The Columbus Crew returns home this Saturday, June 27, to square off against the New York Red Bulls in a rematch of MLS Cup 2008 on a "Night of Champions" at Crew Stadium. It will be the Red Bulls' lone visit to Columbus this season and fans will receive a Crew team poster, sponsored by Kroger Healthy Rewards and 3-A-Day Dairy, while supplies last.
To dovetail with the MLS Cup rematch - which will mark the first time the clubs have met since Nov. 23, when the Crew stormed to a 3-1 victory to claim its first league title - the Crew will receive its championship rings in a pregame, on-field ceremony. Approximately 75 area youth soccer championship teams will also be recognized and former undisputed World Heavyweight Champion and Columbus native James "Buster" Douglas will be on hand to perform the ceremonial coin toss before the game.
Douglas, whose stunning knockout of Mike Tyson on Feb. 11, 1990 remains one of boxing's greatest upsets and seminal moments, still lives in the area and has recently co-authored a book with Tony Reynolds called "Buster's Backyard Bar-B-Q, Knockout Diabetes Diet."
Saturday's match, which kicks off at 7:30 p.m. ET, will be televised live nationally on Fox Soccer Channel and Fox Sports Espanol. The match can also be heard in English on News/Talk 610 WTVN, and on-line at TheCrew.com and MLSNet.com, with Dwight Burgess and John Bluem behind the microphone and Neil Sika reporting from the sidelines, as well as in Spanish on La Que Buena 1550-AM with Carlos Cordova and Benny Pietrangelo on the call.
New York, which currently sits seventh in the Eastern Conference with a 2-10-4 record (10 points), enters the match after drawing with Seattle Sounders FC, 1-1, last Saturday (June 20) at Qwest Field. Juan Pablo Angel put the Red Bulls ahead in the 40th minute when Seattle defender Tyrone Marshall's attempted clearance deflected off teammate Patrick Ianni and right into Angel's path. The Red Bulls striker took a touch around Seattle goalkeeper Kasey Keller and sent his shot home into the wide open net. The Red Bulls were unable to hold their lead for long as rookie defender Jeremy Hall was stripped by Seattle forward Fredy Montero deep into first-half stoppage time. Montero took possession and darted his way into the New York box before unleashing a right-footed blast past Red Bulls goalkeeper Danny Cepero for the match equalizer. New York has been paced in the attack this season by Angel, who has registered a team-leading five goals and one assist, and midfielder Macoumba Kandji, who leads the squad with three assists and has also scored twice.
The Crew, which is tied for third place (with K.C.) in the Eastern Conference with a 4-3-7 record (19 points), enters Saturday's match after experiencing a 2-1 setback at FC Dallas last Saturday (June 20) at Pizza Hut Park - its first in nine games (since April 5). The Black & Gold was first to get on the board when Guillermo Barros Schelotto's corner kick found the head of Eric Brunner in the 17th minute. Brunner's flicked header deflected off Dallas defender Pablo Ricchetti and into the back of the net for the first MLS goal of Brunner's young career and the lone score of the first half from either side. The Crew maintained its advantage through the majority of the match's second stanza until Dallas defender Eric Avila, who came on as a substitute in the 76th minute, received a pass from David Ferreira and sent a bending shot from several yards outside the penalty box past Crew goalkeeper Andy Gruenebaum for the match equalizer. The Crew fell on hard luck in the match's waning moments when referee Terry Vaughn awarded Dallas a penalty kick when defender Chad Marshall was called for a foul against Ferreira inside the penalty box. Striker Kenny Cooper stepped to the spot and deposited his shot into the lower left hand corner of the net to give FC Dallas the win at home.
COLUMBUS CREW vs. New York Red Bulls
Saturday, June 27 - 7:30 p.m. (ET) - Crew Stadium
National Television: Fox Soccer Channel; Regional Television: N/A
Crew Radio: News/Talk 610 WTVN (English); La Que Buena 1550-AM (Spanish)
Crew Webcasts: TheCrew.com and MLSNet.com (English)
CREW'S U.S. SOCCER FOUNDATION PASSBACK PROGRAM TO CONCLUDE SATURDAY
The U.S. Soccer Foundation, in partnership with the Crew and Major League Soccer, will host its second Passback collection during the Crew's match against the New York Red Bulls this Saturday, June 27. The equipment collected will then be distributed within our community, to programs including the Kids Inner-City Development Soccer (K.I.D.S.) League and the Near-East Side Inner-City Youth Soccer Program, so that others may enjoy the wonderful sport of soccer. Fans are encouraged to gather up those jerseys, shin guards, shoes, socks and soccer balls and bring them to the Crew's home matches in June to "Share the equipment. Share the Game!" Crew defender Jed Zayner serves as the local Passback spokesperson.
CREW TO FACE ROCHESTER RHINOS ON THE ROAD IN U.S. OPEN CUP MATCH TUESDAY, JUNE 30
The Crew will face the Rochester Rhinos of the United Soccer Leagues First Division in the 2009 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Round of 16 next Tuesday, June 30. Game time at Marina Auto Stadium is 7 p.m. The Rhinos earned the chance to take on the Crew with a 2-1 overtime victory over fellow USL1 team Cleveland City Stars on June 16. Rochester is the only non-MLS team to win the single-elimination national tournament since MLS teams began competing in 1996, having completed a remarkable run in 1999 that included a semifinal victory over the Crew. The Black & Gold, winners of the competition in 2002, will be opening their 2009 USOC campaign. The winner of next Tuesday's match will play the winner of the Chicago Fire (MLS) vs. Wilmington Hammerheads (USL2) match in the quarterfinals on July 7.
BRUNNER TALLIES FIRST GOAL OF MLS CAREER
Defender Eric Brunner tallied his first career MLS goal last Saturday (June 20) in the Crew's match at FC Dallas. The Dublin, Ohio, native found the back of the net in the 17th minute when his flicked header off Guillermo Barros Schelotto's corner kick deflected off Dallas defender Pablo Ricchetti and past Dallas goalkeeper Ray Burse - a former teammate of Brunner's at Ohio State - to give the Crew the early lead. Brunner, who signed with the Black & Gold on March 18, has made 10 appearances with eight starts this season and now has a goal and an assist to his credit.
SCHELOTTO REMAINS IN FIRST PLACE ON MLS GOAL SCORING LIST
Despite failing to record a goal for the first time in three games last Saturday (June 20), reigning MLS MVP Guillermo Barros Schelotto remains at the top of Major League Soccer's goal scoring list. Schelotto, who leads the Crew with 10 goals this season, is followed on the list by Colorado forward Conor Casey, who has eight scores to date, and Fredy Montero and Kenny Cooper, who each have seven goals in 2009. Schelotto, who has totaled three more goals than during his entire MVP season of 2008, has continued to power the Crew's offensive attack in 2009, as he has scored or assisted on twelve of the Crew's 20 goals so far this season.
MORENO JOINS VENEZUELA NATIONAL TEAM IN ATLANTA FOR WEDNESDAY FRIENDLY VS. MEXICO
Crew forward Alejandro Moreno has rejoined the Venezuelan National Team in Atlanta for a friendly match against Mexico tomorrow, June 24, at 7:30 p.m. ET. The match will be played at the Georgia Dome, which is hosting its first-ever international soccer game. The exhibition will be played on natural grass, the first time a sporting event will be played on grass at the Georgia Dome in the stadium's 17-year history. Following the match, Moreno will return to Columbus where he will be available for Saturday's game vs. New York.
OUGHTON RETURNS AFTER STINT WITH NEW ZEALAND NATIONAL TEAM
Crew midfielder Duncan Oughton has returned to Columbus after an extended stint with the New Zealand National Team. First, Oughton and New Zealand participated in three friendly matches on the road. The All Whites traveled to Tanzania on June 3, where they fell to the Tanzanian squad by a score of 2-1. Oughton did not appear in the match against Tanzania, but he started and went the full 90 minutes in New Zealand's scoreless draw with Botswana on June 6. New Zealand then fell to Italy, 4-3, on June 10, but Oughton did not see action. New Zealand then moved on to play in the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup in South Africa. The All Whites played three matches in the tournament's group stage, beginning with a 5-0 setback to Spain on June 14. They then took on South Africa on June 17, when Oughton came on as a substitute in the 55th minute, but New Zealand again came away with a loss, this time by a score of 2-0. The All Whites then concluded Confederations Cup group play with a scoreless draw against Iraq on June 20, earning their first-ever point in a FIFA tournament.
CREW TO DEFEND 17-GAME HOME UNBEATEN STREAK WHICH RANKS SECOND ALL-TIME IN MLS
The Crew will look to defend its current 17-game home unbeaten streak, including playoffs, on Saturday (June 27) against New York at Crew Stadium. The streak, which dates back to a 2-0 loss to San Jose on June 28, 2008 (12-0-5), is currently tied with Los Angeles (7/4/04 to 7/16/05) for second place on MLS' list of longest home unbeaten runs. Only San Jose, which ran off an 18-game unbeaten streak from Sept. 25, 2004 to Oct. 15, 2005, has enjoyed a longer run of positive results at home.
CREW CLOSER TO KNOWING CHAMPIONS LEAGUE GROUP OPPONENTS
The Crew is one step closer to knowing who will round out its group in the upcoming CONCACAF Champions League tournament, as Toronto FC defeated the Montreal Impact, 6-1, at Stade Saputo on June 18, giving TFC the Nutrilite Canadian Championship. With the win, Toronto now moves on to play the Puerto Rico Islanders (USL1) in a Preliminary Round home-and-home series July 29 and Aug. 4. The winner of the Toronto-Puerto Rico series will then advance to Group C of the Champions League competition and will join the Crew, Saprissa (Costa Rica) and the winner of a Preliminary Round match-up between Cruz Azul (Mexico) and Herediano (Costa Rica) on July 30 and Aug. 5.
CONCACAF GOLD CUP TICKETS STILL AVAILABLE
Tickets for the 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup™ doubleheader at Crew Stadium on July 7 are on sale now at the Crew Stadium Box Office and www.goldcup.com. The Group A doubleheader in Columbus will pit Jamaica vs. Costa Rica at 7 p.m. and Canada vs. El Salvador at 9 p.m. (all times Eastern). Individual prices for the doubleheader at Crew Stadium start at $27 and a Family Four Pack of four lower-sideline tickets will be available for $100. The USA is the two-time defending champion, after defeating archrival Mexico in a memorable, sold-out 2-1 final in Chicago's Soldier Field in 2007. The Gold Cup, which has seen record attendances and television ratings in each of the past two competitions (2005 and 2007), will feature CONCACAF's 12 best national teams for the region's biennial title, beginning July 3 in Los Angeles and finishing with the championship match at Giants Stadium on July 26. More information about the CONCACAF Gold Cup™ can be found on the confederation's official Web site: www.CONCACAF.com.
CREW SOCCER ACADEMY SQUADS PREPARE FOR 2009 ACADEMY PLAYOFFS
The Crew Soccer Academy 15/16 and 17/18 squads have both qualified for the U.S. Development Academy Playoffs, to be played at Bryan Park in Greensboro, N.C. this weekend, June 26-29. The Development Academy features a new postseason process in 2009, which was introduced at the Academy Annual General Meeting in July 2008. Teams are ranked in their division based on the points accumulated from only their Division games, with the top three teams from each division automatically qualifying for the Playoffs. The Wild Card candidates are then ranked based on their points/game from their Overall Record, including Division, Conference and Showcase games. The top five Wild Card candidates qualify for the Playoffs. Both CSA squads competed in the Great Lakes Division, with the 15/16 squad finishing the season with a 6-2-5 in-division record, good for third place and an automatic berth, while the 17/18s finished with a 7-5-2 conference record, which placed them in fourth place and just out of reach of an automatic berth. However, thanks to its 14-7-5 overall record, the 17/18s successfully secured one of the five Wild Card slots. The 32 teams who qualify for the Playoffs will be seeded 1 to 32 based on their points/game from their overall record, including division, conference and showcase games. The teams will then be split into eight groups of four teams based on their seeds. The teams will play three games within their respective groups and the group winner will qualify for Finals Week, to be held July 10-17 at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif.
CSA 17/18 DEFENDER MATT WIET CALLED IN TO U.S. U-20 MNT
U.S. Under-20 Men's National Team head coach Thomas Rongen has called in 18 players, including Crew Soccer Academy 17/18 defender Matt Wiet, for a trip to Cairo, Egypt, from June 22-30 as the squad continues preparations for the 2009 FIFA U-20 World Cup. The U.S. will play two international friendlies against Egypt, on June 27 and June 29, as both teams prepare for the upcoming World Cup. The squad will also get accustomed to the travel, hotel and food in the country that will host the event which will take place from Sept. 24 to Oct. 16.
