COLUMBUS, Ohio - The Columbus Crew officially kicks off its 2007 preseason today, traveling to Bradenton, Fla., and getting right out on the field for an afternoon training session. Much of the team has been in Columbus since the middle of January, getting together for informal workouts and making appearances in the community, but today marks the formal launch of the club's 12th Major League Soccer season.
Under the direction of Head Coach Sigi Schmid, who enters his second season in that post, the Crew will train at the IMG Academies in Bradenton from Feb. 3-16, a phase that will be punctuated by the third annual Tom Fitzgerald Memorial Match against Real Salt Lake on Feb. 15. Fitzgerald, the Crew's head coach from 1996-2001, was killed in a motorcycle accident in December 2004. Scrimmages against MLS rivals D.C., Chicago and Kansas City are also on tap.
From Florida, the Crew will travel to Phoenix Feb. 17-22, where it will play FC Dallas on Feb. 18, head back to Columbus from Feb. 22-March 8, then on to Dallas March 8, for the inaugural Lamar Hunt Pioneer Cup against FC Dallas on March 11. Stints in California, from March 12-19, and North Carolina, from March 28-April 1, will highlight the preseason's latter stages.
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 the Eastern Conference-rival New York Red Bulls. Complete game and national TV schedules will be released shortly.
CREW PRESEASON SCHEDULE IN FLORIDA
| February | ||
| 3 | Depart Columbus | 3:45 p.m. - Training |
| 4 | 10 a.m. - Training | 3:45 p.m. - Training |
| 5 | 10 a.m. - Training | 3:45 p.m. - Training |
| 6 | 10 a.m. - Training | 3:45 p.m. - Training |
| 7 | 10 a.m. - Training | 3:45 p.m. - Training |
| 8 | 10 a.m. - Training | 3:45 p.m. - Training |
| 9 | 10 a.m. - Training | 3:45 p.m. - Training |
| 10 | 10 a.m. - Training | 3:45 p.m. - Training |
| 11 | 10 a.m. - Scrimmage vs. D.C. United | 3:45 p.m. - Scrimmage vs. D.C. United |
| 12 | 10 a.m. - Training | 3:45 p.m. - Training |
| 13 | 10 a.m. - Training | 3:45 p.m. - Training |
| 13 | Scrimmage vs. Chicago Fire, time TBD | |
| 14 | 10 a.m. - Training | 3:45 p.m. - Training |
| 15 | 10 a.m. - Training | |
| 15 | 7 p.m. - Tom Fitzgerald Memorial Match vs. Real Salt Lake at University of South Florida | |
| 16 | 10 a.m. Training | Scrimmage vs. Kansas City Wizards, time TBD |
| 17 | Depart for Phoenix | |
