COLUMBUS, Ohio - With the opening of the 2006 MLS season just 11 days away, The Crew will wrap up the California portion of its preseason camp with a match vs. Chivas USA in San Diego on Wednesday, March 22, before returning to Columbus on Friday, March 24.
After two days off, The Crew will begin its final week of preparation before opening the 11th MLS season with consecutive road games, starting with the season opener against the Kansas City Wizards on Saturday, April 1, at 8:30 p.m. (ET) at Arrowhead Stadium. The season opener will be televised locally on the Ohio News Network (ONN), with Dwight Burgess and Bill McDermott calling the action. The game can also be heard on The Crew's new English radio partner, The Brew @ 105.7, with Jim Henderson calling the game. The complete local television schedule will be announced within the next few days.
After K.C., The Crew will then head to Denver to take on the Colorado Rapids on Saturday, April 8, at 9:30 p.m. (ET) at Invesco Field at Mile High.
Columbus opens it home schedule vs. Eastern Conference rival the Chicago Fire on Saturday, April 15, at 4 p.m. (ET) at Columbus Crew Stadium in a nationally televised game on ESPN2.
Single-game tickets for the 2006 home season went on sale to the general public on March 15 at the Crew Stadium Box Office, all Central Ohio Ticketmaster retail locations, via Ticketmaster phone at 614-431-3600 and on-line at TheCrew.com.
Fans can become Crew Soccer Nation members by purchasing full-season ticket packages or partial plans, starting as low as $30 for the new Crew 3-Packs. Group tickets are also available for all 16 home games. All ticket packages or plans are available through TheCrew.com and 614-447-CREW.
The Crew is 1-0-1 through two games in California, tying UC Santa Barbara, 0-0, on March 15 and beating UC Irvine, 6-0, on March 17. Columbus is 7-3-4 in preseason matches.
COLUMBUS CREW vs. Kansas City Wizards
Saturday, April 1 - 8:30 p.m. (ET) at Arrowhead Stadium
Crew Television: Ohio News Network; Crew Radio: The Brew @ 105.7 (English)
Crew Webcasts: TheCrew.com and MLSnet.com (English)
THE CREW SIGNS MIDFIELDER JOSE RETIZ
The Crew announced today that it has signed midfielder Jose Retiz. Retiz, who has a green card, will be on The Crew's 18-man senior roster. Retiz has been with the club for the majority of preseason camp.
The Acapulco, Mexico, native appeared in five games for the Los Angeles Galaxy in 2003 after making the squad as a non-roster invitee. He was originally selected by the Galaxy in the third round (No. 29 overall) of the 2000 MLS SuperDraft but did not join the club at that time.
He spent six months of the 2004 season training with Puebla of the Mexican First Division and also spent the 2001 and 2002 seasons training with the Santos Laguna reserve team in the Mexican First Division. Retiz was sent up to the Santos Laguna Reserves after being signed by Real Sociedad, an affiliate of Santos Laguna in Mexico's First Division A.
Retiz attended Rancho Santiago (Calif.) Junior College in 1998 and 1999 and tallied 21 goals and 45 assists. He was a two-time first-team All-American.
STEPHEN HERDSMAN RETIRES FROM PROFESSIONAL SOCCER
The Crew announced today that Stephen Herdsman has retired from professional soccer. Herdsman was limited to just 15 games over the past two seasons due to a series of injuries. He was waived on March 1, 2006.
"I'd like to thank the entire Crew organization for giving me another opportunity," said Herdsman. "Injuries are an unfortunate thing but they are a part of the business."
VOTE FOR COLUMBUS MONTHLY'S "BEST OF COLUMBUS 2006" AT COLUMBUSMONTHLY.COM
Crew fans can vote for their favorite Crew player on-line at ColumbusMonthly.com in the magazine's annual Best of Columbus 2006 awards. The Best of Columbus is the best in shopping, sports, media, restaurants, entertainment and more. Results will be published in Best of Columbus 2006 in the July issue of Columbus Monthly. Three ballot authors each will receive a $100 gift certificate from one of the restaurants voted best by the readers of this poll. Internet balloting will close at 5 p.m. on April 28. Only one ballot per person will be accepted, submitted either via the web or by printed form. (If mailing, send to Best of Columbus, P.O. Box 29913, Columbus, Ohio 43229-7513.) Your name and a daytime phone number must be provided for verification and to contact drawing winners.
CREW SCHEDULE (All times listed are local time)
March
22: 7 p.m. Crew vs. Chivas USA in San Diego
23: 10 a.m. train
24: Depart for Columbus
25: OFF
26: OFF
27: 10 a.m. training at Obetz
28: 10 a.m. training at Obetz; 4 p.m. training at Obetz
29: 10 a.m. training at Crew Stadium
30: 10 a.m. training at Obetz
31: 9 a.m. training at Obetz
31: Depart for Kansas City
Apil
1: Crew at Kansas City - 8:30 p.m. at Arrowhead Stadium (ONN)
CREW PRESEASON RESULTS (preseason record 7-3-4)
Click here to see a full list of preseason scores and lineups >
CREW TO HOLD OPEN TRYOUTS ON SATURDAY, MARCH 25, AT OBETZ
The Crew will hold open tryouts for the fourth straight year, on Saturday, March 25, at the Crew Training Center at Obetz (4153 Alum Creek Dr).
The tryout will last all day, with registration beginning at 7 a.m. and the evening session ending at 6 p.m. Members of the Crew coaching staff will be in attendance throughout the day to assess and evaluate the entire player pool. As part of that evaluation process, the coaching staff will reserve the right to dismiss candidates at any time throughout the day. College players will not be eligible to participate in the tryout due to NCAA regulations. There is no pre-registration, and players should show up the day of the tryout.
All tryout participants will receive an official numbered tryout shirt that is theirs to keep. There will be a $50 administrative fee per player, which must be paid in cash or check prior to the first training session. All proceeds from participation in the Crew open tryouts will go to the Crew Soccer Foundation.
Individuals wishing to try out are solely responsible for any and all accommodations and transportation they deem necessary. They are also responsible for their own training gear, and must also bring their own ball.
For further information, interested players are encouraged to call Mike Lapper, Crew Assistant Coach and Director of Soccer Business Development, at 614-447-4141. Times are subject to change for weather or administrative reasons.
