COLUMBUS, Ohio - Columbus Crew General Manager Mark McCullers announced today that The Crew has partnered with former Crew great and current English Premier League star Brad Friedel for the Premier Soccer Academies (PSA) Founders' event on Friday, June 17, in suburban Cleveland.
Crew players from the past and present will play a match against a team of current, former and future international stars at 6 p.m. at Bay High School Stadium (29230 Wolf Road) in Bay Village, Ohio. Immediately following the match, there will be a dinner and auction held at the Five Seasons Athletic Club in nearby Westlake, Ohio.</p>
The match, dinner and auction are scholarship fundraisers for the Premier Soccer Academies, which is a non-profit [501(c)(3)] organization. Friedel, a Bay High alumnus, is the co-founder of PSA, along with former U.S. National Team star Desmond Armstrong and former English Premier League veteran Barry Venison.</p>
General admission tickets for the match are $35 and can be purchased on-line at premiersocceradacemies.org. Tickets can also be bought at Bay High School Stadium, which holds 3,500, on the day of the game. Group pricing is also available. Dinner and auction tickets are $100 or $750 for a table of eight and must be bought prior to the event on-line at <b>premiersocceracademies.org</b>.</p>
Players expected to play for the International Team include English great Andy Cole, as well as Desmond Armstrong (U.S.), Pete Enklemen (Finland), Derek Fazackerley (England), Mark Hottiger (Switzerland), Mike Lane (England), Scott Sellars (England), Craig Short (England), David Thompson (England) and Barry Venison (England). </p>
Players expected to play for The Crew team include Brian Bliss, Dario Brose, Paul Caligiuri, Marcelo Carrera, Mike Clark, Thomas Dooley, Ansil Elcock, John Harkes, Brian McBride, Matt Napoleon, Jorge Salcedo, Juergen Sommer, Billy Thompson, Brad Friedel and Robert Warzycha, as well as members of the current Crew who don't travel to The Crew's game at the MetroStars on June 18.</p>
The list of players playing in the game is not complete and is still subject to change. Some players may play for each team during the game.</p>
Premier Soccer Academies was established to deliver a sound, proven method of education and training for the many talented soccer players throughout the U.S. Premier Soccer Academies is structured after professional team training camps abroad and US National Team experiences. It is far from the typical summer soccer scene because of the global expertise that PSA offers to the highly competitive, highly skilled soccer player. In fact, only those gifted players between the ages of 13-18 years old will be invited to participate in one of the most challenging and rewarding opportunities in the youth soccer world. Those attending become members of PSA and can keep in touch with their coaches throughout the year. For more information on PSA, visit their website at <b>premiersocceracademies.org</b>. </p>
