The Columbus Crew begins its 2006 preseason today in Columbus. The team reported yesterday and will take trips to Florida, Cyprus and Los Angeles as it prepares for its season opener at Kansas City on Saturday, April 1.
The team will have its physicals today, Jan. 30, and then train just two days in Columbus (Jan. 31 and Feb. 1), before departing for Bradenton, Fla., and the IMG Academies on Feb. 2.
The training and workout sessions in Columbus on Jan. 31 and Feb. 1 are open to the media and will be held at the All-Stars Family Sports Entertainment Center located at 6124 Busch Blvd. in The Continent. Those sessions will start at 1 p.m. both days and end at approximately 3 p.m., with media availability at the end of each session.
The Crew will train in Bradenton from Feb. 2-16 before returning to Columbus. The Crew will then be in Columbus from Feb. 17-22, before heading to Cyprus. The Black & Gold will be based in Ayia Napa, Cyprus from Feb. 23-March 3. After Cyprus, the team will be in Columbus from March 4-12, before heading to Los Angeles from March 13-24.
Games currently scheduled in Florida are matches vs. the MetroStars, Kansas City Wizards, Chicago Fire, the University of South Florida, a USASA Amateur Select Team and a match to be announced scheduled for Feb. 12. The complete preseason training and game schedule can be found at thecrew.com.
The Crew will open the 2006 MLS season on the road on Saturday, April 1, at Kansas City, and the home opener is set for Saturday, April 15, vs. the Chicago Fire. The national TV schedule has not been finalized, so the start times have not been set. MLS kicks off its 11th season on Saturday, April 1. The complete schedule will be announced at a later date.
Crew fans can get a "Put out the Fire" Home Opener Pack for $60, which includes four midfield vouchers, and can become Crew Soccer Nation members by purchasing Season Tickets, including a new three-game season ticket package with prices starting as low as $24. All ticket packages are available through TheCrew.com and 614-447-CREW.
January
31 - 1-3 pm train in Columbus (All-Stars at the Continent), Open to the media
February
1 - 1-3 pm train in Columbus (All-Stars at the Continent), Open to the media
2 - Depart for Bradenton, Fla. (IMG Academies)
CHRIS CARRIERI, ADAM FRYE, RUSTY PIERCE AND BRENT RAHIM TO JOIN THE CREW IN FLORIDA AS NON-ROSTER INVITEES
Four players will join The Crew in Florida this week as non-roster invitees in their attempts to get a contract offer from the club. Forward Chris Carrieri, defender Adam Frye, defender Rusty Pierce and midfielder Brant Rahim will all be with the team this week.
Carrieri, the first overall pick in the 2001 MLS SuperDraft, played parts of four seasons in MLS (2001-04) and scored 19 goals with 17 assists in 75 career games. He played last season with the Richmond Kickers in the USL First Division. Frye played seven MLS seasons (1996-2002) with three different teams and appeared in 94 games. His last MLS season was in 2002 with Crew Head Coach Sigi Schmid and Los Angeles. Pierce played six MLS season (2000-05) with two teams and appeared in 116 games before being waived by Real Salt Lake at the end of last season. Rahim was drafted by Los Angeles in the fourth round in 2001 but never joined MLS, opting instead to sign with Joe Public in his native Trinidad & Tobago. He has played overseas for the past four years, with his last club being Falkirk in Scotland.
CREWZERS TRYOUTS SET FOR FEB. 10-12, AT CREW STADIUM
The Crew announced today that the Crewzers professional dance team will hold their annual tryouts on Feb. 10-12 at the Crew Stadium Huntington Club.
Interested participants can register on-line at thecrewzers.com or on Friday, Feb. 10, from 5:30-6 p.m. at Crew Stadium. A $35 non-refundable registration fee is required.
Mandatory clinics are Friday, Feb. 10, from 6-9 p.m. and Saturday, Feb. 11, from 1-3 p.m. An optional clinic is also available on Feb. 11 from 9 a.m.-Noon. The final audition is Sunday, Feb. 12, at 1 p.m.
All participants must be 18 years of age by August 31. For more information, contact Director Kelly Brooks at 614-210-6382 or by email at auditions@thecrewzers.com.
CREW TO HOLD OPEN TRYOUTS ON SATURDAY, MARCH 25, AT OBETZ
The Crew announced today that the club will hold open tryouts for the fourth straight year, on Saturday, March 25, at the Crew Training Center at Obetz located at 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. Select 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 just show up on 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 Columbus Crew 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 according to weather and administrative reasons.
PASION DE GOL SET FOR THURSDAY AT 2 P.M. ON RADIO SOL, 1550-AM
Crew Assistant Coach Eduardo Carvacho hosts Pasion de Gol (Passion for Goals), an hour-long soccer show that airs every Thursday on Spanish radio station Radio Sol, 1550-AM. Radio Sol is also the Spanish radio play-by-play home for all Crew home games. The show is geared toward The Crew and Major League Soccer, as well as the numerous Hispanic players, coaches and administrators around the league and country. Due to the team's preseason schedule, the show will air from 2-3 p.m. (ET) on Feb. 2, 9 and 16. The times of future shows will be announced as they are finalized.
HEJDUK STARTS FOR U.S. IN 5-0 WIN VS. NORWAY, MARTINO DOESN'T PLAY
Crew defender Frankie Hejduk started and played the full 90 minutes for the U.S. in a 5-0 win vs. Norway on Sunday, Jan. 29, in Carson, Calif. Crew midfielder Kyle Martino did not play. Hejduk and Martino will remain in U.S. National Team camp as it continues to prepare for upcoming games in February.
A 30-man roster had been called into training camp on Jan. 4 at the National Training Center in Carson, Calif. The next game for the U.S. is Feb. 10 when the U.S. meets Japan for the second time ever when it meets at SBC Park in San Francisco. The USA's first match in the city in 26 years kicks off at 11 p.m. ET and will be shown on ESPN2.
The U.S. will play two games in March, including a visit to three-time World Cup champion Germany. The 2002 World Cup runners-up will host the U.S. on March 22 in Dortmund, Germany, one of 12 cities hosting matches in the tournament next summer. Kickoff at the Westfalenstadion is set for 8 p.m. in Germany (2 p.m. ET), and the match will be broadcast live on ESPN.
The USA was drawn into Group E for the World Cup along with the Czech Republic, Ghana, and Italy. The U.S. plays its opening match against the Czechs on June 12 in Gelsenkirchen at 12 p.m. ET. Five days later, the USA faces Italy in Kaiserslautern, and then finishes off group play against Ghana on June 22 in Nuremberg. The U.S. has chosen the city of Hamburg as its base of operations throughout the tournament.
