May 18, 20214 yr 17 hours ago, ColDayMan said: In "duh" news... Columbus Crew restores name after fan backlash The 2020 MLS Cup champions once again be known as the Columbus Crew. Not Columbus SC, the ill-fated name announced a week ago by the club that received backlash from fans. The name reversal, announced by Crew leadership and fan supporter group Nordecke Monday night, comes after the team launched a new logo last week and decided to remove the word "Crew" from its official name, going formally as "Columbus SC." Leadership of the Nordecke, plus some members of the #SaveTheCrew group, met with the team owners on Monday after a week of anger from fans regarding the Crew's name and logo change. "This evening, a positive, collaborative discussion took place between Crew investor-operators, front office executives and a diverse group from the Crew community regarding the future of the club’s brand and the club’s commitment to its supporter community," the groups said in a statement. More below: https://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2021/05/17/crew-name-change-number-two.html I'm glad to see this twist in the on-going rebranding/debranding saga(!) However, it would have been more definitive if team management would have just said, "Our bad, we'll keep the circle crest along with the Columbus Crew SC name, and then revisit any changes during the off-season". This feels like the FO is trying to calm things down and hope the vitriol subsides enough to save as many of their rebrand/debrand elements as possible. Ideally, this last week should go away like a bad dream - so that the team and their supporters can start fresh. From the BizFirst article: After a rocky week, Nordecke communications director Jeff Barger told Columbus Business First that the organization was "cautiously optimistic" about "getting things back on track in terms of our relationship with the club." I do think "cautiously optimistic" is the watchword going forward. However, I also trust The Nordecke to represent the fan base in the future dealings with team management. So, hoping for the best: 17 hours ago, NorthShore647 said: #SavedTheCrewAgain
May 18, 20214 yr More about this from Massive Report: https://www.massivereport.com/2021/5/17/22441114/columbus-crew-front-office-nordecke-release-joint-statement-on-team-branding https://www.massivereport.com/2021/5/18/22441438/were-going-to-be-the-columbus-crew-forever-ownership-fans-reach-much-needed-compromise-mls-2021
May 18, 20214 yr 28 minutes ago, Columbo said: I'm glad to see this twist in the on-going rebranding/debranding saga(!) However, it would have been more definitive if team management would have just said, "Our bad, we'll keep the circle crest along with the Columbus Crew SC name, and then revisit any changes during the off-season". This feels like the FO is trying to calm things down and hope the vitriol subsides enough to save as many of their rebrand/debrand elements as possible. How much of the new merch do they have to try and get rid of? They probably don't want to have to send all of it to 3rd World Countries.
May 18, 20214 yr New, updated brand marks just released by the club - Still not a huge fan of the new logo, but whatever. As we've seen, logos can change.
May 18, 20214 yr Feel much better about this whole rebrand situation after reading the inside-the-meeting story from the Dispatch's Crew beat reporter: If you can't get access to full article, try this url: https://www.thisweeknews.com/story/sports/2021/05/18/columbus-crew-inside-meeting-changed-team-name/5142257001/
May 18, 20214 yr 7 minutes ago, .justin said: New, updated brand marks just released by the club - Still not a huge fan of the new logo, but whatever. As we've seen, logos can change. 7 minutes ago, .justin said: Still not a huge fan of the new logo, but whatever. As we've seen, logos can change. Yeah. Still really dislike that weirdly shaped "C" - but it is getting better.
May 21, 20214 yr The new stadium is REEEEEEALLY starting to come together. This is going to end up being a palace folks. Cant wait to see a match here. So close...
May 23, 20214 yr GAME 6: CREW 2 - 1 NYCFC https://www.mlssoccer.com/competitions/mls-regular-season/2021/matches/nycvsclb-05-22-2021/ https://www.massivereport.com/2021/5/22/22449341/crew-win-on-the-road-zelarayan-defeats-nycfc Always interesting travelling to "NYC" for a match against NYCFC. While the Crew is about one month from moving into their second Soccer Specific Stadium - NYCFC is still playing in Yankee Stadium(!) Only they're not playing in Yankee Stadium this time. NYCFC is sharing NYRB's Red Bull Arena this year, because reasons? So the Crew aren't really in NYC, they're in Harrison, NJ(!) Despite the weirdness of NYCFC playing their home games in their NYC rival home stadium, it is better than playing in the Yankee Stadium outfield(!) This will be a standard-sized soccer field, and not abnormally narrow because NYCFC can't remove the pitching mound for a proper width field, because they share Yankee Stadium with the New York Yankees, because they play IN THE OUTFIELD OF A BASEBALL STADIUM(!!!) (Sorry for the rant - but NYCFC deserves to be ripped until they have a suitable home.) Anyway, the Crew needed to get their 2021 MLS season back on track. Going into yesterday's game, the Crew had only 3 goals in 5 MLS games. And all three of those goals came in a 3-1 win over DC(!) Fortunately, they've only given up 4 goals in those 5 games. So by virtue of two 0-0 results, the Crew had a 1-2-2 record. Not too big of a hole to climb out of - IF THEY START SCORING GOALS AND WINNING GAMES(!!) In the first half, it didn't look like that was going to happen. The Crew looked bad. NYCFC got a goal in the 18th minute to go up 1-0. If not for two high quality saves from Eloy Room, the Crew would have been down three goals at halftime. And at halftime, the Crew had registered ZERO SHOTS(!) And soccer experts will tell you that it's hard to score goals with zero shots. The second half didn't go much better for the Crew. They did register their first shots and even got one shot-on-goal (WHOOPIE). But passing the 80th minute, it was still NYCFC with a 1-0 lead. Then, in the 82nd minute, Diaz draws a foul about 28 yards from the NYCFC net. Lucas Zelarayn sizes up the free-kick and blasts a swerving knuckle-shot into the net that leaves the NYCFC keeper flat-footed to tie it up 1-1: Then, during stoppage time in the 95th minute, Zardes draws a foul right at the edge of the 18-yard box. Not the most ideal spot because it's almost too close to get the ball over the defensive wall and under the crossbar of the goal. But Zelarayan once again sized up his free-kick opportunity to win the game - and then... ...produces another moment of magic(!!!!!!) Just an incredible shot! The Crew win 2-1 on two amazing Zelarayan free-kicks(!) The Crew then fled Harrison, NJ as quickly as they could before they got arrested for stealing three points on the road from NYCFC(!!!)
June 1, 20214 yr GAME 7: CREW 2 - 1 TORONTO https://www.mlssoccer.com/competitions/mls-regular-season/2021/matches/clbvstor-05-29-2021/ https://www.massivereport.com/2021/5/29/22459016/columbus-crew-makes-toronto-fc-feel-blue-with-2-1-win-before-june-break The Crew won their last game because of some amazing free-kicking ability from Lucas Zelarayan. But if the Crew were going start their first winning streak of the young season, they would need some scoring from more than just him. Fortunately, that is just what the Crew got on Saturday against TFC. The Crew's first goal came in the 12th minute off a TFC corner kick that went nowhere and fell to Santos, who quickly advanced the ball forward into the path of a wide-open Luis Diaz, who sped past the final TFC defender. Diaz's 80-yard sprint ended in the TFC 18-yd box with a nifty finish past the keeper to give the Crew an early 1-0 lead. The Crew thought that had their second goal in the 19th minute during a pinball sequence in the TFC 18-yd box. A shot by Etienne deflected over to Zardes, who knocked it in. However, Zardes was ruled offside during the shot. However, the Crew did get their second goal in the 22nd minute on a fast break that was started by Etienne, passed over to Santos, who drove a beautiful crossing pass onto the path of Zardes at the edge of the 6-yd box, who knocked it home for his 50th goal in the Crew uniform. After being dominated in the first half, Toronto played a much better second and scored 7 minutes in at the 52' mark to narrow it to 2-1. But the Crew defense tightened up their defense to deny TFC high-quality scoring chances. However, Room was forced to make a tough save on a Bradley shot in the 96th minute to preserve the win. One lineup change was key to the win. With both starting left back Valenzuela and backup left back Francis both out which hamstring injuries, Pedro Santos moved from left wing to left back. The change worked brilliantly with Santos getting assists on both Crew goals. This is final game before a three-week MLS break to start June. The team is hoping to have some key players - Molino, Valenzuela, Francis, Kitchen - return to the lineup after the break. The Crew ends this first portion of the regular season with a record of 3-2-2 and 11 points. That's good enough to be above the playoff line and 5th in PPG in the East. The Crew’s next match after the break on June 19 will be a special one when they host the Chicago Fire in the last ever game at historic Crew Stadium.
June 2, 20214 yr https://www.nbc4i.com/sports/mls/columbus-crew/crew-sc-announce-full-capacity-for-final-game-at-historic-crew-stadium/ https://www.massivereport.com/2021/6/2/22465650/columbus-crew-announces-full-capacity-for-the-last-ever-game-at-historic-crew-stadium The Columbus Crew announced that when the team hosts its final game at Historic Crew Stadium, it will welcome back fans at full capacity. “The ability to open Historic Crew Stadium to full-capacity crowds for our final match allows us to give our storied venue a proper send-off,” said Columbus Crew President & General Manager Tim Bezbatchenko in a press release. On Saturday, June 19, the Crew will face the Chicago Fire at 7:30 p.m. When the ball is kicked off at historic Crew Stadium on June 19, it will break a 475-day streak without full attendance for an MLS match in Columbus. The defending MLS Cup champs will say farewell to its 22-year home in a little over two weeks before moving into New Crew Stadium in downtown on July 3 against the New England Revolution.
June 9, 20214 yr While MLS is on an international tournament break, some Crew players have been called up to their national teams. Interestingly, the Crew's veteran players who have previously been called up for national team duty didn't get called this time (i.e. Zadres & Nagbe for USA; Mensah & Afful for Ghana). This time it was mostly younger players getting their shot: Luis Diaz (Costa Rica) Derrick Etienne Jr. (Haiti) Liam Fraser (Canada) Alex Matan (Romania Under-23) Eloy Room (Curacao) Unfortunately, Diaz suffered a knee injury while training with Costa Rica, forcing him out of their national team matches. Diaz returned to Columbus for further evaluation and recovery. Last Friday, head coach Caleb Porter gave an update on Diaz’s injury status and other the injury status for other players as the team continues to train during the international break. https://www.massivereport.com/2021/6/4/22518911/caleb-porter-provides-injury-updates-on-luis-diaz-kevin-molino-other-columbus-crew-players “He took a little knock to the knee. It’s not serious but enough where he is not able to train right now. He might be out a week, maybe two but nothing more than that. A little bit of an MCL kind of light sprain,” said Porter. Porter also provided an update on the status of winger Kevin Molino, midfielder Perry Kitchen, and left backs Milton Valenzuela and Waylon Francis: "Kevin is getting there. He’s been training the last couple of days. He hasn’t done the full training but he’s done partials. We are hoping he can maybe play a role (against the Chicago Fire on June 19), but that might be too soon. We’ll be smart obviously with it. Milton and Perry are probably a couple of weeks away. Waylon, we should have back hopefully by Chicago,” said Porter. Hopefully we'll get to see Kevin Molino make his Crew debut after the break. Same for Valenzuela, Kitchen, Francis and Diaz being available after the break ends on June 19. Although, I'm getting concerned that Porter says Valenzuela is "a couple weeks away". I swear he said the same thing a couple weeks ago(!) The article also mentioned the team will moving into their new OhioHealth Performance Center sometime this week. YAY!
June 14, 20214 yr The Crew are in the middle of the three-week MLS international break, but its been eventful times for the team: Last Wednesday, the team moved into their new training facility, the OhioHealth Performance Center built next to the original Crew Stadium. Tomorrow, the team might reveal who bought the naming rights for the new Crew Stadium. Meanwhile, the team is preparing to host their final game in original Crew Stadium next Saturday against Chicago. And last Saturday, the team got their 2020 MLS Cup Championship rings:
June 15, 20213 yr I know this thread is (mostly) for on-the-field Columbus Crew or team roster related news - but for documentation purposes, and for those who follow this thread and might be unaware of this info in the other projects & construction threads: 17 hours ago, Columbo said: Last Wednesday, the team moved into their new training facility, the OhioHealth Performance Center built next to the original Crew Stadium. The opening of the OhioHealth Performance Center is in the Ohio Expo Center developments thread: https://forum.urbanohio.com/topic/17056-columbus-ohio-expo-center-developments-and-news/?tab=comments#comment-1018943
June 15, 20213 yr Also: 17 hours ago, Columbo said: Tomorrow, the team might reveal who bought the naming rights for the new Crew Stadium. The naming rights for the new Crew Stadium is in this thread: https://forum.urbanohio.com/topic/1415-columbus-downtown-lowercom-field-astor-park/page/16/?tab=comments#comment-1019623
June 15, 20213 yr Plus: 17 hours ago, Columbo said: Meanwhile, the team is preparing to host their final game in original Crew Stadium next Saturday against Chicago. And a really good 7 minute talk that 10TV's Dom Tiberi (aka 'The Insider') had with 97.1's J.D. 'T-Bone' Smith about the bittersweet feelings on the upcoming final Crew game in the original Crew Stadium:
June 19, 20213 yr The Crew are returning to the field after a three-week break. And while that's awesome, tonight will be bittersweet as Crew fans say goodbye to their original Crew Stadium: https://www.massivereport.com/2021/6/18/22466001/a-thank-you-to-historic-crew-stadium-columbus-2021 https://www.dispatch.com/story/sports/mls/columbus-crew/2021/06/19/memories-come-thick-saturday-crew-stadiums-swan-song/7744820002/ Tonight is the last Crew game in the original Crew Stadium before the team hosts their first game on July 3 in the new downtown stadium. The new downtown stadium is an obvious upgrade over the more humble "erector set" quickly built in 1999. But the tiny demon fortress is massive with memories and MLS/U.S. Soccer history. Massive Report took some time to reflect on the most memorable of the original Crew Stadium moments in a series that noted the top 15 moments. Below is a link to the #1 moment - the 2020 MLS Cup Championship - which also contains links to the other top 15 moments, plus some honorable mentions, from the listing below: https://www.massivereport.com/2021/6/18/22344809/columbus-crew-stadium-moment-no-1-mls-cup-2020-seattle-sounders No. 1: The 2020 MLS Cup championship No. 2: Dos A Cero 2001 No. 3: First-Ever Game in 1999 No. 4: 2008 Eastern Conference Final No. 5: Dos a Cero 2013 No. 6: Dos A Cero 2009 No. 7: 2017 Halloween playoff win over NYCFC No. 8: 2003 Women’s World Cup No. 9: The Legends Game No. 10: Landon Donovan, Earthquakes win first MLS Cup No. 11: The 2002 U.S. Open Cup championship No. 12: Wil Trapp’s miracle game winner No. 13: The scoreboard fire No. 14: 2005 MLS All-Star Game No. 15: The first game after Kirk Urso’s passing Honorable Mentions
June 20, 20213 yr In the build-up to this final game at original Crew Stadium, the team and its broadcaster came though with some heartwarming trips down memory lane. (I'm not crying, there's dust in my eye!)
June 20, 20213 yr GAME 8: CREW 2 - 0 CHICAGO FINAL GAME AT ORIGINAL CREW STADIUM https://www.mlssoccer.com/competitions/mls-regular-season/2021/matches/clbvschi-06-19-2021/ https://www.massivereport.com/2021/6/19/22541816/columbus-crew-sends-off-crew-stadium-with-win-against-the-chicago-fire-mls-2021 Coming off the three-week international break, the Crew were hoping to get some injured players back in the lineup for the Crew Stadium send-off. Although they did get Molino and Francis available off the bench for this game, they actually lost two more starters(!) Room was in a mandated covid isolation after playing for Curacao and off-season acquisition Evan Bush replaced him in net. Artur was out with a nagging hip injury and was replaced by TFC loanee Fraser in defensive midfield. And with Diaz's injury picked up during practice with Costa Rica, young off-season signee Matan started at left wing. Santos once again slid into the left back spot to replace the injured Valenzuela. The final game at original Crew Stadium brought a flood of emotion from the sold-out capacity crowd. And the team rode that emotion in the first half. The Crew offense had the Chicago defense on its heels. And in the 17th minute Zelarayan chipped a short cross into a crowded 6-yd box that forced a weak header clearance from Chicago that fell to Zardes- who ripped a right-footed, one-time shot from 11 yards out to give Columbus a 1-0 lead. Then in the 34th minute, Mensah caught the Chicago defense napping and hit a pass forward to Etienne, who got behind the Chicago backline. As Etienne broke into the 18-yd box, the Chicago keeper closed him down, but he then passed over to a wide open Zardes for an easy tap-in for his second goal of the night. The second half didn't match the intensity of the first with the Crew up 2-0. Columbus didn't press forward as much with the lead and Chicago didn't create many scoring chances. Francis came on in the 63rd minute at left back for his first action in a while. And off-season acquisition Kevin Molino made his Crew debut in the 71st minute. In the end, the final score was 2-0 for the Crew. Appropriately, another Dos a Cero final score in the final game at original Crew Stadium.
June 23, 20213 yr Only a month ago, the 2021 season was looking shaky. On May 5, the team was eliminated from the Champions League with a tough 3-0 loss at Monterrey, on May 16 a 1-0 loss at New England dropped the team to 1-2-2 in MLS play and injuries were gutting the deep roster built up over the off-season. Now the Crew have won three straight MLS games and have their season back on track. After last Saturday's win to close out Original Crew Stadium, the Crew are 4-2-2 (4th in the East on points; 3rd in PPG). But after a three-week hiatus, the MLS games are coming fast and furious now. Tonight the Crew face Philadelphia, last season's Supporters Shield winner - who are 3rd in the East on points and 4th in PPG - a virtual standings tie with Columbus. Then, two emotional nationally televised games to follow. On Sunday (6/27) the first Crew game at Austin(!) Then on Saturday, July 3, the opening game at the Crew's brand new downtown stadium against old rivals New England(!) And if those two emotional games weren't enough, the following Friday (7/9) is the first 'Hell is Real' match at FCC's new stadium(!!)
June 24, 20213 yr GAME 9: CREW 0 - 1 PHILADELPHIA https://www.mlssoccer.com/competitions/mls-regular-season/2021/matches/phivsclb-06-23-2021/ https://www.massivereport.com/2021/6/23/22547979/columbus-crew-three-game-winning-streak-ends-in-loss-to-philadelphia-union With this mid-week match sandwiched between an emotional goodbye to original Crew Stadium last weekend and an emotional game at Austin next weekend, it had the makings of a trap game. Add in facing a strong Philly team on the road and injuries limiting the ability to rest the roster. Molino (just back from injury and in only his second game with the Crew) replaced Zelarayan at the 10 spot, Wormgoor replaced Williams on the backline, and Room was in net after finishing his covid isolation. But otherwise, it was the same starting 11 as last weekend. Artur, BWP and Kitchen were still unavailable - but Zelrayan, Valenzuela, Francis and Hairston were on the bench. The Crew offense was punchless in the first half without Zelarayan and Philadephia put pressure on the Crew defense. In the 24th minute, a dangerous cross into 6-yd box was headed clear by the Crew defense. Unfortunately, the ball dropped to an unmarked Monteiro, their leading scorer, at edge of the 18-yd box. Monteiro blasted a shot that got past Room and also got past Mensah, who was in position behind Room make a save. But the hard shot glanced off Mensah's leg into the goal to give Philly a 1-0 lead. Zelarayan came on for Molino at halftime and the Crew offense perked up in the second half. However, the Philly defense packed in and prevented the Crew from prime scoring chances. Valenzuela made his first game appearance since late April as a sub at 60'. In the 74th minute, Philly almost went down a player when a hard tackle on Zelarayan was given a straight red card. But after VAR review, the ref reduced it to a yellow (correct call btw). Hairston came on at 76' for his first Crew game appearance and nearly tied the game in the 82th minute. Under tight defense, Zelarayan passed to Zardes at 18-yd box edge, who quickly headed it over to Hairston - who had broken away from the defense about 12 yards from the Philly goal. However, Philly goalkeeper Andre Blake strongly closed ranks with Hairston to barely save his shot. And that would be the Crew's best chance to tie the game. The Crew out-possessed Philly 61.5% to 38.5%, out-shot Philly 8 to 5, and limited Philly to only 1 shot-on-goal. But Philly scored on their one SOG, and Philly saved our best SOG. The Crew deserved a road draw, but Philly did just enough to earn the 1-0 win. Now, it's on to Austin...
June 28, 20213 yr GAME 10: CREW 0 - 0 AUSTIN https://www.mlssoccer.com/competitions/mls-regular-season/2021/matches/atxvsclb-06-27-2021/ https://www.massivereport.com/2021/6/27/22553336/columbus-crews-first-trip-austin-fc-ends-in-0-0-draw-mls-2021 The game might have finished 0-0, but it was one of the most energetic 0-0 matches you'll see. A jazzed up sold-out crowd and end-to-end action with 32 total shots and 11 SOG's - but the final finishing touch wasn't there for both teams last night. Austin seemed buoyed by the home crowd and had the Crew on their back heel for the firs 20 minutes. After that initial period, the Crew got more possession and shots to even out the rest of the first half. However, an unforced error on a Mensah pass off the backline almost produced an Austin goal in first half stoppage time. Fortunately, Room made a diving save to keep it 0-0 at halftime. To begin the second half, the Crew replaced Valenzuela with Francis at left back and switched Molino to right wing for Santos. Both Valenzuela and Molino were returning from lengthy injury time-off and it showed in the first half against Austin's offense. Hairston also replaced Fraser to start the second half and Etienne replaced Molino at the 55th minute to further stabilize the Crew defense. The Crew had some decent chances to decide the game in the second half. The first was early in the 47th minute were Zelarayan took an open shot 25 yards out that forced a diving save from Austin's keeper, former Crew backup GK Brad Stuyer. The best chance was in the 7th minute off a Zelarayan free kick to Zardes gathered at the edge of the 6-yd box - but he had trouble getting off a hard enough shot to beat Stuyer, who made a desperation kick save. In the 90th minute, Nagbe drove into the 18-yard box, made contact with an Austin defender and went down. But no penalty or PK was forthcoming (correct call BTW) so the game finished scoreless.
June 28, 20213 yr Although it would have been great to beat Precourt and for his old team to score the first MLS goal in his new "home", the game was still a good event on the national stage. Austin's fans are certainly worthy of being part of MLS. This Pride month placard display was a highlight at the game: NorOnTour showed up at Austin - although because Austin only allotted 50 road tickets, it was a very small section: Back in Columbus at Lower.com Field, the home of the new Nordecke, there were many more fans rooting on the Crew at an open house watch party: Including part of the team's ownership watching with one of the team supporter groups: And although Precourt got his Austin stadium opened a few weeks ago - he needs to keep working on the field. The Q2 Stadium grass looked rough in some parts - and in the second half, a giant divot had to be replaced when two players cleats tore open the grass after a sliding tackle(!)
July 3, 20213 yr There's always something when you move into your new place. The Nordecke sent out this tweet notifying us that their TIFO will not displayed at today's game. Apparently there were some safety issues with the new TIFO rigging system that won't allow for its display today. Disappointing, but understandable:
July 3, 20213 yr GAME UNDERWAY: The Crew are winning twitter: But the Revs are winning the game with an early 13th minute goal (and then another at 30' as I posted this): ^ That stings - but props to Revs fans for knowing Columbus USMNT history(!)
July 3, 20213 yr Zardes equalized the game in the 69th minute - technically a really bizarre Revs own goal that ended up with the Revs keeper, Revs defender and Zardes all crashing into the ball at the goal-line as it goes in(!) Not as pretty as his first goal, but they count the same on the scoreboard. Game tied 2-2:
July 3, 20213 yr The Crew very nearly got a game-winning goal in second-half stoppage time. But some desperate defending from the Revs prevented three shots from inside the 18-yd box from crossing the goal-line. So the inaugural game in Lower.com Field ends up 2-2. Here's a better, multi-angled replay of the own-goal that gave the Crew a draw:
July 5, 20213 yr GAME 11: CREW 2 - 2 NEW ENGLAND https://www.mlssoccer.com/competitions/mls-regular-season/2021/matches/clbvsne-07-03-2021/ https://www.massivereport.com/2021/7/3/22562283/columbus-crew-new-england-revolution-split-the-points-in-draw-to-open-lower-com-field The top-of-the-table New England Revolution made the most of their first-half scoring chances with two beautifully executed goals off crossing passes in the 13th and 30th minutes. Zardes made a strong individual turn & shoot goal in the 39th to cut the lead at halftime, before tying it up in the 69th on that Revs defensive miscue that ended up in a three-way collision at the goal. We would have preferred a win to open the new downtown stadium. But after going down two goals early against a 1st-place team, getting a standings point for a draw after a comeback isn't bad. Ultimately, the new stadium and the fans stole the show on Saturday - and it was all good at the end of the game:
July 8, 20213 yr Before moving on to tomorrow's match at Cincinnati, here's a bunch of links to a bunch of photos from the grand opening of the Crew's new downtown stadium. In the Lower.com Field / Astor Park development thread, two excellent posts with lots of photos of the before, during and after of Saturday's opening game: cbussoccer: https://forum.urbanohio.com/topic/1415-columbus-downtown-lowercom-field-astor-park/page/19/?tab=comments#comment-1022404 NorthShore647: https://forum.urbanohio.com/topic/1415-columbus-downtown-lowercom-field-astor-park/page/19/?tab=comments#comment-1022405 And four local media photo galleries of opening day: https://www.dispatch.com/picture-gallery/sports/2021/07/03/gallery-columbus-crew-fans-prep-first-day-lower-com-field/7852208002/ https://www.massivereport.com/2021/7/4/22562537/gallery-columbus-crew-vs-new-england-revolution-lower-dot-com-field-opener https://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2021/07/05/photos-columbus-crew-unveils-lower-com-field.html https://www.columbusunderground.com/photos-columbus-crew-vs-new-england-revolution-me1/
July 9, 20213 yr With Saturday's draw against the Revs, the Crew moves to 4-3-4 on the year. The team heads to Cincinnati on Friday for this season's first Hell Is Real Derby. Injures have been a nagging problem so far this season. And it would have been a critical problem for last Saturday's lineup if Zardes, Santos and Diaz - who were all questionable - hadn't started. Diaz was making his first appearance since 5/29 against after suffering an injury with his national team a few days later. Hairston also made his first start for the Crew after playing well off the bench against Austin last week. All of those questionable players were vital for Saturday's lineup because Bradley Wright Phillips, Artur and Williams were unavailable due to injury plus the recently returned Molino and Etienne were unavailable due to national team duty. During Saturday's game, the injury situation got worse when the recently returned Valenzuela was replaced in the 43rd minute because of a leg injury. Because of injuries and call-ups for international play, July is looking like it might be a much more difficult month than expected for the Crew. They play at FCC on Friday 7/9, host NYCFC on Saturday 7/17 and host Nashville on Wednesday 7/21, then finish July with two road games at Atlanta on Saturday 7/24 and at NYCFC on Friday 7/30. BWP, Artur, Williams and now Valenzuela (again) just can't seem to stay healthy enough to help the team. Plus five other Crew players will miss time during July because of Gold Cup national team call-ups: https://www.massivereport.com/2021/7/1/22553484/a-number-of-columbus-crew-players-called-up-to-2021-gold-cup-rosters-gyasi-zardes-kevin-molino Gyasi Zardes - United States -- This is the biggest loss for the team. The Crew have struggled to score goals in 2021, and Zardes accounts for the last four for the team (five if you include that Saturday own-goal he was involved in). The USMNT plays its first group stage game on 7/11 and finishes on 7/18. But they are very likely to advance into the Gold Cup knockout rounds, which start 7/24, with the semi-final on 7/29 and the final on 8/1. It is likely that Zardes will miss the entire month of July with the Crew. And if BWP is unavailable, the team would have to rely on inexperienced Miguel Berry or start someone out of position in the #9 role. (or acquire another player) Eloy Room - Curacao -- Although losing your starting goalkeeper is not ideal, the team can absorb Room’s loss for a few games. The acquisition of veteran backup GK Evan Bush allows for a quality keeper to replace Room while he’s on national team duty. Bush has already filled in for Room on June 19 against Chicago and had a shutout. Curacao plays from 7/10 to 7/18 in the group stage. If they don’t advance, Room might only miss two or three games in July. Kevin Molino - Trinidad & Tobago -- Molino’s T&T team played two qualifying games before the Gold Cup started (which was why he was unavailable last Saturday). Trinidad & Tobago won those games and qualified for the tournament. T&T plays from 7/10 to 7/18. If they don’t advance into the knockout rounds, Molino might only miss two or three games in July. Derrick Etienne Jr. - Haiti -- Etienne’s Haiti team also played two qualifying games before the Gold Cup started (which was why he was unavailable last Saturday). Haiti qualified for the tournament and will play from 7/10 to 7/18. If they don’t advance, Etienne might only miss two or three games in July. Although the Crew have some depth at the forward wing positions that Molino and Etienne play, injuries and call-ups have left them thin. So the less games both are away from the Crew, the better. Liam Fraser - Canada -- Fraser’s Canadian team will play their group stage games from 7/11 to 7/18. If they don’t advance into the knockout rounds, Fraser might only miss the next two or three games for the Crew. With Artur out, Fraser has been the midfield partner for Nagbe for the past few games. Although the Crew have some depth with Kitchen and Parente at Fraser’s position, his absence will leave the depth chart very thin and susceptible to injuries. https://www.dispatch.com/story/sports/2021/07/07/columbus-crew-milton-valenzuela-out-four-six-weeks/7890147002/ And now we find out that Valenzuela suffered a hamstring injury that will keep him out four to six weeks. All of July - at a minimum(!) Even worse, the above linked Dispatch article mentioned that because Diaz is now healthy, his Costa Rican national team might recall him for Gold Cup group stage play. At the beginning of June, Diaz suffered a knee injury while training with Costa Rica - then rehabbed with the Crew - and now that he’s healthy again the Ticos want to take him away from the Crew again(!?!?) Please give us a break Costa Rica. If Diaz is recalled, the Crew would be missing 11 roster players due to injury and international duty for Friday's match at FC Cincinnati and the 7/17 game against NYCFC(!!!) I’m wondering if Porter can field a full gameday 18 for these next two games(!!!!)
July 9, 20213 yr https://www.massivereport.com/2021/7/8/22567250/columbus-crew-acquires-erik-hurtado-in-trade-with-cf-montreal-mls-trade-2021 Because the below tweet is fact, the Crew made a deal to acquire a 30-year-old, nine-season MLS veteran forward today:
July 9, 20213 yr With 11 players unavailable for the Crew in the first "HELL IS REAL" at TQL Stadium, I'm really wondering who Porter starts tonight. At Massive Report, they had fans select a starting 11 and then had their writers select a starting 11: https://www.massivereport.com/2021/7/9/22569943/columbus-predicted-xi-hell-is-real-fc-cincinnati-mls-2021 Here's what the fans chose. With BWP still unavailable, either Berry or the newly acquired Hurtado (if even available) would need replace him at the striker position to play Porter's customary 4-2-3-1 formation: Here's what the writers chose. With the striker options being less than ideal, the writers went with a 4-3-3 formation that features Zelarayan playing a "False 9" position. Very interesting: And then SaveTheCrew's Morgan Hughes created this lineup featuring the 11 unavailable Crew players as a starting 11(!)
July 10, 20213 yr GAME 12: CREW 2 - 2 CINCINNATI https://www.mlssoccer.com/news/recap-fc-cincinnati-2-columbus-crew-2 https://www.massivereport.com/2021/7/9/22570878/columbus-crew-claw-back-to-earn-dramatic-hell-is-real-draw-at-fc-cincinnati-mls-2021 With 11 players missing from the Crew roster, here's the starting lineup Porter went with. It's his standard 4-2-3-1 formation, but with Zelarayan and Nagbe moving forward from their customary positions: This new arrangement might have made sense on paper, but on the pitch it didn't work. With the raucous TQL crowd behind them, FCC aggressively put pressure on the Crew's play-from-the-back possession game. And without Nagbe and Zelarayan in their key positions to retain possession, FCC played much of the first half on the Crew side of the field. It also helped the FCC cause to get this chaos-in-the-box goal only 25 seconds in(!) Another chaos-in-the-box goal for FCC that featured ball watching from the Crew and a nice finish from Acosta to put FCC up 2-0 after 24 minutes(!) It was an emotional and chippy first half from both teams, and the game ref tried to deal with it by issuing yellow cards (6 in the 1st half!) instead calming players down with some "talking to's". When so many yellow's are issued so early, you usually see a player pick up a second yellow before the game ends. And that's what happened to Harrison Afful in the 42nd minute. So now the Crew were down 2 goals plus down one player for the rest of the game(!!) But losing Afful actually turned the game around for the Crew. In forced Hairston from midfield into Afful's right back position - which then forced Zelarayan and Nagbe to move back into their natural positions in the 4-2-3-1 (minus 1) formation. With Zelarayan further back in the field, he started getting more touches on the ball. And in the first minute of first half stoppage time, Zelarayan uncorked this amazing 30-yard shot to give the Crew some life going into halftime: The game was now 2-1 to start the second half, but the Crew would be down a player for this entire half. Abdul-Salaam came on at halftime to play Afful's right back position in the second half. Midfielder Kitchen was removed and Hairston moved back to midfield. Miguel Berry (who had all of 1 minute of MLS experience) came on in the 57th minute, and Keita replaced Wormgoor at the same time. Zelarayan nearly tied the game up in the 62nd minute with a blast that hit the bottom of the crossbar but stayed out. Berry had a golden chance in the 65th minute off a Zelarayan free kick that saw him break free 6 yards from FCC net, but Berry footed the ball over the goal. In the 75th minute, new acquisition Hurtado and rookie Parente came on in the 75th minute for fresher legs. But the moment of the match came in the 77th minute - when Zelarayan playied a perfectly weighted through ball to Berry, who made a perfectly timed run, to get behind the FCC defense and into the 18-yard box. The FCC keeper tried to close out the play, but Berry (who had 1 minute of MLS experience going into this game) calmly finished the ball like a veteran past the keeper to tie the game up 2-2(!!!) And that is how it would finish. Third straight draw for the Crew. Back-to-back games going down two goals and coming back to draw 2-2. Wins are better than draws - but when you go down two goals plus a player and still get a road point out of that - you take it. If Gordon Gee was still in Columbus, he could say "This tie is one of our greatest wins ever" and not be wrong this time(!!)
July 10, 20213 yr The first HELL IS REAL game in Cincinnati's new TQL Stadium did not disappoint(!) This was the Crew's third straight "first game in a new stadium" - at Austin's Q2 Stadium; then the Lower.com Field opener in Columbus; then at Cincinnati. That's got to be something that will never be repeated in MLS(!) NorOnTour was there in their "prime seating" next to and in front of the corner scoreboard: From which they could see this prime shade from the other TQL Stadium scoreboard: The Dispatch reporter at the stadium had this clearer view of the graphic from his press box feed: But NorOnTour got the final laugh when they cheered and chanted after the game-tying goal in the 77th minute(!)
July 12, 20213 yr That game was awesome, my first game in the new stadium and since FCC joined the MLS. The atmosphere was great and I couldn't help but think about how lucky Cincy was to get a slot in the MLS. OTR and the neighborhood around the stadium was filled with people; randoms, FCC fans and Crew fans. It was electric and one of the first nights walking around the city I felt things were feeling pre-pandemic levels of normal.
July 12, 20213 yr It was pretty crazy to hear how loud the Crew fans were after both of their goals. I was watching on TV and it sounded like I was watching a Premier League game where the travel support often numbers in the range of 5-10k due to the close proximity of teams. I also heard the Crew fans very clearly chanting and singing on the broadcast on numerous occasions. I'm not at all surprised though as I Crew-FCC game at Nippert in 2019 and the Crew support was insane. Also, Zelarayan's goal was insane, and he very nearly had a second goal that was equally impressive. The guy can completely change the entire game for us, as he did in this game and as he did in the MLS Cup final. I also love that he's not afraid to do the dirty work and get into a tackle. Such an amazing player.
July 17, 20213 yr Technically the above tweet is inaccurate. Only half of the missing roster is "in the hospital". The other half is in the Gold Cup(!) But the gist of the tweet is accurate. The extreme roster issues the Crew faced last week will even get a bit worse for the next two games. And they're two important home games that will impact the Crew's playoff hopes. Tonight the 8th-place Crew host 6th-place NYCFC - who are tied at 17 points but NYCFC has one game-in-hand Wednesday the Crew host 5th-place Nashville - who are two points ahead of the Crew with equal games-played For tonight's game, Afful is out because of red-card suspension - so Abdul-Salaam will likely replace him. Wormgoor is out with a hamstring injury - so Keita will likely replace him. Room might be back in goal because his Curacao Gold Cup team got forfeited because of covid protocol. However, five others players - Zardes, Molino, Etienne, Fraser and Diaz - are still at the Gold Cup. And with Valenzuela (hamstring) and Artur (hip) continuing to be out, plus Williams (ankle) and BWP (hamstring) listed as questionable - the bench depth will be even thinner than the previous match. Although, a piece of good roster news is the emergence of Berry and the addition of Hurtado to play the striker position. With Zardes out at the Gold Cup for likely the rest of month and BWP's uncertain return - having Berry and Hurtado available at striker will at least allow the rest of the available players to play in their normal positions (particularly Zelarayan and Nagbe).
July 17, 20213 yr Porter was able the field a "full gameday 18" - but he needed to use two backup keepers to do it(!) BWP is also listed on the bench (good news if he's healthy - LOL if he's just there to reach 18 players!)
July 18, 20213 yr GAME 13: CREW 2 - 1 NYCFC https://www.mlssoccer.com/competitions/mls-regular-season/2021/matches/clbvsnyc-07-17-2021-x3018/ https://www.massivereport.com/2021/7/18/22581702/history-repeats-in-columbus-crews-2-1-win-over-new-york-city-fc-for-first-win-at-lower-com-field This was a game that saw the Crew enter short-handed and saw a quality NYCFC team dominate possession 60-40, shots 21-6 and shots-on-goal 7-3. But some great goalkeeping from Room and two moments of magic from Nagbe and Zelarayan saw the Crew get this key home win in vault over NYCFC in the standings. Early conceded goals have been a problem for the 2021 Crew - and that nearly happened in this game. First in the 4th minute that forced a dazzling Room save. Then in the 9th minute, a NYCFC shot that struck the arm of Abdul-Salaam - initially ruled as a PK to NYCFC for a hand ball in the box - but VAR reviewed as occurring just outside the 18-yd box. Then in the 15th minute it looked like the Crew would get the first goal off a Nagbe to Abdul-Salaam pass that Berry redirected to goal - but a full-extension finger-tip save from the NYCFC keeper kept the game scoreless. Then NYCFC missed a golden opportunity in the 23rd minute off a Room save that a NYCFC player just couldn't head the rebound into a wide-open net. But in the last minute of first half stoppage time, Nagbe produced the Crew's first moment of magic off a harmless looking pass from midfield to Nagbe that the marking NYCFC defender misplayed. That allowed Nagbe to race into the 18-yd box ahead of the rest of the defense and cheekily chip the ball over the on-rushing keeper to give the Crew a 1-0 lead at halftime: But NYCFC wasn't in the top half of the Eastern table for nothing. They quickly responded in the second half with a 47' goal off another chaos-in-the-box play that the Crew defense couldn't clear before it fell to the feet of a NYCFC player, who blasted it home to tie 1-1. NYCFC kept the pressure on, forcing Room to make a quality save at 50' and a quality double-save from a shot and rebound at 55'. But they weathered the storm and in the 62nd minute, the Crew drew a penalty for a free-kick in a perfect shot for Zelarayan to work some magic. The spot was 25-yards out, at the top of the half-circle above the NYCFC penalty box, right at the middle of the net. NYCFC set up their defensive wall, but it didn't do any good, as Zelarayan hit another of his over-the-wall under-the-crossbar shots to give the Crew a 2-1 lead: I think Zelarayan doing that to NYCFC again (he won a May 22 game against then with an almost identical shot) took the wind from their sails. Because even though 30+ minutes remained in the game, NYCFC didn't generate any quality scoring chances afterward. That and Porter used what few subs he had to reinforce the defense and see the game through for their first win after three straight draws.
July 18, 20213 yr ^ Great to see the W, but good lord, that was terrible goalkeeping for the winner. My hovercraft is full of eels
July 18, 20213 yr The 80th minute tribute to Blue Jackets goaltender Matiss Kivlenieks by the Crew and the Nordecke:
July 21, 20213 yr The new downtown stadium - Lower.com Field - will hold its first international match on September 29. That's when the 2020 MLS Cup champion Columbus Crew will host Mexico’s 2021 Campeon de Campeones winner, Cruz Azul: https://www.mlssoccer.com/news/columbus-crew-to-host-cruz-azul-in-2021-campeones-cup-on-september-29 https://www.massivereport.com/2021/7/19/22584065/columbus-crew-set-to-host-cruz-azul-in-campeones-cup-in-september-mls-2021 Since 2018, MLS and Liga MX have had their league tournament champions face each other in the Campeones Cup. The Crew won the MLS Cup last December to qualify, and Mexico City's Cruz Azul team qualified with a win last Sunday in Liga MX's championship in which the league's first half winner faces the league's second half winner. The game will be broadcast on ESPN2, TUDN and Univision. Interestingly, the inaugural Campeones Cup was won by Tigres UANL 3-1 at Toronto FC, in which current Crew star Lucas Zelarayan played for the winning Liga MX side on that night.
July 21, 20213 yr Tonight's match hosting Nashville will be the first overlap with a Clippers game at Huntington Park just down Nationwide Boulevard:
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