With its 2-2 tie at Chicago Sunday afternoon (Oct. 12), coupled with Houston's scoreless draw vs. D.C. United hours later, the Crew clinched the 2008 MLS Supporters' Shield for the second time in club history. The Supporters' Shield is awarded to the team with the most points overall during the regular season and the 16-6-6 Crew's club-record 54 points can no longer be matched by any of the league's other 13 teams. The Western Conference-leading Dynamo (11-5-11, 44 pts.) was the last team with a chance to catch the Black & Gold. The Shield carries even more weight and significance than it did in 2004, the previous time the Crew won it, as it now earns the winning team a berth in the CONCACAF Champions League (the Crew will open play in the prestigious regional club championship tournament in August 2009).
Now that it has the Shield in hand, the Crew looks to continue its preparations for the 2008 MLS Cup Playoffs as it attempts to win its season series against New York this Saturday, Oct. 18, at Giants Stadium. The Crew heads into Saturday's match seeking to extend to extend its nine-game unbeaten streak (7-0-2), while New York (9-10-9, 36 pts.) enters the match hoping to move on step closer to a spot in the MLS Cup Playoffs, as it is currently tied with Kansas City for fourth place in the East with 36 points.
Saturday' match kicks off at 7:30 p.m. and will be televised live locally on ONN, with Dwight Burgess and Dante Washington calling all the action. The game can be heard in English on The Brew @ 105.7 (PLEASE NOTE CHANGE) and on-line at theCrew.com and MLSNet.com, with Neil Sika behind the microphone, as well as in Spanish on La Que Buena 1550-AM, with Eduardo Carvacho on the call.
New York enters Saturday's match after drawing with Real Salt Lake, 1-1, last Thursday (Oct. 9) in the grand opening of RSL's Rio Tinto Stadium on ESPN2, thanks to a goal by Dave van den Bergh in the 31st minute. New York is now winless in its last four games, and will be looking for a positive result against the Crew this weekend in order to break its current deadlock with K.C. New York is led into the match by the offensive tandem of van den Bergh and Juan Pablo Angel. Angel leads the Red Bulls with 11 goals this season, while van den Bergh has seven tallies of his own. Each player has also registered three assists heading into this weekend's match-up.
The Crew enters the match on the heels of its draw at Chicago Sunday. Chicago took the lead early in the proceedings when former Crew striker Brian McBride sent home a Justin Mapp corner kick in the 13th minute for the match's only goal in the first half. The Crew stormed back in the second half when a loose ball found its way to Eddie Gaven at the top of the box and Gaven blasted a stunning first-time volley into the back of the net to equalize the match. Columbus took the lead just two minutes later when Danny O'Rourke found a streaking Robbie Rogers down the right channel. Rogers dribbled upfield and found Guillermo Barros Schelotto with a well-placed cross to the back post, which Schelotto nodded home for his seventh tally of the season. McBride would strike for the second time against his former club late in the second half when Cuauhtemoc Blanco bent a free kick into the box, which Wilman Conde headed toward goal. McBride collected the ball and slotted it into the lower right corner, to even the game at 2-2. Columbus was without defender Frankie Hejduk (USA) and forward Alejandro Moreno (Venezuela) on Sunday, who were both away on international duty
Saturday's match will be the clubs' third and final meeting in the 2008 regular season. In the first, a 2-0 New York win at Giants Stadium on April 5, van den Bergh got the scoring under way just 46 seconds into the match and the Red Bulls doubled their advantage just minutes later when Kevin Goldthwaite was able to tap home a loose ball in the box. In the most recent meeting, Sept. 18 at Crew Stadium, Angel gave the Red Bulls the lead in the 21st minute on a well-struck free-kick goal. Frankie Hejduk then scored from long range in the 41st minute, followed by Robbie Rogers' dazzling effort from 30 yards out in the opening moments of the second half. Eddie Gaven added the Crew's third goal in the 85th minute. The clubs will square off in a MLS Reserve Division match on Sunday morning (Oct. 19) at 9:30 a.m.
COLUMBUS CREW at New York Red Bulls
Saturday, Oct. 18 - 7:30 p.m. (ET) at Giants Stadium
National Television:
N/A;
Local Television:
ONN
Crew Radio:
The Brew @ 105.7
(English); La Que Buena 1550-AM (Spanish)
Crew Webcasts:
TheCrew.com; MLSNet.com (English)
PLAYOFF TICKETS ON SALE NOW
Two-game Crew playoff ticket strips are currently available 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. Each strip includes both of the newly minted MLS Supporters' Shield winner's potential playoff games - the one guaranteed game in the first round and the Eastern Conference Final, which it would host if it advances out of the first round. Prices range from $34-$70 for adults and $26-$50 for students. Crew Soccer Nation members previously received an exclusive presale offer to secure their season seats. Playoff pairings, dates and times have not been determined yet, as three of the eight playoff spots have yet to be decided.
CARROLL EARNS LATE CALL-UP FOR WORLD CUP QUALIFIER, ROGERS REPLACED DUE TO INJURY
U.S. Men's National Team head coach Bob Bradley has made two changes to his 18-man roster for Wednesday's (Oct. 15) FIFA Word Cup Qualifier against Trinidiad & Tobago in Port of Spain, Trinidad, both of which involve Crew midfielders. Robbie Rogers is currently recovering from a lower back contusion suffered in the physical match at Chicago Sunday, and has been replaced by Chris Rolfe for the match. Alternately, Brian Carroll received a late call-up for tomorrow's match to replace the injured Pablo Mastroeni. Carroll departed Columbus on Monday and arrived in Trinidad to join Crew teammate Frankie Hejduk and the rest of the USMNT that evening.
CREW EXTENDS CLUB RECORD FOR MOST POINTS IN A SEASON
After its draw with Chicago last Sunday (Oct. 12), the Crew now has 54 points, extending the club record for points in a season, which it originally broke after its victory over New England on Sept. 27, surpassing the 2004 Supporters' Shield-winning squad that earned 49 points. The 2008 squad has also earned the second-most wins in club history, and trails only the 1999 Crew squad (19 wins, with six coming via shootout) for most wins in club history. It has also previously extended the club record for wins in the post-shootout-era, which it set on Sept. 18 against New York. In addition, MLS Coach of the Year candidate Sigi Schmid has also tied his career-high of 16 wins in a season, established by his 2002 MLS Cup-champion Galaxy squad.
CARROLL ONE OF ONLY FOUR FIELD PLAYERS IN MLS TO PLAY EVERY MINUTE THIS SEASON
Midfield stalwart Brian Carroll has played every minute of every match for the Black & Gold in the 2008 MLS regular season, making him one of only four field players in the league to accomplish that feat this season. Carroll, who has one goal and two assists to date, is joined on the exclusive list by Nat Borchers of Real Salt Lake, Jimmy Conrad of Kansas City and Jay Heaps of New England.
GAVEN, MORENO AND NOONAN TYPICALLY EXCEL IN MONTH OF OCTOBER
Forwards Alejandro Moreno and Pat Noonan and midfielder Eddie Gaven have displayed a tendency to excel in the month of October during their careers, as each player ranks in the top 10 among active players in goals scored, while Moreno and Gaven rank in the top five in assists during the month of October in their careers (regular season games). After his tally against Chicago last Sunday (Oct. 12), Gaven now has six goals in the month of October, which places him sixth among active players, while Moreno and Noonan have five career goals during October, good for eighth place.
CREW TO HOST ANNUAL AWARDS CEREMONY AND CASINO NIGHT ON MONDAY, OCT. 27
The Columbus Crew will hold its 2008 Team Awards Ceremony presented by adidas on Monday, Oct. 27, at 7 p.m. at Lifestyles Community Pavilion. This year's festivities will once again feature a "Casino Night" for attendees immediately following the Awards Ceremony. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m., with the Awards Ceremony beginning at 7 p.m. and a variety of casino games to follow. The following awards will be presented during the ceremony: Glidden Man of the Year, OhioHealth Comeback Player of the Year, Sierra Mist Goal of the Year, Crew Most Valuable Player, Budweiser Golden Boot, U.S. Soccer Foundation Humanitarian of the Year, Youth Soccer Volunteer of the Year, Newcomer of the Year, CSF Crew Chiefs Hardest Working Man, Defender of the Year, Coaches Award, Fan's Choice Award and Crew Fan of the Year. Gold Level Crew Soccer Nation members will be admitted free of charge. The general public can purchase tickets for $15 in advance or $20 at the door. All proceeds will benefit the Crew Soccer Foundation, the charitable arm of the Columbus Crew. Visit
TheCrew.com
for more information and to purchase tickets.
Crew CELEBRITY Bartender Night at Brewsky's
Select Crew players will be serving as celebrity bartenders next Thursday, Oct. 23, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Brewsky's Sports Bar (4510 Kenny Road, Columbus 43220), official away game viewing headquarters of the Crew. Admission is free and all tips will benefit Crew Soccer Foundation youth programming for central Ohio youth and families. Don't miss out on the fun in support of a great cause!
SCHMID, NOONAN AMONG SEVERAL CREW CONNECTIONS UP FOR NCAA MEN'S 50TH ANNIVERSARY TEAM
Coach of the Year candidate Sigi Schmid and forward Pat Noonan have each been elected to the ballot for the NCAA Division I Men's 50th Anniversary Team, and they are joined on the ballot by former Crew players Brad Friedel, John Harkes and Brian Maisonneuve. Voting for the NCAA Division I Men's Soccer 50th Anniversary team began Wednesday, Oct. 1, and will run until Noon tomorrow (Oct. 15). Members selected to the anniversary team will be honored at the 2008 NCAA Men's College Cup in Frisco, Texas at Pizza Hut Park on Dec. 12-14. Fans can head to
http://www.ncaa.com/polls/ncaasoccerpoll.php
to register their selections for the 50th Anniversary Team.
CREW UNBEATEN WHEN PADULA MANS LEFT SIDE OF BACKLINE
Veteran Argentine defender Gino Padula signed with the Crew on March 24 after previous successful stints in Argentina, Spain and England. Padula made his Crew debut in a win at home on April 12 vs. Chivas USA and started two more games, both Crew wins, for the Black & Gold before going down with hamstring and knee injuries that sidelined him for several months. Since Padula returned to the starting lineup on Aug. 16 the Crew has compiled an unbeaten record of 7-0-2, bringing the Crew's record when Padula is in the lineup to an impressive 10-0-2 this season.
CREW PLAYERS AMONG LEAGUE STATISTICAL LEADERS
Several Crew players are among MLS' statistical leaders as the 2008 regular season schedule comes down the home stretch. Midfielder Guillermo Barros Schelotto is enjoying an MVP-type season, as he currently leads the league in both assists and corner kicks by a wide margin. Schelotto currently has 18 assists on the season, distancing himself from his closest competitor (Javier Morales, RSL - 13), while also totaling 118 corner kicks in 2008. Schelotto is also tied for first place in MLS in game-winning assists with five this season. Forward Alejandro Moreno finds himself tied for eighth place in MLS in goals scored, with nine, and midfielder Robbie Rogers ranks among the league's best in several categories, as he is currently tied for third place in shots (70) and is sixth in shots on goal (33). Rogers is also tied for third in MLS in multi-goal games, with two, and is tied for second in game-winning goals with three game-winners this season
CREW FEATURES THREE OF THE LEAGUE'S FOUR MOST-FOULED PLAYERS
The Crew's roster features three of the four most-fouled players in Major League Soccer - Robbie Rogers is currently tied for first in the league with 72 fouls suffered this season, while Alejandro Moreno sits in third place with 65 and Guillermo Barros Schelotto is fourth with 58.
