Crew to hold open tryouts Oct. 7

COLUMBUS, Ohio - The Columbus Crew announced today that the club will hold open tryouts for the fifth straight year, on Saturday, Oct. 7, at the Crew Training Facility at Obetz.

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 all players that are planning to be in attendance must e-mail Crew assistant coach Mike Lapper at mlapper@thecrew.com.

"Over the past five years these tryouts have produced better and better players with last year's tryout producing an individual that made several appearances for our reserve team." said Crew Head Coach Sigi Schmid. "This goes to show you that if your dream is to play in MLS, you have an opportunity. It may be a difficult one, but at least players are given this opportunity of a lifetime."

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 Crew's non-profit arm, 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, such as cleats and shin guards and anything else they might need to perform to the best of their abilities. Players must also bring their own ball.

All players that are planning to be in attendance must e-mail Crew assistant coach Mike Lapper at mlapper@thecrew.com.

** Times are subject to change according to weather and administrative reasons.

Agenda for Saturday, Oct. 7