BRADENTON, Florida - A Columbus Crew lineup consisting of recent draft picks and other young players defeated the U.S. Under-17 National Team, 2-0, this morning in a preseason match at IMG Academies in Bradenton, Florida. Recent additions from the 2008 MLS SuperDraft and Supplemental Draft provided all of the offense for the Crew, as Cory Elenio and George Josten each tallied a goal, while Steven Lenhart dished out two assists and Lukasz Tumicz chipped in with an assist of his own.
Josten and Lenhart were selected in the SuperDraft and Elenio and Tumicz were tabbed in the Supplemental Draft.
Within the first 15 minutes of the opening half, the Crew got all the scoring it would need in the game. Elenio got Columbus started in the fifth minute, when Lenhart's pass freed up the young midfielder who sent the shot into the back of the net for the Crew's first goal.
Just 10 minutes later, the Black & Gold struck again when Tumicz's connecting pass found Lenhart, who again found a streaking teammate headed toward goal. Lenhart's pass connected with George Josten who placed his shot past the U.S. U-17 goalkeeper for the Crew's second and final tally.
After halftime, the Crew made minimal substitutions, while the U-17s brought out a whole new squad. The second half proved to be a closer contest than the first, with the Crew unable to capitalize on scoring opportunities, but still able to maintain its clean sheet for the full 90 minutes.
The Crew plays its fourth and final match of its Florida trip this Saturday (Feb. 16), when it takes on the University of South Florida at 10 a.m. at IMG Academies. On Sunday, the club returns to Columbus for a few days before departing for California on its second scheduled preseason trip of 2008.
Columbus Crew vs. U.S. Under-17 National Team (Scrimmage)
February 14, 2008 - IMG Academies (Bradenton, Florida)
Scoring Summary:
CLB - Cory Elenio (Steven Lenhart) 5
CLB - George Josten (Steven Lenhart, Lukasz Tumicz) 15
Crew Lineup
Kenny Schoeni, Ryan Miller, Zola Short, Ryan Junge, Tim Ward, Cory Elenio, Kevin Burns, Lukasz Tumicz, Andrew Peterson, Steven Lenhart (Adam Moffat 46), George Josten
