The Columbus Crew's record tying home unbeaten streak began with a 2-1 win over Colorado on June 28, 2008.
Unofficially, the genesis for the 18-game stretch began months earlier with two occurrences. The first was the construction of a concert stage in the north end of the stadium that forced three competing supporters' sections to band as one in the northeast corner and become a major influence.
"The fans have now done a fantastic job of coming out and sounding like a soccer crowd," Real Salt Lake coach Jason Kreis said last after the Crew's 3-1 victory last week. "First of all, sheer numbers is good but the passion they show here obviously lifts their team a little bit."
The second thing to happen was a meeting of the minds among Crew president/general Mark McCullers and his coaches prior to the start of the 2008 season to discuss the team's woeful home mark. The club was 5-5-5 in Crew Stadium the previous season and missed the playoffs for a third consecutive season by three points.
"One more home win and we would be in the playoffs," forward Guillermo Barros Schelotto said.
Granted, then-coach Sigi Schmid had significantly upgraded the team over his two previous seasons but the 2008 squad still had to find a way to get into the postseason party.
"It was one of the things we looked at coming out of the '07 season," McCullers said. "We circled it and said, 'This has got to improve. It's unsatisfactory and we're not going to be the type of team we want to be unless we play better at home.'
"That focus, in addition to the atmosphere in the stadium that the fans are now bringing and better play and confidence, are all things factoring into our success at home."
The first test of 2008, as it will be Saturday when the Crew attempt to break the mark established by San Jose in 2004-05, was Toronto FC. Buoyed by some 2,000 Toronto travelers, the atmosphere was electric in Crew Stadium as the home crowd tried to match the Reds' followers chant for chant in the season opener.
It helped that the Crew defeated their rival 2-0 to start a four-game Crew Stadium win streak, leaving them one shy of matching their 2007 home total with 11 matches left. However, 1-0 loss to New England and a 2-0 defeat to San Jose followed in the next two home games before the unbeaten skein commenced vs. the Rapids.
Eleven more wins and six ties have followed plus two playoff victories to equal San Jose's regular season (9-0-9) and overall home record (10-0-10).
If the Crew get past Toronto unscathed they will join the organization's outright ownership of the longest unbeaten streak for all games (19, set in 2004-05) and on the road (nine, 2004).
"Those are tremendous accomplishments," McCullers said. "We should be proud to own those league records. They're significant records within a professional sports league."
There have been blips on and off the field along the way. The Crew had to rally from two-goal deficits for ties in their second and third games of the streak. At the same time a feeling out process was going on among the groups gathered in the Nordecke (German for north corner).
In mid-July Schmid and McCullers took the extraordinary step of holding a supporters' summit to hash out the friction between the groups. As a result, the Nordecke became stronger and better.
"The fans have a lot to do with the record because of their support," coach Robert Warzycha said. "I've noticed a huge difference since the start of last year than before. The atmosphere is very good."
Robin Fraser, a defender for the Crew in 2004-05 and now an assistant with Real Salt Lake, doesn't know if the crowd support has made the team better or winning has fueled the masses.
"It was such a great group of guys (in '04) that it was such an awesome collective effort the fans just jumped on board. I'm sure the same thing is happening now," he said.
During the streak, the Crew have played every team except the first-year Seattle Sounders FC and Houston (the Crew defeated the Dynamo 1-0 for their third home win prior to the streak).
"Now, teams more than ever are noticing that we are good at home because of the record," captain Frankie Hejduk said. "Before, they didn't and there wasn't as much respect. Now teams have to respect us at home and how we play and it's a psychological advantage."
He has also noticed an attitude adjustment among his teammates.
"Anything less than three points at home would be disappointing," he said. "That's how we take all the games now, which is a change from the past."
The key, said forward Jason Garey, is not to dwell on the streak. "We're just focused on the next opponent and at the end of the season you look back and go 'Wow. That's a great home unbeaten streak,'" he said.
Yet midfielder Duncan Oughton, who has been with the club since 2001, can't help but notice the positives of the unbeaten record. "It's about getting to the finishing line at the end of the season, making the playoffs and putting ourselves in position to win the Cup," he said. "That streak is a part of it. It's about keeping our home a fortress and the other things will fall into place."
Toronto (7-6-5) presents a formidable streak buster. It has already tied the Crew 1-1 in Columbus and at home.
"You give them respect but you don't over-respect anyone," Hejduk said. "At the end of the day we're the team to beat and they have to come into our house and try to beat us. We're going to defend our home and the fans are going to help us."
The Trillium Cup goes to the winner of the season series on Saturday and it's a sure bet if the Crew claim it for the second consecutive season the first thing Hejduk will do is share it with the Nordecke.
Craig Merz is a contributor to MLSnet.com
