September 4, 20168 yr Crew SC got some key players back from injuries for Saturday's night match at L.A. But because of all the international callups, there were still some new players at new positions in Berhalter's customary 4-2-3-1 lineup. Gaston Sauro returned after a long injury absence. Which allowed central defender Naess to start in Trapp's defensive midfield role. Saeid was in the Tchani role, Duka replaced Meram at left wing and Cedrick started in the #10 spot(!). Despite this makeshift lineup, the first half went pretty well for the Crew. They held possession well and generally had better shots and chances than the Galaxy for much of the first half. With the score 0-0 at halftime, the Crew had hopes of getting a road point or even stealing a road win at L.A. Higuain came on at halftime for Sauro and Naess moved back to his familiar central defense role for the second half. But the Crew momentum didn't hold. Eventually L.A. broke through with goals in the 78th and 82nd minutes to take a 2-0 lead. The Crew got a goal off a PK in stoppage time to make the final score closer. But no road points and no help in the standings. RECAP: http://www.massivereport.com/2016/9/4/12790122/columbus-crew-sc-dropped-2-1-to-la-galaxy-in-shorthanded-battle VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS: http://matchcenter.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter/2016-09-03-la-galaxy-vs-columbus-crew-sc/recap
September 11, 20168 yr New 2016 season nadir with a humbling 3-1 home loss to Vancouver. After a lengthy weather delay, it started out great for the Crew. Ola Kamara scored a dazzling karate kick goal in the 11th minute off a corner kick. Then, because its this season, the lead was negated on a Sauro own goal only two minutes later. Vancouver scored two late second-half goals for the final result. RECAP: http://www.massivereport.com/2016/9/10/12874836/crew-sc-playoff-hopes-all-but-gone-with-emphatic-3-1-home-defeat-to VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS: http://matchcenter.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter/2016-09-10-columbus-crew-sc-vs-vancouver-whitecaps-fc/recap
September 18, 20168 yr With the Crew's playoff chances at virtually nil, the only thing left to do in this season's remaining games is play spoiler. And they certainly did that at Orlando last night. Crew SC struck early in the 6th minute on a 2-man breakaway between Ola Kamara and Ethan Finlay that was scored by Finlay. Then an Orlando own goal off a Crew corner kick in the 22nd minute. And finishing off the strong first half with another Kamara-Finlay breakaway in the 44th minute that was scored by Kamara. The teams traded late second half goals to finish out the Crew road win at 4-1. RECAP: http://www.massivereport.com/2016/9/17/12956270/columbus-crew-sc-defeat-orlando-city-4-1 VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS: http://matchcenter.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter/2016-09-17-orlando-city-sc-vs-columbus-crew-sc/recap
September 26, 20168 yr Columbus played spoiler for the second straight weekend. This time it was against New England as the Crew downed the Revs 2-0 in the Crew's penultimate home game of 2016. In the Kamara battle within the match, current Crew Kamara (Ola) got the better of former Crew Kamara (Kei). The Crew defense held Kei Kamara in check while Ola Kamara got the Crew on the scoreboard with a nifty 12-yard blast in the 42nd minute. Ola clinched the win when he drew a penalty kick in the 84th minute and converted it for his second goal of the match. RECAP: http://www.massivereport.com/2016/9/25/13052700/crew-sc-blanks-new-england-2-0-on-ola-kamara-brace VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS: http://matchcenter.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter/2016-09-25-columbus-crew-sc-vs-new-england-revolution/recap
September 28, 20168 yr Some Crew roster news going into tonight's game at DC: http://www.massivereport.com/2016/9/27/13086804/will-we-see-wil-trapp-or-federico-higuain http://www.massivereport.com/2016/9/27/13086704/tyson-wahl-retires-after-11-seasons
September 28, 20168 yr About tonight's game at DC. Up until very recently this 2016 season has been a forgettable mess. But despite only having 7 wins and sitting in 9th-place, the Crew are not yet out of the Eastern Conference playoff picture: http://www.mlssoccer.com/standings Currently, the Crew are 5 points behind DC United - who sit in the 6th and final playoff in the East. A win tonight would leave the Crew only 2 points behind DC. And the Crew hold 1 game-in-hand over DC. They also hold 2 games-in-hand over 7th-place New England and 1 game-in-hand over 8th-place Orlando. After DC, the Crew's final four games are a home-and-away series with last-place Chicago - then a pair of road games against the New York teams. The Chicago games are winnable for obvious reasons. But the two New York games might also be winnable because both New York teams have clinched playoff spots. And in those final two regular season games, the New York teams might be resting starters for the playoffs. But it all depends on tonight's game at DC. If the Crew can't get a win tonight, then their playoff chances really will be done.
September 29, 20168 yr Welp, so much for that late season playoff run. The Crew looks strong in the first half - dominating possession, shots and scoring chances. But they couldn't get anything past the DC goalkeeper. DC came back with a stronger second half - eventually scoring in the 71st minute. And as the Crew pressed forward an equalizing goal, DC took advantage with two late goals in 86th and 90th minutes. RECAP: http://www.massivereport.com/2016/9/28/13101212/crew-sc-throw-away-second-half-playoff-in-doubt VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS: http://matchcenter.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter/2016-09-28-dc-united-vs-columbus-crew-sc/recap
October 2, 20168 yr Crew SC staved off mathematical playoff elimination by downing the Chicago (Dumpster) Fire 3-0 last night. Goals from Afful (8'), Meram (50') and Duka (59') sealed the deal: RECAP: http://www.massivereport.com/2016/10/1/13135004/crew-sc-down-the-chicago-fire-3-0 VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS: http://matchcenter.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter/2016-10-01-columbus-crew-sc-vs-chicago-fire/recap
October 6, 20168 yr Crew SC equalizes in the 49th minute off a Waylon Francis crossing pass that was nicely headed in by Justin Meram. But because its "this season", Francis goes down with a separated shoulder only a few minutes later, and might be lost for the season. Not much of "this season" left (only 3 games in fact) but its over for left back Waylon Francis. He suffered a labral tear to his shoulder on August 13 (see above), tried physical therapy, and even appeared as a sub during one match after his injury. But earlier this week, he had season-ending surgery: http://www.massivereport.com/2016/10/4/13166926/waylon-francis-had-surgery-but-no-one-told-us
October 13, 20168 yr Another defensive wing back - another injury: http://www.massivereport.com/2016/10/11/13252254/harrison-afful-forced-out-of-ghana-match "In a friendly match against South Africa on Tuesday, Columbus Crew SC right back Harrison Afful came off the pitch in the 62nd minute due to an injury. The extent of the injury is unknown at this point, but it raises questions as the Black & Gold enter the final stretch of the season with three matches in ten days. It was already unlikely to see Afful in Thursday’s match with the Chicago Fire due to the Tuesday game and travel, but if the injury is minor, we could hope to see him on Sunday."
October 14, 20168 yr Crew SC mathematically eliminated from the MLS playoffs with a 2-2 draw at Chicago last night. Adam Jahn got the Crew an early 1-0 lead in the 13th minute. But a four minute stretch early in the second half finished off the Crew when Chicago scored on a Parkhurst own goal at 53' and Chicago again scored at 57'. Jahn scored his second goal of the match in the 80th minute to tie it up. But the Crew needed to win all of their final three games to have even a slim shot at the playoffs. RECAP: http://www.massivereport.com/2016/10/13/13281492/columbus-crew-sc-draws-2-2-with-the-chicago-fire-slim-playoff-hopes-die VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS: http://matchcenter.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter/2016-10-13-chicago-fire-vs-columbus-crew-sc/recap
October 17, 20168 yr Penultimate 2016 match for the Crew went more-or-less to form. NYRB built a 3-0 lead and the Crew scored two late goals to make it look close. Backup goalkeeper Brad Stuver, got his first regular season appearance for the Crew - breaking Steve Clark's consecutive MLS start streak at 100. 19-year-old Cristian Martinez got a start. Harrison Afful also started (and got a goal) so his injury wasn't serious after all RECAP: http://www.massivereport.com/2016/10/16/13300626/columbus-crew-sc-fall-on-the-road-to-red-bulls-3-2 VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS: http://matchcenter.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter/2016-10-16-new-york-red-bulls-vs-columbus-crew-sc/recap
October 17, 20168 yr http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2016/10/17/crew-sc-hires-firm-to-assess-demand-for-new.html?ana=e_colum_bn_newsalert&u=34950230804f82f052502c6297b560&t=1476734788&j=76159251 CrewSC looking into new location for stadium. Very Stable Genius
October 20, 20168 yr Stu Tudor, the Columbus fire fighter who was struck by lightning at a Columbus Crew game in 2014, has died. Tudor had finished a pre-game charity soccer match and was in the parking lot outside the stadium when he was struck by lightning. Below is a notice of his passing from the Crew twitter feed and a link to NBC4 that also contains a video from 2015 detailing his slow recovery from the lightning strike: http://nbc4i.com/2016/10/20/stu-tudor-columbus-firefighter-struck-by-lightning-in-2014-has-died/ Here was the original post in this thread about the 2014 lightning strike: http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php/topic,13478.msg713950.html#msg713950 The Dispatch's Crew reporter had the best coverage of the lightning incident on his twitter feed at https://twitter.com/AdamJardy and his article in today's paper at http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2014/06/28/fan-struck-by-lightning-at-crew-game.html. A massive pop-up storm hit the stadium area about 15 minutes before last night's 8:00 PM kickoff time. First, it was a hard tropical-like downpour. Then, lightning!! It appeared it was the first bolt from the storm that struck the fan just outside the stadium. After that officials made everyone take cover in the stadium concourse. The game was officially postponed at 9:12 PM and was rescheduled by MLS to 2:00 PM (the next day).
October 24, 20168 yr The disappointing Crew SC 2016 season comes to a merciful end yesterday at Yankee Stadium. Federico Higuain returned to the starting lineup after missing 7 games and Ola Kamara returned after missing 2 games. 19-year-old Cristian Martinez and backup goalkeeper Brad Stuver picked up their second consecutive starts: RECAP: http://www.massivereport.com/2016/10/23/13375040/crew-sc-lose-to-new-york-city-fc-4-1 VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS: http://matchcenter.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter/2016-10-23-new-york-city-fc-vs-columbus-crew-sc/recap
December 12, 20168 yr Recap of Crew SC off-season roster moves. First, the players staying: - Federico Higuain, Wil Trapp, Justin Meram and Mohammed Saeid all had their team options picked up for next season. - Adam Jahn, striker acquired at mid-season, was signed to a 2-year deal. - Summer signings defender Nicolai Naess and midfielder Dilly Duka will return next season (team options picked up). - Rookies Marshall Hollingsworth and Cristian Martinez will return for a second year (teams options picked up). Now, the players leaving: - Tyson Wahl, 32-year-old reserve defender retired, and 35-year-old striker Conor Casey retired at the end of season. - Cedrick Mabwati will not return, the team declined his option for next season. - Corey Ashe will not return, the team declined his option for next season. - Team captain and starting central defender Michael Parkhurst did not get his option picked up for next season. - Starting goalkeeper Steve Clark also did not get his option picked up for next season. Current Roster Listing: http://www.massivereport.com/2016/11/23/13729272/crew-sc-makes-roster-moves-declines-option-on-steve-clark
December 12, 20168 yr The biggest surprise was letting starting goalkeeper Steve Clark go. He was one of Coach Berhalter's first moves with the team. Clark had also started 100 consecutive MLS games for the Crew over the past three seasons until the team was eliminated from the playoffs late this season and he had minor knee surgery. But Clark will turn 31 at the beginning of next season and he would have used up a significant amount of salary cap space if his option had been picked up. Plus, the Crew signed 21-year-old up-and-coming goalkeeper Zack Steffen during 2016. So going into 2017, the Crew will have the promising-but-unproven Zack Steffen and veteran-backup Brad Stuver as their GK corps: http://www.massivereport.com/2016/11/23/13739428/steve-clark-could-return-to-columbus-crew-sc-but-its-not-likely
December 12, 20168 yr The Michael Parkhurst non-signing was less of a surprise. He was another one of the first moves Coach Berhalter made with Crew SC three years ago. Parkhurst has been team captain for the past three seasons and was an ideal ball-moving central defender for the Berhalter system. Especially in his first two seasons, leading the team to the playoffs in 2014 and to the MLS Cup in 2015. But Parkhurst's game seemed to noticeably lose a step in 2016 and he'd be 33 at the start of the 2017 season. Also, picking up his option for 2017 would have used up a significant amount of cap space (much like Clark). With the mid-season signing of 25-year-old central defender Nicolai Naess, Parkhurst's replacement was apparent. The team was interested in re-signing Parkhurst as a back-up for 2017 at a lower salary. But that deal didn't happen. Ultimately, the Crew traded the out-of-contract Michael Parkhurst to the Atlanta United FC expansion team. The Crew will receive an undisclosed amount of General Allocation Money: http://www.massivereport.com/2016/12/8/13895840/reports-michael-parkhurst-to-be-traded-to-atlanta http://www.massivereport.com/2016/12/11/13911756/official-michael-parkhurst-traded-to-atlanta-united
December 12, 20168 yr And while I was posting all of those Crew SC off-season moves, Massive Report just posted the official list of protected and unprotected players for tomorrow's MLS expansion draft: http://www.massivereport.com/2016/12/12/13923446/sauro-saeid-among-those-unprotected-by-columbus-crew-sc-ahead-of-mls-expansion-draft
December 13, 20168 yr The Columbus Crew has been the only team to lose a player in every previous expansion draft. Today's expansion draft featured two teams - Atlanta United FC and Minnesota United FC. But each team only had five selections in this draft. So it was looking like the Crew might not lose a player this time. Nope! Our expansion draft luck continues. Minnesota United FC selected Mo Saeid from our list of unprotected players. (BUMMER!)
December 13, 20168 yr Crew owner Anthony Precourt posted this on Saturday after the MLS Cup finished. I just found it, but it seems even more appropriate today. Precourt is a pretty cool owner!
December 14, 20168 yr The Columbus Crew has been the only team to lose a player in every previous expansion draft. Today's expansion draft featured two teams - Atlanta United FC and Minnesota United FC. But each team only had five selections in this draft. So it was looking like the Crew might not lose a player this time. Nope! Our expansion draft luck continues. Minnesota United FC selected Mo Saeid from our list of unprotected players. (BUMMER!) More about this from Massive Report: (includes a full list of Crew players lost via expansion drafts from 1997 to present) http://www.massivereport.com/2016/12/13/13939836/mohammed-saeid-taken-in-the-mls-expansion-draft Having a day to digest this, I guess its not a huge surprise Minnesota would select Mo Saeid. Apparently Minnesota's coach favors the same 4-2-3-1 formation that Berhalter does. And Saeid can play multiple roles in that formation. He's appeared in 50 games (42 starts) out of 68 games in the 2015 and 2016 seasons with Columbus. He's filled in for Trapp in the back defensive midfield spot; for Tchani in a more forward defensive midfield spot; and even for Higuain in an offensive midfield spot. Saeid has been called the Swiss-army knife of midfielders (although Swedish-army knife might also work, since he was born in Sweden). Plus he's on a cap-friendly contract. Good all-around player with a great personality. Very sorry to lose Saeid to Minnesota. Hope he gets lots of playing time with the Loons! http://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2016/12/12/watch-2016-mls-expansion-draft-tuesday-2-pm-et http://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2016/12/13/armchair-analyst-explaining-moves-made-expansion-draft
December 14, 20168 yr Taking a further look back at the expansion draft, it could have been worse for the Crew. Losing a versatile midfielder like Saeid is a loss. But the Crew have decent depth at midfield with Trapp, Tchani, Higuain, Duka and Jimenez, plus youngsters Cristian Martinez and Rodrigo Saravia. A worse loss would have been if Gaston Sauro was selected. Sauro is likely to pair with Naess as central defenders next season. Plus, our defensive depth is shallow enough already. The Crew could have faced another loss yesterday outside the expansion draft. The LA Galaxy named their next head coach yesterday. Previous Galaxy head coach Bruce Arena stepped down last month to take over the US men's national team. Crew SC head coach Gregg Berhalter was among the names rumored to be in the running for the LA Galaxy job. Berhalter previously played three season for Arena at LA - winning an MLS Cup in 2009 and being a player/assistant coach in 2011. And Berhalter's first non-comment about the LA job didn't exactly close the door on the possibility: http://www.massivereport.com/2016/11/23/13734316/gregg-berhalter-wont-comment-on-la-galaxy-or-usmnt-speculation Until Berhalter did comment and seem to close the door on both the LA job and a possibility of joining Bruce Arena's USMNT coach staff: http://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2016/11/23/gregg-berhalter-responds-usa-galaxy-links-my-focus-columbus But you never know for sure, until the LA head coaching announcement is made official. Which it was yesterday. And LA's choice was the head coach of their USL-level farm club, LA Galaxy II - who had a 41-20-25 record with Galaxy II over the past three seasons: http://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2016/12/13/new-la-galaxy-head-coach-curt-onalfo-says-im-here-reason
December 20, 20168 yr Some good and bad news regarding Crew defensive center backs: GOOD: http://www.dispatch.com/content/blogs/covering-the-crew/2016/12/crewsc-signing-gahanna-and-maryland-standout-alex-crognale.html BAD: http://www.dispatch.com/content/blogs/covering-the-crew/2016/12/crewsc-defender-gaston-sauro-to-miss-all-of-next-season-due-to-knee-surgeries.html The signing of 22-year-old Alex Crognale is potentially great. Crognale is a 6'5" defensive center back who was a former high school and Crew academy teammate with Wil Trapp. Then Crognale played four years at the University of Maryland - leading them to an undefeated regular season this year while earning First-Team All-American honors and being named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year. Crognale signed an MLS homegrown contract with the Crew. Unfortunately, the Crew will not have proven 6'3" defensive center back Gaston Sauro available for all of next season. The team confirmed that the 26-year-old Sauro is scheduled to have another surgery in the coming weeks to the same left knee that limited him to just 13 appearances in 2016. With Sauro out for all of 2017, Crew SC will need to sign at least two additional central defenders for next season to pair with Nicolai Naess, signed during the 2016 summer transfer window, and the aforementioned University of Maryland standout Alex Crognale.
January 13, 20178 yr Crew SC made some more moves to restock their depleted defensive corps. The biggest move was signing 26-year-old Jonathan Mensah as the team's second Designated Player: http://www.massivereport.com/2017/1/3/14155794/official-columbus-crew-sc-sign-defender-jonathan-mensah Jonathan Mensah is a 6'2" central defender from Ghana with international club experience in Spain, France and most recently in Russia. Mensah has also started at central defense for Ghana in the last two World Cups and will be a member of the Ghana's Africa Cup of Nations tournament, which begins tomorrow. Two other defensive moves were the signing of 28-year-old veteran Finnish wingback Jukka Raitala and acquiring 28-year-old former Crew wingback Josh Williams via the MLS Re-Entry Draft: http://www.massivereport.com/2017/1/2/14136166/scouting-report-jukka-raitala http://www.massivereport.com/2016/12/22/14062810/crew-sc-pick-josh-williams-in-stage-2-of-mls-re-entry-draft
January 13, 20178 yr With those moves, the Crew's defensive lineup seems to be shaping up with as follows: Left back: Jukka Raitala, Waylon Francis Centerback: Nicolai Naess, Jonathan Mensah, Josh Williams, Alex Crognale Right Back: Harrison Afful, Josh Williams, Hector Jimenez Raitala and Francis should compete for the starting left back spot. Naess and Mensah are the new starting pair in central defense, with veteran Williams and rookie Crognale backing them up. Afful will continue to roam the right side, with veteran Williams (who can play any of the backline positions) and veteran Jimenez (who can play both wing positions and defensive midfield) as backups. For a deeper dive into the 2017 defense: http://www.massivereport.com/2017/1/4/14147552/crew-sc-defensive-state-of-affairs
January 13, 20178 yr Today's news: - MLS SuperDraft is today at 3PM. The Crew have two first-round picks - 5th overall (their own pick) and 9th overall (NE's pick acquired in the Kei Kamara trade). - Full 2017 MLS schedule has been released, which begins with a home opener against the Chicago Fire on March 4. More about the 2017 schedule: http://www.massivereport.com/2017/1/12/14256270/full-columbus-crew-sc-schedule-released Crew off-season guide:
January 14, 20178 yr - With the 5th overall pick in yesterday's MLS SuperDraft, Crew SC selected Lalas Abubakar, a 22-year-old, 6'1" Ghanaian defender who played the past three seasons with the University of Dayton. Abubakar was named the Atlantic 10 conference's defender of the year with Dayton in 2016 and was said to have significantly improved his draft stock during the MLS draft combines with his athleticism. Abubakar will be the third defender from Ghana on the Crew roster - joining Afful and Mensah, who will both represent Ghana in the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations tournament. - With the 9th overall pick in yesterday's MLS SuperDraft (that the Crew acquired from New England in the Kei Kamara trade), Crew SC selected Niko Hansen, a 22-year-old, 5'10" forward that was born in Denmark but grew up in California. Hansen played the past four seasons with the University of New Mexico and led the Lobos with 13 goals in 21 games during his 2016 season. Hansen's game play has drawn comparisons to the Crew's Justin Meram. http://www.dispatch.com/content/blogs/covering-the-crew/2017/01/011417-crew-sc-makes-two-top-ten-selections-superdraft.html http://www.massivereport.com/2017/1/13/14268286/columbus-crew-sc-select-defender-lalas-abubakar-fifth-overal-superdraft http://www.massivereport.com/2017/1/13/14269380/columbus-crew-sc-select-forward-niko-hansen-with-ninth-overall-pick
January 14, 20178 yr The selection of central defender Lalas Abubakar with the Crew's first pick added to a crowded new look roster of central defenders available for Crew SC: Nicolai Naess, Alex Crognale, Josh Williams and designated player Jonathan Mensah. Having five central defenders available has led to speculation that the Crew might feature a three-man backline for 2017. Something that head coach Gregg Berhalter seemed to confirm when he said “You could read into it that we would be experimenting with some type of three-in-the-back situation” during an interview yesterday: http://www.massivereport.com/2017/1/13/14270598/gregg-berhalter-columbus-crew-sc-possible-move-to-three-at-the-back If so, this would be a major shift in Berhalter's tactical formation. Up to now, Berhalter has used a variation of a 4-5-1 formation (4-2-3-1) that encourages his defensive wing backs to move forward into the attack. This aggressive style often leaves only two central defenders and a defensive midfielder to protect the goalkeeper. In 2014 & 2015, this style got Columbus into the playoffs and all the way to the 2015 MLS Cup Final. But in 2016, it seemed like the league had figured out how to counter this attacking formation and it left the Crew defense vulnerable. Toronto used a 3-5-2 on its run to the 2016 MLS Cup Final - and this formation worked well against the two-striker fronts that are becoming more prevalent in today's MLS. So stay tuned. The construction of the Crew defense and how the pairings and minutes shake out along a reconstructed back line will be a key storyline for the Crew SC this season.
January 24, 20178 yr According to the below link, Crew SC are set to sign 25-year-old Ghanaian defensive midfielder Mohammed Abu: http://www.massivereport.com/2017/1/23/14360100/report-columbus-crew-sc-to-sign-ghanian-mohammed-abu It looks like Abu is signing a two-year deal. This would make Abu the fourth Ghanaian on the Crew roster and yet another signing from a Scandinavian club (Gregg Berhalter coached in Sweden for two years prior to joining the Crew). Abu's player profile seems to match that of our current defensive midfielder Wil Trapp. Abu could certainly act as a backup for Trapp. But he also looks like a replacement for Mo Saeid, who was taken in the expansion draft by Minnesota. (Mo for Mo replacement?)
January 24, 20178 yr ^ With this roster move, Crew SC began their 2017 preseason yesterday: http://www.dispatch.com/sports/20170123/crew-sc--preseason-begins-with-trip-to-brazil As the above linked article notes, it began with a lengthy trip from John Glenn Columbus Airport to Brazil. The Crew will hold a training camp in Sao Paulo, Brazil at its host team practice facility - Sao Paulo of Brazil's Serie A league - until February 9. After Brazil, the team will hold a three-day camp at the SuperKick indoor facility in Powell from Feb. 12-15. Then the team then will head to Charleston, South Carolina, for three exhibition games in the Carolina Challenge Cup (2/18 vs. Atlanta; 2/22 vs. Charleston; 2/25 vs. Seattle) before returning to Columbus for its March 4th MLS home opener against Chicago.
January 28, 20178 yr Two more roster moves announced while Crew SC continues their preseason training in Brazil: - Abuchi Obinwa, 20-year-old central midfielder born in Columbus to Nigerian parents, signed with the Crew. Obinwa has represented the U.S. at the youth level alongside previous Crew homegrown signee Ben Swanson and last played for the youth team of Hannover 96 in the Under-19 German Bundesliga. http://www.massivereport.com/2017/1/25/14387860/columbus-crew-sc-signs-local-born-midfielder-abuchi-obinwa - Cristian Martinez, 19-year-old central midfielder from Panama, completed a permanent transfer agreement to sign with the Crew. Martinez was on loan to the Crew last season from his Panamanian club. In 2016, Martinez appeared with our USL affiliate for 8 games and with Crew SC for 5 games. He scored in his MLS debut as a sub in May and started in the Crew's final two games of the 2016 season. Martinez also started for the Panamanian national team in recent World Cup Qualifying matches. http://www.massivereport.com/2017/1/25/14391138/cristian-martinez-transfers-permanently-to-columbus-crew-sc
February 10, 20178 yr The Crew have returned from their preseason training in Brazil - and may have brought an additional player with them. It appears that 20-year old Sao Paulo midfielder Artur has been acquired by the Crew on loan for 2017 with an option to buy. The move appears similar to last year’s acquisition of Cristian Martinez, who was brought in on loan as a 19 year old. Artur (short for Jose Artur de Lima Junior) is a defensive midfielder who made four senior appearances for Sao Paulo and was recently training for their reserve team: http://www.massivereport.com/2017/2/7/14532364/report-columbus-crew-sc-to-acquire-brazilian-midfielder-artur-sao-paulo
February 10, 20178 yr Here's a couple more preseason roster ponders for Crew SC: http://www.massivereport.com/2017/2/8/14555378/columbus-crew-sc-may-not-be-done-in-the-transfer-market http://www.massivereport.com/2017/2/9/14565756/columbus-crew-sc-still-looking-for-a-starting-goalkeeper
February 18, 20178 yr The Crew begin the first of three preseason games today in the Carolina Challenge Cup in Charleston, South Carolina. Crew SC plays MLS expansion team Atlanta United today (Feb. 18), the host USL club Charleston Battery on Feb. 22, and the Seattle Sounders on Feb. 25. - According to HC Berhalter, we should expect to see something close to the opening day starting lineup in the final game against the Sounders after the staff evaluates the players throughout the coming week: http://www.massivereport.com/2017/2/14/14616250/columbus-crew-sc-gregg-berhalter-want-starting-lineup-after-carolina-challenge-cup - Even though the MLS opening day starting lineup is still somewhat in flux, Massive Report gave it a shot anyway - looking at a possible two-deep roster for two different formations (the usual 4-2-3-1 from previous seasons and the rumored 3-4-3 formation): http://www.massivereport.com/2017/2/16/14646186/who-are-crew-scs-starters-and-how-will-they-line-up
February 22, 20178 yr Some more roster moves: - The Crew signed defender Connor Maloney and goalkeeper Logan Ketterer. Both were drafted by Columbus in the 2017 MLS SuperDraft (3rd & 4th rounds). The signing of a 3rd GK for the roster likely means that either 21-year-old phenom Zack Steffen or 25-year-old veteran backup Brad Stuver will be the opening day starter: http://www.massivereport.com/2017/2/20/14676630/columbus-crew-sc-add-rookies-to-cement-the-roster - The Crew are sending 23-year-old midfielder Rodrigo Saravia on a season-long loan to IK Frej in the Swedish second division. Rodrigo Saravia was a 2016 first-round draft pick who played 10 games for Columbus last season, starting once. He also played 2 games for the Pittsburgh Riverhounds, Crew SC’s USL-affiliate. This loan serves two purposes: (1)it allows Saravia a full season of playing time above USL-level and closer to MLS-level; (2)it alleviates the Crew roster crunch at midfield, while also removing an international spot from the roster (allowing it to meet the MLS maximum international player requirement): http://www.massivereport.com/2017/2/20/14670934/report-columbus-crew-scs-rodrigo-saravia-to-go-on-loan-to-ik-frej
February 22, 20178 yr Columbus Crew SC announced their 2017 TV schedule for their 32 non-nationally broadcast MLS games. Two games will be nationally broadcast (April 1 on UNIMAS; Sept. 10 on ESPN). The other 32 games will be part of a local TV and state-wide cable broadcast package that is nearly identical to last season's. The only change is a name change from the Time Warner Sports Channel to Spectrum Sports (Time Warner was bought by Charter Communications and renamed as Spectrum). - Spectrum Sports will broadcast all 32 non-nationally broadcast games as TWSC did in 2016. - CW Columbus (Ch. 53) will broadcast 25 games. - ABC-6 will broadcast 2 games (including the March 4th opening game) - FOX-28 will broadcast 1 game. - Digital subchannel MY-TV 6.2 will broadcast 4 games. - All 32 games will also be on BCSN2 for Buckeye Broadband subscribers in the Toledo and Sandusky area. - The MLS Live online subscription service and MLS Direct Kick Pay-Per-View service are again available without blackout restrictions. 2017 TV SCHEDULE: http://www.columbuscrewsc.com/broadcast MORE: http://www.columbuscrewsc.com/post/2017/02/21/crew-sc-announces-2017-tv-broadcast-schedule
February 24, 20178 yr Say so long to that awful white-shirt/blue-shorts "special kit" from 2016! This season Crew SC decided not to overthink it and go with an all-yellow primary kit and an all-black secondary kit: -RETURN OF THE GOLD: CREW SC 2017 PRIMARY JERSEYS: http://www.columbuscrewsc.com/gallery/return-gold-crew-sc-2017-primary-jerseys - SIRK'S NOTEBOOK: THE RETURN OF THE BANANA KIT: http://www.columbuscrewsc.com/post/2017/02/24/sirks-notebook-return-banana-kit
February 24, 20178 yr Along with the unveiling of those good-looking 2017 kits, Crew SC unveiled a new three-year jersey sponsorship with Acura - Honda's luxury auto brand. This deal replaces an expiring three-year deal with men’s grooming brand Barbasol: - Crew SC partners with Acura in historic sponsorship agreement: http://www.columbuscrewsc.com/post/2017/02/24/crew-sc-partners-acura-historic-sponsorship-agreement - Columbus Crew SC unveils uniforms with new sponsor Acura: http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2017/02/24/first-look-columbus-crew-sc-unveils-uniforms-with.html
March 3, 20178 yr MLS 2017 starts tonight when Portland hosts expansion Minnesota. The Crew SC 2017 starts tomorrow when they host Chicago at 2PM. It is officially Crewsmas Eve! Coach Berhalter retooled the roster after a very disappointing 2016, bringing in some new faces and letting some players from the 2015 MLS Cup Final roster leave. We won't know the opening day starting roster until tomorrow. But Berhalter stated that the final exhibition game roster would likely be the opening day roster. If he stays with that pledge, then this could be very close to the opening day starting lineup: - Yesterday, Wil Trapp was named team captain and 21-year-old Zach Steffen was named starting goalkeeper. - The defensive back four got the biggest revamp: New signee Jonathan Mensah is paired with late 2016 signee Nicolai Naess to form a physical central defense; new signee Jukka Raitala supplants Francis at left back; Harrison Afful at right back is the only 2015 holdover. - One new defensive midfield starter: Wil Trapp might be paired with new signee Mohammed Abu. Abu is very similar to Trapp in size and playing style. This would be a big change from the more physical Tony Tchani, who filled this role in 2015 and 2016. - The offensive side is unchanged, with the exception of a healthy Federico Higuain. Meram and Finlay still roam the left and right sides. And last year's offensive standout, Ola Kamara, will be the striker, if healthy (he suffered a concussion during the Feb. 12-15 training at the Powell SuperKick facility and did not play any of the three Carolina Cup games). If Ola can't go tomorrow, then Adam Jahn will start. You never know if a strong preseason will led to a strong regular season. But Crew fans should hope it does, because the Crew went 2-0-1 in the Carolina Cup exhibition games: http://www.massivereport.com/2017/2/26/14742380/crew-scs-strong-carolina-cup-answers-key-questions Going into opening day, there's some cautious optimism that Crew SC will rebound from last season to a more "2015" playoff level: http://www.massivereport.com/2017/3/3/14794706/massive-predictions-2017-columbus-crew-sc-new-season-mls
March 5, 20178 yr - CREWSMAS 2017 RECAP (aka The Quest to be 2015 not 2016): http://www.massivereport.com/2017/3/4/14816084/columbus-crew-sc-open-with-a-home-draw-against-rivals-chicago-fire-1-1 - VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS: http://matchcenter.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter/2017-03-04-columbus-crew-sc-vs-chicago-fire/recap Featuring a starting lineup as expected (it was the same as the previous post's graphic except Ola Kamara started at striker) the opening 1-1 draw against Chicago gave some encouragement and discouragement for Crew fans. First the encouragement side: The first half: It saw the possess-and-attack Crew of 2015 on display. The Crew had good scoring chances early and often. In the 3rd minute, a pass back to an open Meram 10-yards from goal was barely saved by the Chicago GK. In the 17th minute, the Crew got their goal on a nice pass into the 6-yard box that Finlay headed into the net. Later Finlay nearly produced a highlight assist when he took a 30-yard pass with his left foot from the air and crossed it just in front of an open runner to the net. A Chicago turnover to Meram nearly resulted in a Higuain goal in the 40th minute. The new position players: Jonathan Mensah in central defense, Jukka Raitala at left back, and Mohammed Abu in midfield all made MLS debuts yesterday. They were all generally good for most of the opening game. No major miscues, though Mensah got put in a bad spot on the Chicago goal and wasn't able to shut down that scoring chance. New GK Zach Steffen: You couldn't tell that Steffen was a 21-year-old making his MLS debut. He didn't have any gaffes or bad moments. The only goal he gave up was basically unsaveable. And he made an athletic save in the 83rd minute that kept the Crew from losing yesterday. Now the discouragement side: The second half: Chicago changed tactics after halftime and the Crew never seemed to adjust. The Fire ramped up its defensive pressure and didn't let the Crew hold possession. Chicago got more shots and scoring chances then finally broke thru with goal at 73' to tie it up. The first half looked like "2015 Crew", while the second half looked like "2016 Crew" (minus the ugly white/blue kits). Higuain: Frederico looked healthy after missing most of 2016. He ranged the field with his customary go-everywhere-to-the-ball style. But his customary sharpness wasn't there. Higuain had trouble maintaining possession and his passing wasn't crisp and accurate. The effort was there but the execution was mostly lacking yesterday. Kamara: Ola returned after staying out of the three exhibition games because of concussion symptoms. He didn't play badly, but it seemed like he wasn't 100 percent. Maybe it was the unusual looking "concussion headband" he was wearing, but something looked off about his play before he was subbed out by Jahn at 70'. Hopefully this was just Ola working his way into game shape. This was a game the Crew could have easily put in the win column with some better finishing. With a second goal in the first half, or with Kamara scoring on a point-blank chance in 48', the Crew could have put the Fire away. Instead, they clung to a one-goal lead in the second half that got away from them. Crew SC will be on the road for the next two Saturday nights (at Houston 3/11; at DC 3/18) before returning home to host Portland on March 25th.
March 7, 20178 yr Some more roster news-n-info (as reported after Saturday's opening game) Part I: Four players were sent on loan. These loans bring the Crew roster into MLS compliance. It is being also being reported that the Crew can recall any of the players on a game-to-game basis: http://www.massivereport.com/2017/3/5/14821416/columbus-crew-sc-announce-loans-to-open-2017-season - Marshall Hollingsworth, 23-year-old midfield and 2016 2nd-round draft pick sent to USL affiliate Pittsburgh Riverhounds. Hollingsworth played 24 games for Pittsburgh last year and scored a goal in the Crew's 2016 Open Cup win over Tampa Bay. - Cristian Martinez, 20-year-old midfielder acquired from his Panamanian club in 2016 was sent to Pittsburgh. Martinez played 8 games for Pittsburgh last year and also played five games for the Crew with one goal scored last year. Martinez is currently on international duty with the Panamanian U-20 team. - Ben Swanson, 19-year-old midfielder acquired via Homegrown Player Contract was also sent to Pittsburgh. Swanson played five games for Pittsburgh and one game for Columbus last year before undergoing season-ending shoulder surgery in July. - And as reported earlier and now conformed by the Crew, 2016 1st-round draft pick, 23-year-old midfielder Rodrigo Saravia was sent to IK Frej in Sweden's Second Division.
March 7, 20178 yr Roster news-n-info, Part II: On Sunday, Crew SC players that didn’t play (or didn’t play much) in Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Chicago, saw some game action in a scrimmage against the University of Akron at the Crew practice facility in Obetz: http://www.massivereport.com/2017/3/5/14821742/columbus-crew-sc-scrimmage-akron-to-a-0-0-draw-recap-thoughts - The scrimmage lineup began with veteran backup GK Brad Stuver and a three-man backline of 2017 rookie draftees Lalas Abubakar and Alex Crognale, plus veteran Josh Williams. Waylon Francis (still recovering from an injury) and 2017 rookie draftee Connor Maloney started at left and right wingback. Tony Tchani, new Brazilian loanee Artur and Hector Jimenez started in midfield. 2017 rookie draftee Niko Hansen and Adam Jahn started at forward positions. - 2017 draftee goalkeeper Logan Ketterer and 20-year-old new midfielder signee Abuchi Obinwa came on in the second half for Stuver and Artur. - The appearance of Tchani in this scrimmage answered a question many were wondering. "Where's Tchani?" Mohammed Abu supplanted Tchani in the Crew starting lineup on Saturday. But Tchani wasn't listed as one of the 7 subs available for the Saturday opener either. Tchani also wasn't listed on the injury list. Tchani's healthy appearance at Sunday's scrimmage confirmed that his disappearance from the Gameday 18 roster was a basically a healthy scratch and not related to any injury.
March 12, 20178 yr - GAME #2 RECAP (aka "At Houston, we had problems"): http://www.massivereport.com/2017/3/11/14896622/crew-sc-fall-3-1-to-houston - VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS: http://matchcenter.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter/2017-03-11-houston-dynamo-vs-columbus-crew-sc/recap So far in the 2017 Crew quest to be 2015 not 2016, only the first half of the opening game has been 2015. The other three halves have been very 2016. And the beginning of this opening road game couldn't have gone worse. In the 2nd minute, indecisive interplay between Trapp and Steffen resulted in a bad turnover to Houston's high press, and an easy goal. The Crew recovered and got two great scoring changes in the 28th minute that were stuffed by Houston's goalkeeper - the first on a Higuain shot set up by a Kamara pass - the second on a Mensah header off a corner kick. Houston took advantage of some poor marking off their corner kick in the 35th minute to go up 2-0. In the second half, with the Crew pressing forward, Houston went up 3-0 on a counter in the 65th minute. The Crew got a consolation goal in the 93rd minute on the very last play of the game from a Meram pass in the 6-yard box that was redirected in by Kamara for the 3-1 final score. Mensah received a red card in the 87th minute. If it doesn't get rescinded before next Saturday's game at DC United, the Crew will be without their DP central defender for that match.
March 18, 20178 yr Crew SC will be missing some starting defenders in the next two matches: - The team decided not to appeal Mensah's red card, so he'll sit out tonight's match at DC. Each MLS team only gets two appeals per season, so the Crew likely felt motivated to retain this for a more critical situation later in the season: http://pressbox.mlssoccer.com/content/appeal-review-red-card-decision - Starting left back Jukka Raitala was called up by the Finnish national team for a pair of games on March 24 & 28. This means Raitala will miss the Crew's next home game vs. Portland on March 25 (and possibly might not play in the following April 1 home game vs. Orlando): http://www.massivereport.com/2017/3/15/14937494/columbus-crew-sc-will-be-without-jukka-raitala-due-to-finland-call-up-world-cup
March 19, 20178 yr - GAME #3 RECAP (aka "No Fake News in DC - the three-man backline is real!"): http://www.massivereport.com/2017/3/18/14970384/columbus-crew-sc-earn-first-win-of-the-season-defeat-d-c-united-2-0 - VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS: http://matchcenter.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter/2017-03-18-dc-united-vs-columbus-crew-sc/recap After teasing a three-man backline formation in preseason, Coach Berhalter unleashed it after an 0-1-1 start and with starting central defender Jonathan Mensah on red-card suspension. Naess went to the left, while 6'5" homegrown contract signee 22-year-old Alex Crognale made his MLS debut at center, and veteran Josh Willams made his season debut on the right. So how'd it go? Pretty darn good, actually. DC didn't torch the Crew defense like Chicago and Houston did in the first two games. Crognale looked really solid in the middle. And the Crew offense looked more dangerous in this 3-4-2-1 formation. The Crew had some great scoring chances in the 13th and 15th minutes that were stuffed by the DC goalkeeper. In the 38th minute, Kamara got taken down on a 1v1 run in the box for a PK. It was converted by Higuain for a 1-0 lead. In the 65th minute, Kamara got taken down in the box again on another 1v1 situation. This PK was converted by Kamara for a 2-0 lead. Steffen made a couple of fine saves in the remainder of the match to keep the 2-0 shutout. Will this be the new Crew formation for 2017? It depends whether this shutout was more a result of the tighter defense Crew SC played against DC - or whether the shutout was more a result of a DC offense that has scored zero goals in its first three matches.
March 25, 20178 yr For Game #4 of a lengthy 34-game season, tonight's match with Portland has a surprising number of storylines: - For the Crew: Mensah returns from his red-card suspension; does rookie defender Crognale also return after last week's fine debut; who replaces Raitala at left back while he's off with the Finnish national team; will the Crew stay with the three-man backline that worked so well in D.C. or return to the 4-2-3-1 - For the Timbers: First return to Columbus since their 2015 MLS Cup victory at Mapfre; can the Timbers sustain their red-hot start (3-0-0 w/+7 GD) without midfielder Darlington Nagbe (off doing USMNT duty) - For the Nordecke: Will a capo-led Nordecke work out? The capo/no capo debate might not mean much to the general fan, but its a big deal for the ultras of the supporters section (see below): http://www.massivereport.com/2017/3/16/14939542/columbus-crew-sc-supporters-a-new-look-for-nordecke-capo
March 26, 20178 yr - GAME #4 RECAP (aka "4-2-3-1 battle royale!"): http://www.massivereport.com/2017/3/25/15063076/columbus-crew-sc-hand-portland-timbers-first-loss-on-the-season - VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS: http://matchcenter.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter/2017-03-25-columbus-crew-sc-vs-portland-timbers/recap Berhalter shifted back to his usual 4-2-3-1 formation with Mensah returning at center back and Francis replacing Raitala at left back. It looked like a bad move after the 4th minute when Portland scored (shades of the MLS Cup). Unlike the MLS Cup though, the Crew quickly tied it in the 11th minute off a corner kick that rattled around to Meram who left-footed it(!) into an open net. Then in the 19th minute, Higuain uncorked a leading pass downfield to a wide-open Kamara - the Timbers keeper came way out to stop Kamara, but a beautiful kick-volley-finish gave the Crew their second goal and a 2-1 lead. Shades of 2016 returned at the very end of the first half though, when an innocent looking pass into the 18-yard box led to a Portland player scoring surrounded by four Crew defenders! Someone needed to shut that down instead of spectating. The second half was much more quiet than the first, until the Crew started to get some decent scoring chances after 80'. The game-winner came in the 84th minute when Afful sent a pass to the 6-yard box that Kamara redirected toward goal. The Portland keeper saved that shot, but the ball came out to an unmarked Crew player who sent it to the back of the net! That Crew player was rookie 1st-round draftee Niko Hansen, who was making his MLS debut as a second half sub for Meram. Not a bad way to start an MLS career! After the week 2 loss at Houston, Columbus was at the bottom of the Eastern standings. After two straight wins, Crew SC vaults to the top of the East. They will host an undefeated Orlando team (2-0-0) next weekend.
April 1, 20178 yr No April Foolin' - Crew fans won't have Tony Tchani to kick around anymore: http://www.massivereport.com/2017/3/30/15129360/columbus-crew-sc-trade-tony-tchani-to-vancouver-whitecaps-for-kekuta-manneh-mls-2017 Central midfielder Tony Tchani was traded to Vancouver (along with allocation money) for 22-year-old forward Kekuta Manneh. Manneh is also in the last year of his contract. If he signs a new contract with Columbus, Vancouver would also receive the Crew's 2018 first-round pick in the MLS SuperDraft.
April 1, 20178 yr ^ Here's a primer on Kekuta Manneh: http://www.massivereport.com/2017/3/31/15131948/kicking-it-with-kekuta-a-manneh-report-columbus-crew-sc-mls-2017 After not appearing in the first four Gameday-18 lineups for the Crew, it became pretty clear that Tchani was not going to factor in Berhalter's plans for 2017. The Crew were also thin in the forward ranks with only Jahn and the rookie Hansen backing up starters Kamara, Higuain, Meram and Finlay. So just on a basis of acquiring a useful player for one not being used, this trade makes sense for the 2017 season. However, given that the Crew also gave up allocation money money and might possibly give up next year's first-round pick, one wonders how Manneh fits into the team's long-range plans. Manneh is a 22-year-old forward from Gambia that received full U.S. citizenship in January (and will not occupy an international roster spot). He's had some early success in five years of MLS play at Vancouver with 101 appearances and 62 starts, scoring 22 goals and picking up 12 assists. He's also considered one of the fastest players in MLS. Right now, all Berhalter will say is that Manneh will compete for playing time with Kamara, Meram and Finlay at the forward/striker positions and that he might see some game time as a sub today against Orlando. Defenders Mensah and Raitala are also game-time decisions for today's Orlando game due to an injury to Mensah in the previous match and Raitala playing for Finland early this week.
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