The Crew, fresh off a stirring 2-1 victory over D.C. United last Thursday (April 17) on ESPN2, welcomes the two-time-defending MLS Cup-champion Houston Dynamo to Crew Stadium this Saturday, April 26. The match will feature two squads that have gotten off to contrasting starts this season. Houston comes into the weekend winless in its first four games, with a record of 0-1-3. The Crew, conversely, is off to its best start in nine years, with a record of 3-1-0. The Crew also opened the 1999 season with a 3-1 record, though two of those wins came via shootout, a year after the best five-game start in club history. The Crew got out of the gates 4-1 in 1998, a run that did not include any shootouts victories.
Saturday's match, which kicks off at 7:30 p.m., will be televised live locally on Columbus Sports Network, with Dwight Burgess and Bill McDermott calling all the action. The game can also be heard in English on News/Talk 610 WTVN with Neil Sika and John Bluem behind the microphone and on-line at TheCrew.com and MLSNet.com, as well as in Spanish on La Que Buena 1550-AM, featuring Marcelo Carrera, Eduardo Carvacho and Benny Pietrangelo.
Houston enters this week's match after tying with the Los Angeles Galaxy 2-2 on Saturday (April 19), in a match that saw the Galaxy twice climb back to erase Houston leads. Saturday's match is Houston's third in a row on the road and fourth in its first five games.
In last Thursday's victory at D.C., Alejandro Moreno opened the scoring in the 32nd minute and what initially appeared to be a second Moreno tally off a header in the 43rd was ruled, upon further review, an own goal, poved to be the game winner moments after D.C. had tied the game at 1-1. Moreno still finds himself ranked third among MLS goal scoring leaders, with three on the season.
Thursday's victory was also the 99th of Crew Head Coach Sigi Schmid's MLS career. Schmid will be looking to become the second coach in MLS history to reach the 100-win plateau Saturday vs. Houston. Only current U.S. Men's National Team Head Coach Bob Bradley is ahead of Schmid on the all-time MLS wins list, with 124. This weekend's match will also feature two of the most trigger-happy attacking players in the league as the Crew's Robbie Rogers and Houston's Dwayne De Rosario take the field against one another ranked first and second in shots taken in MLS in 2008, with 16 and 15, respectively. Saturday's match will be the first of two between the clubs in the 2008 regular season, with the Crew traveling to Houston to take on the Dynamo at Robertson Stadium on Saturday, August 2, at 7:30 p.m. ET.
COLUMBUS CREW vs. Houston Dynamo
Saturday, April 26 - 7:30 p.m. (ET) at Crew Stadium
National Television:
N/A;
Local Television:
CSN
Crew Radio:
News/Talk 610 WTVN (English); La Que Buena 1550-AM (Spanish)
Crew Webcasts:
TheCrew.com and MLSNet.com (English)
NEWLY-SIGNED MIDFIELDER EKPO ARRIVES, OUGHTON PLACED ON SIX-WEEK DISABLED LIST
Recently-acquired Nigerian Under-23 National Team midfielder Emmanuel Ekpo arrived in Columbus on Sunday (April 20) and will be available for selection Saturday. Ekpo, who participated in much of the Crew's preseason training, had returned to his native Nigeria in March to take part in CAF Olympic Qualifying. Ekpo and Nigeria took care of business in qualifying action, defeating South Africa, 3-0, on March 26, to advance to the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. In addition to Olympic Qualifying, Ekpo has participated in African Games qualifying. Veteran Crew midfielder Duncan Oughton underwent successful surgery April 15 to remove a bone spur from his right leg and he has been placed on the six-week disabled list. With that, the Crew will not have to make another roster move at this time to accommodate Ekpo on its senior roster.
LIVE WEB CHAT WITH ROBBIE ROGERS SET FOR THIS WEDNESDAY, APRIL 23, AT TheCrew.com
Crew midfielder Robbie Rogers will answer questions from fans during the Crew's monthly Web Chat at TheCrew.com on Wednesday, April 23, at 2 p.m. Be sure to log on to see what Rogers has to say just three days before the Crew plays host to the defending MLS Cup-champion Houston Dynamo at Crew Stadium.
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. Robbie Rogers currently sits atop the MLS league leaders in shots taken this season with 16 shots in four games. His closest competitor, Dwayne De Rosario of Houston, has 15 in four games and will take the field against Rogers and the Crew this Saturday. Rogers is joined among the league leaders by teammates Guillermo Barros Schelotto and Alejandro Moreno. Schelotto is currently tied with David Beckham of the Los Angeles Galaxy for the league lead in assists, with three, while Moreno is currently third among all players in goals scored, with three on the season. Moreno and Schelotto also find themselves near the league lead in fouls suffered, with Moreno currently tied for first with Mauricio Castro of the New England Revolution, with 14, while Schelotto sits one place behind, in third, with 13 suffered.
CREW, OHIO STATE TO SQUARE OFF APRIL 29 IN SEVENTH ANNUAL CONNOR SENN MEMORIAL MATCH
The Crew and Ohio State Buckeyes will once again meet on the field Tuesday, April 29, in the seventh annual Connor Senn Memorial Match. Game time is set for 7 p.m. at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium on the campus of Ohio State. The first six exhibition matches in the annual series have raised nearly $100,000 for the Connor Senn Memorial Scholarship Fund, which is now nearly fully endowed.
COMING OFF MATCHES AT CREW STAIUM, CREW SOCCER ACADEMY SQUADS HEAD TO N.Y. THIS WEEKEND
The Crew Soccer Academy squads returned to the pitch over the weekend, April 19 & 20, as they hosted matches at Crew Stadium for the first time. On Saturday, April 19, the CSA U-16s and U-18s each welcomed Internationals. The U-16s defeated Internationals by a score of 8-1, thanks to a hat trick by William Phiri, two goals from Andy Lubahn and one each from Perez and Victor Garza. The U-18s took the field next, defeating Internationals, 1-0, with the help of a Matt Bonfini goal. The following morning, CASA visited Crew Stadium to take on the CSA squads. The U-16s defeated CASA, 2-0, with goals by Silva and Garza and the U-18s tied CASA 1-1, thanks to a tally by Colby Catlett. With the two victories, the U-16s now own a record of 7-2-4, while the win and tie for the U-18s move them to 7-3-3 in the Great Lakes Region of the U.S. Soccer Development Academy. Both CSA squads will take to the road this weekend as they travel to Rochester, N.Y., to face off against Empire United on Saturday, April 27, at Paetec Park. The Under-16s will play first at 12 noon ET, with the Under-18s following shortly after at 2 p.m. ET.
CREW TRAINING AND GAME SCHEDULE
(Media availability at the conclusion of training; All times listed Eastern Time)
Wed., 4/23 OFF
Thur., 4/24 Training at Crew Stadium, 10 a.m.
Fri., 4/25 Training at Obetz, 10 a.m.
Sat., 4/26 Game vs. Houston Dynamo, Crew Stadium, 7:30 p.m. (CSN)
Sun., 4/27 Training at Obetz, 10 a.m.
Mon., 4/28 Training at Obetz, 10 a.m.
