Crew announce '07 Reserve Division schedule

COLUMBUS, Ohio - In conjunction with Major League Soccer, the Columbus Crew today announced its 2007 MLS Reserve Division schedule. Now in its third year, the Reserve Division is a key component of Major League Soccer's drive to develop the stars of tomorrow in a professional, competitive atmosphere.

The Crew's Reserve Division season kicks off on Sunday, April 29, when it plays host to D.C. United at the Crew Training Center at Obetz. Assistant coach Robert Warzycha will serve as head coach of the Crew Reserves.

All teams will compete in a single standings table with a $20,000 team bonus awarded to the team that finishes the season at the top of the table. Each team will play 12 Reserve Division games throughout the course of the season. No team will play any other team more than twice.

Last year marked the second season of the Reserve Division, developed by Major League Soccer in partnership with adidas as a key component of the Generation adidas program. The Reserve Division allows teams to provide meaningful competitive matches to players who are outside of the starting 11, giving them important in-game experience. The Colorado Rapids won the Reserve Division title last year, finishing with a record of 9-3-0.

MLS RESERVE DIVISION FORMAT:

Each team will play 12 games.

A total of 20 eligible players for the home team and 20 players for the visiting team may be placed on a club's game roster for any Reserve Division game with each team permitted to make up to six (6) substitutions.

Suspensions attributable to yellow and red cards issued in Reserve Division games shall only be imposed for future Reserve Division matches and not for games during the MLS regular season. Conversely, suspensions attributable to yellow and red cards issued during MLS regular season games shall not apply to Reserve Division matches.

Any player who receives four yellow cards during the Reserve Division season shall be suspended from the next Reserve Division game in which he may appear.

No Player shall play more than 120 minutes in a Reserve Team match and any preceding match(es) that occur within a 60 hour period. Injury time is not considered a part of a player's maximum number of minutes played (e.g., if a player enters a game at halftime and the referee adds two minutes of stoppage time to the end of the second half, the player will be considered to have played 45 minutes since the two minutes of stoppage time is essentially added to make up for 'lost' time).

A Reserve Division call-up or "Guest Player" with an MLS team may be eligible to appear in an MLS Reserve Division Game provided that he is properly registered with U.S. Soccer.

Founded by Lamar Hunt, the Columbus Crew is Ohio's Major League Soccer club, anchoring a diverse sports and entertainment enterprise. One of the league's Charter Members, it will open its 12th season overall and ninth in first-of-its-kind Columbus Crew Stadium on Saturday, April 7, when it plays host to Claudio Reyna and the Eastern Conference-rival New York Red Bulls.

2007 CREW RESERVE DIVISION SCHEDULE
(As of March 22, 2007; All times Eastern; Subject to change)

Sunday, April 29

D.C. United at Crew (Obetz), 10 a.m.

Saturday, May 5

Crew at Kansas City Wizards, 3:30 p.m.

Sunday, May 13

Chivas USA at Crew (Obetz), 10 a.m.

Sunday, May 20

Crew at New York Red Bulls, 10 a.m.

Monday, June 4

Crew at Chicago Fire, 11 a.m.

Sunday, June 17