COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Columbus Crew are seeking a bit of franchise history on Saturday in Vancouver (7:30 pm ET, MLS Live), but they might not use the same lineup they did in last week’s season-opening win.
Highly regarded newcomer Matías Sánchez (above) could challenge center midfield anchor Danny O'Rourke for the starting spot, but O'Rourke, who has battled injuries the past two seasons, formed a formidable shutdown duo with Agustín Viana in the team’s 3-0 win over Chivas USA to open the season.
"Danny's playing good right now," Crew head coach Robert Warzycha told MLSsoccer.com. "We're going to put the best team on the field. If that mean Matias, he will be out there. Sánchez wasn't with us the whole preseason. He's working very hard making his way to be a serious contributor. I'm sure we'll see him on the field soon."
Expect Andy Gruenebaum in goal with a backline of Josh Williams, Gláuber, Chad Marshall and Tyson Wahl. The rest of the midfield should consist of Eddie Gaven on the left and Dominic Oduro on the other side with Jairo Arrieta and Federico Higuaín on top.
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Arrieta came out in the 76th minute last week and Higuaín, who put Columbus up in the 51st minute, followed a minute later. Both are healthy for Saturday’s game.
The Crew have never won the first two games of the season. They’ve won their first match six previous times, most recently in 2011. They lost the second match five times before a tie two years ago.
The only time they won their first two road games was in 2003.
