The Crew will try to make it four straight victories - and four in a row at home - as it hosts the Kansas City Wizards at Crew Stadium this Saturday, May 3. The match features two teams aiming to stay at the top of the MLS Eastern Conference standings, as the Wizards find themselves in a three-way tie for second place, two points behind the first-place Crew, which also has a game in hand on K.C. With a 4-1-0 record, the Crew is off to its best start in nine years, tying the 1998 squad that featured current Crew assistant coaches Robert Warzycha and Mike Lapper and started its season with the same record.
Saturday's match, which kicks off at 7:30 p.m., will be televised live nationally on Fox Soccer Channel. It can also be heard live locally in English on News/Talk 610 WTVN, and on-line at TheCrew.com and MLSNet.com, as well as in Spanish on La Que Buena 1550-AM.
Kansas City enters this week's match after dropping a 2-0 decision at Toronto FC last Saturday (April 26), thanks to a pair of goals from Amado Guevara. The Wizards are currently on a six-game road swing, with this Saturday's match being its third in a row away from Kansas City. The Wizards are currently 1-1-0 on its extended road trip, with the loss coming in the aforementioned match at Toronto and the victory coming over the Chicago Fire on April 20.
In the Crew's 1-0 win over the Dynamo on Saturday (April 26), Alejandro Moreno continued his hot streak, scoring the game-winner off the rebound of Chad Marshall's diving header in the 22nd minute of a scrappy, hard-fought match. The goal tied Moreno with Kenny Cooper of Dallas for second place among league leaders in goals scored, with four. Saturday's victory was also a historic moment for Crew Head Coach Sigi Schmid, who registered the 100th MLS regular-season victory of his career.
Saturday's match will be the first of three between the clubs in the 2008 regular season, with the Crew traveling to Kansas City on Saturday, June 14, and the Wizards making a return trip to Crew Stadium Thursday, July 17, in a nationally televised MLS Primetime match-up on ESPN2.
The Crew and Wizards will also play in a Reserve Division match this Sunday, May 4, at 10 a.m., at the Crew Training Center at OBetz (4153 Alum Creek Dr.).
CREW TOPS OHIO STATE, 4-1, IN CONNOR SENN MEMORIAL MATCH TUESDAY
Before a record crowd of 2,274 on the Ohio State University campus Tuesday (April 29), the Crew defeated the Ohio State Buckeyes, 4-1, in the seventh annual Connor Senn Memorial Match at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium. Jason Garey and George Josten each had two goals for the Black & Gold and Nowa Thiam scored the Buckeyes' lone tally. In addition to attendance, another Connor Senn Memorial Match record was also broken last night, as approx. $30,000 was raised for the Connor Senn Memorial Fund through ticket sales, sponsor donations and a silent auction featuring a variety of sports memorabilia. The previous records of $23,000 raised and 2,053 in attendance were set in last year's event. Thanks to the efforts of Ohio State and the Crew, more than $125,000 has been raised for the Connor Senn Memorial Fund, which was established in memory of the former Buckeye soccer player who died in 2001 after collapsing in a game.
HEAD COACH SIGI SCHMID EARNS 100th MLS REGULAR-SEASON VICTORY
Saturday's (April 26) 1-0 victory over the Houston Dynamo gave Crew Head Coach Sigi Schmid his 100th victory in MLS regular-season play, making him only the second coach in league history to reach the 100-win plateau. Only current U.S. Men's National Team Head Coach Bob Bradley is ahead of Schmid on the all-time list, with 124. Schmid currently sits alone at the top of the all-time MLS Playoffs wins list, with 16 for his career. Former U.S. Men's National Team Head Coach Bruce Arena sits in second with 14.
HESMER REGISTERS SECOND SHUTOT OF 2008 SEASON
Crew goalkeeper William Hesmer made six saves as he registered his second shutout of the 2008 season in the Crew's 1-0 victory over Houston Saturday (April 26). Hesmer's day was highlighted by a full-layout diving save on Wade Barrett's goal-seeking blast in the 89th minute to preserve the clean sheet and ensure a Crew victory. It was the eighth shutout of Hesmer's MLS career, and seventh since joining the Crew prior to the 2007 season. Hesmer made three saves in registering his first shutout of the season in the Crew's 2-0 victory vs. Toronto on March 29. Hesmer spent his first three MLS seasons with this Saturday's opponent, Kansas City (2004-06).
SEVERAL CREW PLAYERS AMONG LEAGUE LEADERS IN OFFENSIVE STATISTICAL CATEGORIES
Several Crew players find themselves among the league leaders in offensive statistical categories early in the 2008 season. After scoring the game-winning goal in the Crew's victory over Houston on Saturday, forward Alejandro Moreno currently finds himself tied for second in goals scored, with four, trailing only Landon Donovan (8) of the Los Angeles Galaxy. Midfielder Guillermo Barros Schelotto, who has three assists on the season, is tied for second in that category, trailing only David Beckham (4) of the Galaxy. Robbie Rogers, too, finds himself tied for second in a statistical category, as his 17 shots in five games puts him just three back of Houston's Dwayne De Rosario (20). In addition to goals and assists, Moreno and Schelotto also find themselves near the league lead in fouls suffered, with Schelotto currently tied for first with Javier Morales of Real Salt Lake, with 17, while Moreno sits just one place behind with 15 fouls suffered.
CREW PLAYERS TO VISIT ELI PINNEY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL IN DUBLIN TODAY
Crew players Brad Evans and George Josten are scheduled to visit Eli Pinney Elementary School (9989 Concord Rd., Dublin, OH 43017) today, Wednesday, April 30, from 2-3 p.m. as part of the Crew's school assembly program. The players will speak to the students about teamwork, perseverance, staying in school and being a good sport, and will also perform a brief ball skills demonstration.
SALT LAKE, SAN JOSE TO PLAY FOR CHANCE TO FACE CREW IN U.S. OPEN CUP QUALIFYING SECOND ROUND
Real Salt Lake hosts the San Jose Earthquakes tonight, April 30 at 9 p.m. ET in a Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup play-in match at Rice-Eccles Stadium. The winner of tonight's match will face the Crew in second-round U.S. Open Cup qualifying action at Crew Stadium Tuesday, May 27, at 7:30 p.m. Dating back to 1914, the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup is the oldest cup competition in United States soccer and is among the oldest in the world. Open to all affiliated amateur and professional teams in the United States, the annual U.S. Open Cup is entering its 94th tournament.
CREW SOCCER ACADEMY SQUADS CONTINUE SUCCESSFUL INAUGURAL CAMPAIGN
The Crew Soccer Academy squads traveled to Rochester, N.Y., last Saturday, April 27, to take on Empire United in U.S. Soccer Development Academy action. The CSA Under-16 squad kicked off first, defeating Empire 2-0, off the strength of two goals by Andy Lubahn. The win improves the U-16 squad's record to 8-2-4 on the season and moves it into a tie for third place in the Great Lakes Region. The Under-18s followed up with a victory of their own, defeating Empire, 3-0, thanks to two goals by Thomas Schmitt, and another by Colby Catlett. The U-18s are now 8-3-3 and in sole possession of second place in the Great Lakes Region. Both squads now have two weeks until their next matches, and will resume play at the Crew Training Center at Obetz during the weekend of May 10-11. On Saturday, May 10, both squads face North Meck, with the U-16s playing at 1 p.m. ET and the U-18s following at 3 p.m. ET. The following morning, May 11, both squads will match-up against South Charlotte SA, with the U-16s kicking off at 10 a.m. ET and the U-18s at 12 noon ET.
