs-columbus-crew-sc/recap RECAP: http://www.massivereport.com/2015/9/20/9359053/columbus-crew-sc-move-into-first-after-2-0-defeat-of-d-c-united
September 23, 20159 yr An excellent and entertaining look back at the 2-1 win at DC: http://www.massivereport.com/2015/9/20/9360171/6-thought-box-the-pope-doing-the-tcha-tcha-ni-and-capital-punishment
September 23, 20159 yr Four weeks left in the MLS regular season. Here's a mid-week look at the standings: EASTERN STANDINGS: http://www.mlssoccer.com/standings 1) New York Red Bulls (14-8-6) 48 POINTS - 28 GP (6 games left) - 1.71 PPG -- Loss at NE and win at Portland (thanks for nothing Timbers) keeps NYRB in first-place. Only one game this week when they host Orlando. 2) Columbus Crew SC (13-9-8) 47 POINTS - 30 GP (4 games left) - 1.57 PPG -- Very nice win at DC that temporarily jumped the Crew into first-place - until the Timbers couldn't even tie NYRB in a must-win game at Portland! Now if the Timbers play just as badly at Mapfre on Saturday, all is forgiven! 3) New England Revolution (13-10-7) 46 POINTS - 30 GP (4 games left) - 1.53 PPG -- Great 2-1 win over NYRB, then a bad 3-0 loss at Montreal. Still good enough to vault NE up one spot over DC. And they host a reeling Philly team on Saturday. 4) D.C. United (13-11-6) 45 POINTS - 30 GP (4 games left) - 1.50 PPG -- Home loss to the Crew last Saturday and 0-4-1 over their last five games. And it doesn't get any easier for DC this weekend when they travel to Montreal. They desperately need a positive result. 5) Toronto FC (12-13-4) 40 POINTS - 29 GP (5 games left) - 1.38 PPG -- Loss at NYCFC, then a win hosting Colorado last week. They host last-place Chicago on Saturday and then second-to-last Philadelphia the following Saturday. Winning those games could vault TFC over DC into the top 4. 6) Montreal Impact (10-11-6) 36 POINTS - 27 GP (7 games left) - 1.33 PPG -- Draw at San Jose, then a big 3-0 win over NE last week. They host last-place Chicago tonight and then DC on Saturday. Montreal is lurking at the edge of the Eastern playoff race. But with two more wins, they could convert those extra games-in-hand into points to overtake those above them.
September 26, 20159 yr Injury updates going into tonight's match and an interesting season stat, according to the Dispatch's Adam Jardy at http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/sports/2015/09/26/crew-chart-9-26-ghc13k5qr-1.html: - Central defender Gaston Sauro (concussion) and left back Waylon Francis (strained right quadriceps) are listed as questionable but should be available. According to multiple other reports, Sauro has passed all of his concussion tests and is back to practicing fully with the team this week. - The Crew only have three shutouts this season (most recent - July 15 at Chicago), but the Crew lead MLS with a .750 winning percentage in one-goal games (9-3-0).
September 26, 20159 yr Previews of tonight's match at Mapfre with the Portland Timbers: http://matchcenter.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter/2015-09-26-columbus-crew-sc-vs-portland-timbers/preview http://www.massivereport.com/2015/9/25/9397669/what-matters-when-crew-sc-hosts-the-timbers-with-much-on-the-line-for This is a match between two teams seemingly going in opposite directions. Columbus is 4-1-0 in their last 5 games while Portland is 0-2-2 in their last four. And one of those Portland's losses was last Sunday's home shutout to NYRB. Columbus has all-but-clinched a playoff spot and stands 2nd in the East. Portland is desperate to stop their slide and barely holds in 6th and final playoff spot in the West. A Crew win tonight would clinch a playoff spot and move the Crew into first-place over NYRB (who got dumped by Orlando 5-2 last night!). As Dispatch reporter Adam Jardy said in his preview at http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/sports/2015/09/26/crew-chart-9-26-ghc13k5qr-1.html: "This has all the signs of being a landmark night for the Crew. Temporary seating has been added to Mapfre Stadium, which will welcome a sellout crowd to cheer on the team and pay homage to the past, with the likes of Brian McBride, Brad Friedel and Stern John set to attend. If the Crew can embrace the spotlight and the stage, this could be another endorsement of this team’s ascension to MLS Cup contender."
September 28, 20159 yr Well, thanks for nothing Portland (again). For the second straight weekend, they keep Columbus out of first-place in the East. First, the Timbers stink it up in a 2-0 home loss against NYRB. Then, last Saturday, the Timbers decide to play good in a 2-1 road win at Mapfre. The 2-1 result came on two goals from Portland striker Fanendo Adi sandwiching the lone Crew goal from our striker Kei Kamara. Portland scored first in the 28th minute off a nice assist to Adi in the box. But the Crew kept the pressure on and was rewarded just before halftime at 43' on yet another spectacular header from Kamara - this one via Higuain corner kick. But the game-winning goal came just after halftime in the 50th minute on a counterattack. With the Crew attacking deep into Timber territory, Portland got possession and went quickly upfield. Our two central defenders found themselves a half-step too slow to stop a crossing pass into Adi, and then Adi's finish. After that the Crew kept up the pressure for an equalizer, but Portland tightened up their defense and the refs seemed to loosen up the foul calling (Kamara was getting mugged). But Portland did what they needed to do for the win. And if not for some acrobatic Clark saves, they would have gotten more than two goals this night. Despite the home loss, the Crew are still in good playoff position. But they've got more work to do in their final three games to stay there. VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS: http://matchcenter.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter/2015-09-26-columbus-crew-sc-vs-portland-timbers/recap RECAP: http://www.massivereport.com/2015/9/26/9403205/columbus-crew-sc-errs-falls-2-1-to-portland-timbers
September 28, 20159 yr The one highlight from the loss to Portland was Kamara's goal - and it came with a bit of trivia attached: It kept Kamara as the MLS goal leader this season and it was also his first career goal scored against Portland. This was significant because he became the first player to score against 21 different MLS teams. He's scored against all of the current teams in MLS -- including against Columbus while playing for KC -- plus against the now-defunct club Chivas USA. http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2015/09/26/columbus-crew-scs-kei-kamara-extends-golden-boot-lead-sets-record
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