COLUMBUS, Ohio -
In preparation for its 2008 MLS home and season opener on March 29 against Toronto FC, the Columbus Crew will take on Asociación Deportiva Isidro Metapán of El Salvador's Premier Division this Saturday, March 22, at 4 p.m. at Crew Stadium.
Tickets for the Crew's final preseason match before kicking off the 2008 MLS regular season are available in advance of the game for $18 and for $20 on the day of the match. The match can be followed live on Match Tracker at TheCrew.com.
Metapán, as the club is commonly known, is one of El Salvador's most popular and successful clubs. It is the country's reigning champion, having won the 2007 Clausura (Closing) title after finishing third in the 2007 Apertura (Opening) campaign. The municipality of Metapan is located in the metropolitan area of Santa Ana.
The Crew is 8-2-2 all-time in international exhibitions, most recently claiming a 2-0 victory over Tecos UAG of the Mexican Premier Division on Nov. 13 at Crew Stadium.
GAVEN SCORES GAME-WINNER TO ADVANCE U.S. TO SEMIFINALS OF CONCACAF OLYMPIC QUALIFYING
The U.S. Under-23 Men's National Team topped Honduras, 1-0, on an Eddie Gaven penalty kick in the final minute of second-half stoppage time on March 15 to take the top spot in Group A and advance to the semifinals of 2008 CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying. The U.S. traveled to Nashville on Sunday in preparation for the all-important semifinal match, which will be played Thursday (March 20) at LP Field. The semifinal winners will earn a berth to the 2008 Beijing Olympics this August.
LIVE WEB CHAT WITH SIGI SCHMID SET FOR WEDNESDAY, MARCH 26, AT TheCrew.com
Crew Head Coach Sigi Schmid will answer questions from fans during the Crew's monthly Web Chat at TheCrew.com on Wednesday, March 26, at 2 p.m. Be sure to log on to see what Schmid has to say just three days before the Crew opens its 2008 season and his third at the helm.
SAVING JANE TO PERFORM ON OPENING DAY, MARCH 29
Locally based national recording artists Saving Jane will perform in conjunction with the Crew's 2008 Home Opener, March 29 vs. Toronto FC, becoming the first act to play Crew Stadium's new permanent stage in so doing. Saving Jane's show will immediately follow the Crew-TFC match, which kicks off at 4 p.m., and admission to the game grants admission to the concert. Tickets are on sale now at the Crew Stadium Box Office and all central Ohio Ticketmaster retail locations, via Ticketmaster phone at 614-431-3600 and on-line at TheCrew.com and Ticketmaster.com. The opener is also part of all full-season, half-season and 5-pack ticket plans, which are available by calling 614-447-CREW (2739) and at TheCrew.com. Saving Jane is a rock band headlined by former Ohio State University student Marti Dodson and guitarist Pat Buzzard that scored a hit single in 2006 with "Girl Next Door."
CREW TO HONOR OHIO STATE MEN'S SOCCER TEAM ON OPENING DAY, MARCH 29
The Crew will honor the NCAA runner-up Ohio State Men's Soccer Team on Opening Day. Coach John Bluem's squad is coming off the most successful season in program history, one in which it went 17-4-5 and advanced to the NCAA Men's College Cup (final four) for the first time. There it defeated Massachusetts, 1-0, to advance to the national title game, in which it scored first, but ultimately fell to Wake Forest, 2-1. The team and its achievements will be recognized at halftime of the Crew game on March 29.
CREW TO TAKE ON CLEVELAND CITY STARS IN FRIENDLY MATCH APRIL 13 IN CLEVELAND
The Crew travels to Cleveland Sunday, April 13, for an exhibition match vs. the Cleveland City Stars of the USL Second Division at 5 p.m. The City Stars kick off their second season in April, after enjoying a successful inaugural season in the USL-2 in 2007. The friendly match is part of Cleveland's "2008 Season Launch Weekend."
CREW NAMED A FINALIST FOR 2008 CORPORATE CARING AWARD
Along with its charitable arm, the Crew Soccer Foundation, the Crew has been named a Finalist for a 2008 Corporate Caring Award. Business First and sponsors Battelle, Grange Insurance, KPMG, Mills/James Productions, and Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease will celebrate corporate philanthropy in Columbus on April 10, presenting awards at the 12th Annual Corporate Caring Awards Luncheon that will be held at the Hyatt Regency Ballroom.
CREW'S HESMER BLOGS ABOUT CREW TRAINING CAMP
Crew goalkeeper William Hesmer is currently keeping a blog updating fans about the squad's preseason training camp. Be sure to head to TheCrew.com (here) to check out Hesmer's anecdotes and insight on the team's activities throughout the preseason.
