Columbus Crew General Manager Mark McCullers, Head Coach Sigi Schmid and his coaching staff are continuing preparations for the upcoming MLS SuperDraft on January 20 in Philadelphia.
The Crew congregation will be attending the adidas MLS Player Combine on January 12-15 at The Home Depot Center in Carson, California. The combine concludes five days before the draft.
The 2006 MLS SuperDraft will then be held on January 20 in Philadelphia, in conjunction with the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Convention at the Pennsylvania Convention Center.
The Crew owns three picks in the four-round draft, including two picks in the first round, the third and ninth picks. Columbus also has the 27th overall pick, which is the third pick in the third round.
The Crew obtained their second first-round pick after sending Jeff Cunningham to Colorado on January 14, 2005. Columbus does not have a second-round pick after sending their natural second-round pick to FC Dallas for Cornell Glen on April 26, 2005, who has since been traded to Colorado for defender Ritchie Kotschau. The Crew does not have a fourth-round pick after a January, 24, 2004 trade with D.C. to acquire Devin Barclay.
The MLS SuperDraft selection order is determined as follows: The first four selections are from teams that did not qualify for the 2005 MLS Cup Playoffs beginning with the team with fewest 2005 regular season points (3 points per win, one point per tie). The remaining eight positions are ranked by fewest regular season points among the teams that were eliminated in the same round of the MLS Cup Playoffs.
MARSHALL AND WALKER INJURIES FORCE PAIR OUT OF U.S. NATIONAL TEAM CAMP
Crew defender Chad Marshall and goalkeeper Johnny Walker have left U.S. National Team training camp due to minor injuries.
Marshall has tendonitis in his left knee, while Walker has a slight back sprain. A 30-man roster had been called into training camp on Jan. 4 at the National Training Center in Carson, Calif., to prepare for a series of games to take place in January and February. Crew defender/midfielder Frankie Hejduk and midfielder Kyle Martino remain in camp.
The U.S. will open 2006 action against Canada on Jan. 22 in San Diego (8 p.m. ET), then host Norway on Jan. 29 at The Home Depot Center (5 p.m. ET, ESPN2). The U.S. will play Japan for the second time in history when they meet at SBC Park on Feb. 10 in San Francisco. The USA's first match in the city in 26 years kicks off at 11 p.m. ET and will be broadcast live on ESPN2.
The U.S. will play two games in March, including a visit to three-time World Cup champions Germany. The 2002 World Cup runners up will host the U.S. on March 22 in Dortmund, Germany, one off 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 their 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 their base of operations throughout the tournament.
CREW SEASON OPENER SET FOR APRIL 1 AND HOME OPENER ON APRIL 15
The Crew will open the 2006 MLS season on the road on Saturday, April 1, at Kansas City. The national television schedule has not yet been finalized, so the start time for the game on April 1 has not been set.
The Crew home opener is set for Saturday, April 15, vs. the Eastern Conference rival Chicago Fire. That start time is also not set. Major League Soccer kicks off its 11th season on Saturday, April 1. The complete 2006 schedule will be announced at a later date.
Crew fans can get a "Put out the Fire" Home Opener Pack for just $60, which includes four midfield vouchers, and can become Crew Soccer Nation members by purchasing Season Tickets now, including a new three-game season ticket package with prices starting as low as $24 for three games. All ticket packages are available exclusively through TheCrew.com and 614-447-CREW.
SPOTS FOR CREW SPONSORED TRIP TO THE 2006 FIFA WORLD CUP STILL AVAILABLE
The Crew has organized a trip to Germany for the 2006 FIFA World Cup that includes the three USA World Cup games as well as some great tours throughout Germany.
The cost of the 13-night trip is $3,900 per person. Fans interested in the trip should contact Mike Lapper at mlapper@thecrew.com or call 614-447-CREW (2739).
Trip includes:
Not included:
* For those wanting single rooms please add $900 to the cost for a total of $4,800.
