COLUMBUS, Ohio - Crew Head Coach Sigi Schmid and three of his players arrived in England Saturday (Dec. 2) to kick off the nine-day Generation adidas Euro Tour. Schmid is coaching the 20-man squad representing MLS and the Generation adidas program, which features Crew goalkeeper Will Hesmer, forward Kei Kamara and defender Tim Ward. It will train at defending Premier League-champion Chelsea's academy and play up to four games against the reserve teams of top English clubs.
Schmid has led Hesmer, Kamara, Ward and the rest of the team into two matches so far, a 2-0 win over the Queens Park Rangers reserves and a 1-0 loss to the Crystal Palace reserves. Games against the Watford and Chelsea (still to be confirmed) reserves remain. In addition to the games and training, the group will also take in a UEFA Champions League match and pair of Premier League games, including Liverpool vs. Fulham, which features former Crew stars Brian McBride and Simon Elliott. The tour ends on Dec. 10.
Generation adidas, which was established prior to the 2005 season, is Major League Soccer's youth player development program, designed to identify and nurture the elite youth soccer talent in the United States. The youth players who join MLS as part of the Generation adidas program receive unprecedented opportunities to develop their game and hone their skills at the professional level in Major League Soccer. In addition to training and playing with one of Major League Soccer's 13 professional clubs, Generation adidas players also receive educational grants to further their college education.
TENTATIVE PROGRAM ITINERARY
FRI. DEC. 1 Depart US for London
SAT. DEC. 2 Arrive London Airport
Training Chelsea Academy
SUN. DEC.3 Training at Chelsea Academy
MON. DEC.4 Match 1 - Generation adidas 2, QPR Reserve Team 0
TUE. DEC. 5 Match 2 - Crystal Palace Reserve Team 1, Generation adidas 0
Transfer to Stamford Bridge
Attend Champions League - Chelsea vs. Levski Sofia at Stamford Bridge
WED. DEC.6 Training at Chelsea Academy
Transfer to Upton Park
Attend West Ham vs. Wigan at Upton Park
THU. DEC. 7 Transfer to Watford
Match 3 - Generation adidas vs. Watford Reserve Team
Transfer to Cobham
FRI. DEC. 8 Transfer to Chelsea Academy
Match 4 - Generation adidas vs. Chelsea Reserve Team (TBC)
SAT. DEC.9 Transfer to Liverpool
Attend Liverpool vs. Fulham at Anfield</p>
SUN. DEC. 10 Return Flight to US
Generation adidas 2006 tour participants:
GOALKEEPER: Brad Guzan (Chivas USA)
DEFENDERS: Hunter Freeman (Colorado Rapids), Patrick Ianni (Houston Dynamo), Drew Moor (FC Dallas), Michael Parkhurst (New England Revolution), Nathan Sturgis (Los Angeles Galaxy), Blake Wagner (FC Dallas), Tim Ward (Columbus Crew)
MIDFIELDERS: Nik Besagno (Real Salt Lake), Christian Jimenez (Real Salt Lake), Quavas Kirk (Los Angeles Galaxy), Sacha Kljestan (Chivas USA), Dax McCarty (FC Dallas)
FORWARDS: David Arvizu (New York Red Bulls), Chad Barrett (Chicago Fire), Kei Kamara (Columbus Crew), Jacob Peterson (Colorado Rapids), Ryan Pore (Kansas City Wizards), Willie Sims (New England Revolution), Jamie Watson (Real Salt Lake)
COACH: Sigi Schmid (Columbus Crew)
LAPPER HEADING TO ST. LOUIS FOR COLLEGE CUP
Crew assistant coach Mike Lapper will be at Robert R. Hermann Stadium in St. Louis this weekend scouting the 2006 NCAA Men's College Cup. The semifinals are Friday, Dec. 1, at 6 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. (ET), with the final slated for Sunday, Dec. 3, at 2 p.m. (ESPN2). UCLA faces Virginia in the first semifinal and UC-Santa Barbara takes on Wake Forest in the nightcap.
BUSCH SERVING AS HONORARY CHAIR OF SUNDAY'S ARTHRITIS FOUNDATION JINGLE BELL RUN
For the second straight year, Crew goalkeeper Jon Busch is serving as Honorary Chair of the Arthritis Foundation's 20th Annual Jingle Bell Run, which takes place this Sunday (Dec. 3) at the Columbus Convention Center. Busch, who will be joined at the event by Crew Cat and the Crew Soccer Tour's Radar Kick inflatable game, will be on hand to sign autographs and visit with participants and attendees starting at 9 a.m.
KEENEY NAMED VP OF TICKET SALES AND SERVICES
The Crew has named veteran MLS ticket sales executive Chris Keeney Vice President of Ticket Sales and Services. Keeney most recently served as Senior Director of Sales for Real Salt Lake, which ranked in the top three in the league this season in season-ticket sales, season-ticket revenue and overall ticket sales revenue. He was hired as RSL's first employee in 2004, following nine years at D.C. United as Director of Sales and Senior Sales Manager. While there, Keeney was awarded both the inaugural Commissioner's Salesperson of the Year Award (2000) and the Commissioner's New Business Leadership Award (2000 and 2001) and was a vital cog in back-to-back MLS Sales Teams of the Year (1999 and 2000).
CREW STADIUM A COLLECTION SITE FOR ST. STEPHEN'S COMMUNITY HOUSE CHRISTMAS CARE PROGRAM
Columbus Crew Stadium is once again serving as a collection site for the St. Stephen's Community House Christmas Care Program. Crew staff, guests and visitors are invited to drop off donations of non-perishable food until Dec. 15 in the Crew Administrative Offices' main lobby. St. Stephen's Community House has been providing vital community services to the Greater Linden area of Northeast Columbus since 1919. The purpose of the Christmas Care Program is to assist families during the holiday season who find themselves in critical situations, caused or exacerbated by such things as strained fixed incomes, job lay-offs and family illness.
CREW STADIUM RESODDING PROJECT SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED
Under the supervision of Director of Stadium Grounds Matt Williams, Columbus Crew Stadium received a brand new natural playing surface for the first time in its nearly eight-year history between Nov. 12-17. The new sod, a three-way Kentucky Bluegrass blend, was trucked in from Tuckahoe, N.J. Crew Stadium was built between August of 1998 and May of 1999 and, over the years, wear and tear has occasionally necessitated that smaller, specific portions of the field be resodded, but this project marked the first time that the field was replaced in its entirety.
