COLUMBUS, Ohio - The Columbus Crew play host to the MLS-rival Los Angeles Galaxy tonight (Tuesday, April 24) at 7:30 p.m., at Crew Stadium, in a U.S. Open Cup qualifying match. This season marks the first time since 2002 - when the Crew won the tournament - that all eligible MLS teams will not participate in the U.S. Open Cup tournament proper, due to schedule congestion, but each will have the chance to qualify for the tournament.
The game will be webcast live (audio) on TheCrew.com with Neil Sika and John Bluem calling all the live action.
The top six MLS teams from the 2006 standings are being placed in the tournament proper, while the six remaining teams will play qualifying matches. The Crew vs. Galaxy and Kansas City Wizards vs. Real Salt Lake will make up the first qualifying round, with the winners facing the New York Red Bulls and Colorado Rapids, respectively, for a chance to qualify for the tournament.
The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup (known as the U.S. Open Cup until 1999) is an annual competition open to all amateur and professional soccer teams affiliated with U.S. Soccer. The tournament has crowned a champion for 93 consecutive years dating back to 1914. Renamed in September of 1999 to honor Columbus Crew founder Lamar Hunt's contributions to the game of soccer, the Open Cup tournament matches teams that are placed in one of the following four categories: professional outdoor Division I (Major League Soccer), Division II (USL First Division) or Division III (USL Second Division); or Amateur Division (USL Premier Development League & U.S. Adult Soccer Association).
The team that advances the furthest in the single-elimination tournament from each level except Division I earns a $10,000 cash prize. The runner-up takes home $50,000, while the champion collects $100,000. The winner also will have the team's name engraved on the historic Dewar Challenge Trophy, the oldest trophy in American team sports that is housed in the National Soccer Hall of Fame in Oneonta, N.Y.
The match is part of all Crew Soccer Nation Gold-level memberships, classified as "Special Game A" in those ticket books.
COLUMBUS CREW vs. Los Angeles Galaxy
Tuesday, April 24 - 7:30 p.m. (ET) at Columbus Crew Stadium
Crew Webcast: TheCrew.com and MLSnet.com (English)
CREW RETURNS TO LEAGUE PLAY SATURDAY VS. D.C. UNITED AT CREW STADIUM
The Crew returns to MLS league play against D.C. United at Crew Stadium on Saturday, April 28 at 7:30 p.m. The game will be televised live locally on CSN, with Dwight Burgess and Dante Washington calling all the action. The game can also be heard in English on The Brew @ 105.7 and on-line on TheCrew.com and MLSNet.com, as well as in Spanish on Radio Sol WXOL 1550-AM. The Crew enters the game with a 0-0-3 record, having garnered a point from each of its first three games in 207. United comes to Columbus with a 0-2-0 record this season and an all-time regular-season record of 6-10-4 at Crew Stadium. Single-game tickets for the 2007 home season are currently on sale at the Crew Stadium Box Office, all Central Ohio Ticketmaster retail locations, via Ticketmaster phone at 614-431-3600 and on-line at TheCrew.com.
COLUMBUS CREW vs. D.C. United
Saturday, April 28 - 7:30 p.m. (ET) at Columbus Crew Stadium
National Television: N/A; Local Television: CSN
Crew Radio: The Brew @ 105.7 (English); Radio Sol WXOL 1550-AM (Spanish)
Crew Webcasts: TheCrew.com and MLSnet.com (English)
BARROS SCHELOTTO TO MEET THE MEDIA TODAY
The Crew's newest player acquisition, Argentine star Guillermo Barros Schelotto, has arrived in Columbus and he will be presented to the media this afternoon (Tuesday, April 24) at 2 in Crew Stadium's Huntington Club. The Crew announced the signing of Barros Schelotto, one of the most beloved players in the history of famed Argentine club Boca Juniors, on Thursday. Barros Schelotto has played professionally in Argentina's top flight for a total of 16 years (10 of them with Boca Juniors), where he scored 106 goals in 391 games (all competitions), and earned eight caps (appearances) with Argentina's storied national team in 1999. At the Under-23 national team level, Barros Schelotto was a member of Argentina's Gold Medal-winning team at the 1995 Pan American Games.
ROGERS, SZETELA AND WARD NAMED TO U.S. U-20 ROSTER FOR MAY 15 GAME VS. ARGENTINA
The Crew trio of Robbie Rogers, Danny Szetela and Tim Ward has been named to the U.S. Under-20 Men's National Team roster by head coach Thomas Rongen for it upcoming match vs. Argentina. The 16-man roster will travel to Rochester, N.Y. to face Argentina's U-20s on Thursday, May 15 in preparation for this summer's U-20 World Cup. The match will kick off at 7 p.m. ET and be broadcast live at www.ussoccer.com
. The U-20s are preparing to compete in the 2007 FIFA Under-20 World Cup, which will take place from June 30-July 22 in Canada. The U.S. has been drawn into Group D of the tournament, along with South Korea, Poland and Brazil. They qualified for the event with a first-place finish in Group A of the CONCACAF Under-20 qualifying tournament held in Panama in January.
CONNOR SENN MEMORIAL MATCH SET FOR WEDNESDAY, MAY 2, AT OSU'S JESSE OWENS MEMORIAL STADIUM
The sixth annual Connor Senn Memorial Match between the Crew and Ohio State will be played on Wednesday, May 2, at 7 p.m., at Ohio State's Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium. Tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for children and can be purchased by calling 1-800-GO-BUCKS, visiting the OSU Athletic Ticket Office or at the stadium the day of the game. All proceeds will go to the Connor Senn Memorial Scholarship Fund, which has raised nearly $73,000 to date.
The Connor Senn Memorial Scholarship Fund annually awards two $500 scholarships to one male and one female high school senior soccer player. It was started by Dr. Lance Senn, Connor's father and a former member of the Ohio State tennis team. Connor collapsed during a game at Akron on Sept. 26, 2001 and died that night from a congenital heart defect. A native of Granville, Ohio, Connor was a freshman walk-on defender who had earned a starting position midway through the 2001 season. He saw action in eight of 10 matches, starting five of them.
The scholarship fund will become fully endowed once it reaches $100,000. Those wishing to make a contribution to the Connor Senn Memorial Scholarship Fund can do so by sending a check to Kristyn Carman, The Ohio State University, Gift Processing, The Fawcett Center, Room 709, 2400 Olentangy River Road, Columbus, OH 43210 (account #410775). Please include your name and address so you may receive documentation of your charitable contribution from OSU for your tax records.
CREW IN THE COMMUNITY
Who: Jacob Thomas
What: School Assembly
When: Thursday, April 26, 2007 at 1:30 pm
Where: High Point Elementary School, 700 Venetian Way, Gahanna, OH 43230, (614) 478-5545
Who: Duncan Oughton and Danny O'Rourke
What: Autograph Signing
When: Friday, April 27, 2007, 7 p.m. - 8 p.m.
Where: Nike Cup, Columbus Marriott NW, 5605 Blazer Pkwy., Dublin, OH 43017, (614) 791-1000
Who: Ezra Hendrickson and Jason Garey
What: Autograph Signing
When: Saturday, April 28, 2007 after the Crew vs. D.C. United game for one hour
Where: The Skye Bar, 1590 N. High Street, Columbus, OH 43201
CREW TRAINING AND GAME SCHEDULE
(Media availability at the conclusion of training; All times listed Eastern Time)
April
Tue., 24 7:30 p.m. - vs. L.A. Galaxy, U.S. Open Cup qualifier, at Crew Stadium
Wed., 25 10 a.m. training at Obetz
Thu., 26 10 a.m. training at Obetz
Fri., 27 10 a.m. training at Obetz
Sat., 28 7:30 p.m. - vs. D.C. United at Crew Stadium (CSN)
Sun., 29 10 a.m. - Reserve Game vs. D.C. United at Obetz
Mon., 30 OFF
