COLUMBUS, Ohio -
The Columbus Crew returns home from a two-game road swing this week, as it welcomes the Colorado Rapids to Crew Stadium on Saturday (June 28). This week's match features a Crew squad (7-4-2, 23 pts.) that finds itself in second place in the Eastern Conference, four points behind a New England Revolution squad that has played two more league matches to date. Meanwhile, Colorado (5-7-1, 16 pts.) is winless in its last three matches and is tied for fifth place in the West. The match will be the first of two regular-season battles between the two sides. The Crew will travel to Denver to take on the Rapids at Dick's Sporting Goods Park in the away portion of the home-and-home series on July 27.
Saturday's match kicks off at 7:30 p.m. (ET) and will be televised live nationally on Fox Soccer Channel and Fox Sports Español. The game can also be heard in English on News/Talk 610 WTVN with Dwight Burgess and John Bluem behind the microphone, and Neil Sika providing sideline coverage, and on-line at TheCrew.com and MLSNet.com, as well as in Spanish on La Que Buena 1550-AM with Marcelo Carrera, Eduardo Carvacho and Benny Pietrangelo on the call.
Colorado enters Saturday's match coming off a scoreless draw at home against the defending champion Houston Dynamo last Saturday (June 21). Prior to last Saturday's result, the Rapids had lost two consecutive games on the road - a 3-2 loss at Los Angeles and a 3-1 setback at Toronto FC. The Rapids are paced by 2006 MLS MVP Christian Gomez (then with D.C. United) who leads Colorado with three goals and five assists this season.
Columbus heads into the match on the heels of a thrilling, come-from-behind 3-3 draw at Los Angeles last Saturday (June 21) at The Home Depot Center. The Crew scored three goals in the second half to earn the draw, including a Steven Lenhart equalizer just moments before the final whistle off the rebound of a blistering Frankie Hejduk shot. Brad Evans scored in the 67th minute to get the Crew its first goal on the evening, and Guillermo Barros Schelotto brought the score even at 2-2, with a penalty-kick goal in the 71st minute. Landon Donovan had two goals for L.A., including a penalty kick in the 83rd minute that appeared to give the Galaxy a late match-winner, while former Crew forward Edson Buddle also scored for the hosts.
COLUMBUS CREW vs. Colorado Rapids
Saturday, June 28 - 7:30 p.m. (ET) at Crew Stadium
National Television: Fox Soccer Channel, Fox Sports Español; Local Television: N/A
Crew Radio: News/Talk 610 WTVN (English); La Que Buena 1550-AM (Spanish)
Crew Webcasts: TheCrew.com and MLSNet.com (English)
CREW, D.C. TO SQUARE OFF WEDNESDAY IN RARE STAND-ALONE, MIDWEEK RESERVE DIVISION MATCH
The Crew and D.C. United will square off in a rare stand-alone, midweek Reserve Division match this Wednesday, June 25, at 1 p.m., at the Crew Training Facility at Obetz. The match was originally scheduled for Monday, Oct. 27, a day after the regular-season league finale at Crew Stadium between the two teams. The Crew enters the match with a record of 2-2-1 (7 pts.) in Reserve Division play this season, while D.C. visits Columbus with a 3-2-1 (10 pts.) reserve record. The Black & Gold has been paced in Reserve Division play by forward Jason Garey, who has three goals and one assist to date, including a goal and an assist in the Crew's most recent reserve match on June 15, a 3-2 victory at Kansas City.
CREW HEAD COACH SIGI SCHMID IN CONTENTION FOR ALL-STAR POST
Crew Head Coach Sigi Schmid has led the Crew to a 7-4-2 (23 pts.) record in 13 games so far this season, setting up MLS' active career wins leader (103) with the potential opportunity of coaching the 2008 Pepsi MLS All-Star team when it takes on West Ham United at BMO Field in Toronto on Thursday, July 24, on ESPN2. The All-Star Head Coach is selected based on the points-per-game rankings of MLS head coaches after this weekend's slate of games. Following are the scenarios that will determine the 2008 Pepsi MLS All-Star Game coach. (In case of a tie in points per game, the same tiebreakers used to determine playoff participants will be used to determine the head coach.)
If the Revolution defeat Toronto FC, Steve Nicol is the All-Star Game coach.
If the Revolution tie Toronto FC and Columbus loses or ties, then Steve Nicol is the ASG coach.
If the Columbus Crew defeat the Colorado Rapids and New England ties or loses, then Sigi Schmid is the ASG coach.
If Toronto FC defeat New England, and Columbus loses and Los Angeles loses or ties, then John Carver is the ASG coach.
If Toronto FC defeat New England and the LA Galaxy win and Columbus loses there is a two-way tie with Carver and Ruud Gullit.
If Toronto FC defeat New England and the LA Galaxy win, and Columbus ties there is a three-way tie with John Carver, Ruud Gullit and Sigi Schmid.
CREW WAIVES BRAZILIAN FORWARD GUILHERME SÓ
The Crew announced Tuesday that it has waived 24-year-old Brazilian forward Guilherme Só. Só was signed by Columbus on March 28, but had yet to appear in a first-team game for the Black & Gold. In three appearances with the Crew Reserve squad this season, Só made one start and played a total of 128 minutes. Prior to joining MLS, he had played exclusively in his homeland of Brazil, where he began his career in the youth system of Internacional RS, before moving to Gremio Porto Alegre RS in 2006. Following his time at Gremio, Só moved to G.E. Brasil de Pelotas, where he spent the 2007 season.
LENHART'S FIRST CAREER GOAL GIVES CREW HARD-FOUGHT DRAW AT L.A.
Forward Steven Lenhart notched the first league goal of his Crew and MLS career last Saturday (June 21) in the Crew's 3-3 draw at Los Angeles. Lenhart's goal, which was tallied in the 88th minute and proved to be the game's final equalizer, came in just his second appearance with the Crew first team. The young forward, who was the Crew's fourth round selection (No. 48 overall) in the 2008 MLS SuperDraft out of Azusa Pacific University (CA), made his Crew debut as a substitute in the last 10 minutes of its match at Chivas USA on May 31. Lenhart did score previously in the Crew's 2-0 win over Real Salt Lake in a U.S. Open Cup qualifier on May 27.
HERNANDEZ MAKES FIRST FIRST-TEAM START FOR THE BLACK & GOLD
Nicolas Hernandez made his first start as a member of the Crew first team last Saturday (June 21) at Los Angeles. Hernandez got the nod at right midfield for the Black & Gold and played 76 minutes before being subbed out for Steven Lenhart. Hernandez was acquired by the Crew on Feb. 27, via trade with the Colorado Rapids, where he was the team MVP in 2006, but has made few appearances due to injuries early in the season.
CREW PLAYERS AMONG LEAGUE STATISTICAL LEADERS
Several Crew players find themselves among the league statistical leaders so far in the 2008 season. Forward Alejandro Moreno finds himself ranked fifth in MLS in goals scored (6), while midfielder Robbie Rogers finds himself among the league's best in several categories, as he is currently tied for sixth in MLS in goals scored (5), while also being tied for third in shots (37) and tied for fifth in shots on goal (19). Rogers is also tied for second in MLS in multi-goal games, with two on the season. Guillermo Barros Schelotto has had a good start to the 2008 season, as well, as he leads the league in corner kicks (71) by a wide margin and is tied for second in assists (6), one behind the leader, Javier Morales of RSL.
CREW FEATURES THREE OF THE LEAGUE'S SIX MOST-FOULED PLAYERS
The Crew's roster features three of the six most-fouled players in the league - Guillermo Barros Schelotto currently sits second in fouls suffered with 36, Alejandro Moreno, who has led the league in the category for the last three years, is third with 35, while Robbie Rogers is currently ranked sixth, with 30 fouls suffered this season.
CREW PLAYERS SCHEDULED TO ATTEND SPECIAL OLYMPICS OPENING CEREMONIES
Select Crew players are scheduled to attend Opening Ceremonies of the Special Olympics Ohio "State Summer Games" at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium (2450 Fred Taylor Dr., 43210) on the campus of Ohio State University this Friday, June 27, at 6:30 p.m. More than 2,700 athletes and 1,000 coaches are expected to participate in the 2008 Special Olympics State Summer Games, which will be held this Friday through Sunday, June 27-29.
CREW'S U.S. SOCCER FOUNDATION PASSBACK PROGRAM SET TO WRAP UP THIS SATURDAY
As it did on June 7, the U.S. Soccer Foundation, in partnership with the Crew and Major League Soccer, will again be collecting new and gently used soccer equipment at Crew Stadium through its Passback program this Saturday, June 28, during the Crew's match vs. the Colorado Rapids. The equipment collected will then be distributed within our community, to the Kids Inner-City Development Soccer (K.I.D.S.) League and the Near-East Side Inner-City Youth Soccer Program, so that others may enjoy the wonderful sport of soccer. Fans are encouraged to gather up those jerseys, shin guards, shoes, socks and soccer balls and bring them to the Crew's home matches in June to "Share the equipment. Share the Game!" Crew defender Jed Zayner serves as the local Passback spokesperson.
CREW SOCCER ACADEMY SQUADS CONTINUE QUEST FOR ACADEMY FINALS IN CALIFORNIA
The Crew Soccer Academy squads continued their U.S. Soccer Development Academy seasons last week, playing host to matches on Wednesday (June 18) and Saturday (June 21). On Wednesday, both squads took on Bridge FA at Crew Stadium, with the U-16s opening play on the day with a 3-2 loss to Bridge, with both goals scored by Tyler Ranalli. The U-18s followed with a vengeance, defeating Bridge in convincing fashion, 7-0, with its goals coming from seven different players: Colby Catlett, Matt Bonfini, Joey Perkins, Derek Sebert, Thomas Schmitt, Lucas Eichhorn and Nick Blevins. On Saturday, the CSA squads welcomed Ohio Elite to the Crew Training Center at Obetz for a pair of matches. The U-16s kicked off with a 3-0 victory, thanks to a goal by Andrian McAdams, and two tallies by Vaughn Spurrier. The U-18s followed up with a 1-1 draw in their match with Elite, with their lone goal coming from Thomas Schmitt. Both squads will hit the road this weekend (June 27-30) for the U.S. Soccer Development Academy Summer Showcase, to be held at Bryan Park in Greensboro, N.C. Both teams will face three opponents over the four-day showcase: Atlanta Fire, Real So Cal, and the New York Red Bulls. On Friday (June 27), both squads will take on Atlanta Fire, with the U-18s kicking off at 9:15 a.m. and the U-16s playing at 11:15 a.m. The U-18s are the lone CSA squad in action on Saturday (June 28), as they take on Real So Cal at 12:30 p.m. The U-16s play the CSA's lone game on Sunday (June 29), as they battle Real So Cal at 11:15 a.m. Both squads will wrap up the competition on Monday (June 30) against the New York Red Bulls, with the U-18s playing first at 10:15 a.m. and the U-16s concluding the showcase with their match against NYRB at 12 noon.
CREW TRAINING AND GAME SCHEDULE
(Media availability at the conclusion of training; All times listed Eastern Time)
Wed., 6/25 First-team training, 11:30 a.m./Reserve Division game vs. D.C., 1 p.m., both at Obetz
Thur., 6/26 Training at Crew Stadium, 10 a.m.
Fri., 6/27 Training at Obetz, 10 a.m.
Sat., 6/28 Game vs. Colorado Rapids, Crew Stadium, 7:30 p.m. (FSC)
Sun., 6/29 TBD
Mon., 6/30 OFF
