Topic: Columbus Crew Discussion

[tedders55]

Is duka playing this week? That would be huge if the crew got him back.The crew hasn't played yet this year with a predominately healthy starting lineup. It sucks luke rodgers wasn't granted a visa since I always enjoy his style of play for new york. I'm going with a 3-2 win for the crew. I'll say renteria,mirosevic,and finley with the goals.

Per the MLS injury report he is not listed as OUT: http://sports.yahoo.com/mls/news;_ylt=Ajo.9XjFBq776FtiCCnMgUVL0bYF?slug=mlsinjury

Can't guarantee he'll play but its better than being listed on that report.

[BUCKEYE54]

That would be great if we could get duka,mendes,and o'rourke all healthy for the game. It will be interesting to see who starts at GK as well. It seems like we might have a bit of controversy brewing.

[tedders55]

Well that sucked.  Crew got rocked by the Red Bulls. 

http://www.massivereport.com/2012/4/8/2933589/columbus-vs-new-york-match-recap#storyjump

Columbus vs. New York (Match Recap)

by Aaron Katzeman on Apr 8, 2012 9:23 AM EDT

Thierry Henry and Kenny Cooper proved to be too much for Columbus on Saturday. Each scored twice in the 4-1 beating the New York Red Bulls gave to the Crew.

[Columbo]

^ It's like the Crew celebrated Easter weekend by laying an egg!  Henry and Cooper played well and finished their chances like all-stars.  But that was a really rough start for the Crew defense.  3-0 at halftime.  Ugh.

Maybe they'll fare better at Philly next Saturday.  It's a road game, but Philly is off to a horrendous 0-3-1 start.

[Columbo]

Terrible news about primary goalkeeper Will Hesmer and reserve forward Heinemann.  Worse news about Hesmer since he's been the Crew's rock-solid keeper for years.  Looks like we'll be seeing alot more from Andy Gruenebaum.  Here's the article from the Dispatch below:

Crew: Hesmer, Heinemann out for season
By Adam Jardy, The Columbus Dispatch
Friday, April 13, 2012 - 12:22 PM

Goalkeeper William Hesmer and forward Tommy Heinemann will miss the remainder of the 2012 season after each undergoing microfracture surgery, the Crew announced today.
     
Hesmer had surgery on his right hip that is expected to sideline him for at least six months while Heinemann’s procedure on his left knee will keep him out of action for 9-12 months.
 
MORE: http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/sports/2012/04/13/13-crew-injuries.html

[Columbo]

And a potentially troubling note from the Friday Bob Hunter "Rumblings" commentary column about Danny O'Rourke:

Danny O’Rourke missed the Crew’s past two games because of an ankle injury, which neither he nor anyone will else will say much about.  He tweaked it two weeks ago, and team insiders suspect the injury might be more mental than physical.  Injuries have limited O’Rourke to 23 games the past two seasons.
 
After the defender participated in two full practices in a row this week, coach Robert Warzycha was asked if that was a good sign for a game on Saturday against Philadelphia.
 
“Next question,” Warzycha said.

[Columbo]

The Crew were looking to rebound against winless Philadelphia on Saturday.  Eric Gehrig replaced Danny O'Rourke, who was a pre-game scratch due to injury.  Aaron Schoenfeld replaced the slumping Emilio Renteria in a quest for offense.  But there wasn't much to be found - by either the Crew or the Union.  The sole highlight was in the 38th minute from Philly.  Freddy Adu (yes that Freddy Adu) rocketed a shot into the box that found the arm of Gehrig and got Philly a penalty kick on the hand-ball.  The PK was - in the words of the NBC Sports announcer - impudently chipped in by Gabriel Gómez for the game's only goal.  PHILADELPHIA 1-0

Not much to see.  But here are the MLSsoccer highlights:

MLS: GAME HIGHLIGHTS - COLUMBUS AT PHILADELPHIA - 4-14-12

Sure has been a big comedown after back-to-back wins against Montreal and Toronto.  Maybe the Crew should play an all-Canadian schedule?  Instead, Columbus will host Houston next week.  And even if the Crew's play continues to be sub-par, at least it's a Buck-a-Brat and $1 draft beer special night.

[Columbo]

Crew fans could use a little good news right now.  This announcement certainly qualifies:

The Crew: Crew legend Frankie Hejduk officially retires, joins club's front office

And even the Columbus Dispatch's most veteran sports writer devoted some ink/webspace to the announcement - in which Hejduk also dicussed his new role as the team’s “brand ambassador”:

Dispatch: Bob Hunter commentary: Cheers to Crew for hiring Hejduk

[Columbo]

A "could-have-been-better but could-have-been-worse" game on a blustery Spring night at Crew Stadium.  The first half was cold.  But the second half heated up.

Houston started the scoring with a dynamite header off a corner kick in the 59th minute.  The Crew evened it up in the 63rd minute off a Houston defensive miscue.  A Houston defender tried to pass a long ball near the box back to his goalkeeper.  Under pressure from Renteria, the Houston goalkeeper deflected the ball to Eddie Gaven - who struck it home.  In the 74th minute the Crew took a 2-1 lead.  Vukovic struck a ball into the box, which was deflected by Schoenfeld back to an on-rushing Eddie Gaven - who blasted it past the Houston goalkeeper.  Unfortunately, the Crew couldn't hold the lead.  Houston tied it up in the 81st minute.

The Crew almost won it in the 88th minute, when a melee in front of the Houston net resulted in two point-blank saves by the Houston goalkeeper and one save by a Houston defender.  But the third goal did not come - and the game ended 2-2.

Here are the MLSsoccer highlights:

MLS: GAME HIGHLIGHTS - HOUSTON AT COLUMBUS - 4-21-12

Despite only getting a draw, it was great to see Eddie Gaven score twice.  And the Crew's offense looked much more dangerous in this game against a quality team like Houston.  If the Crew can keep this up, they'll see better results in future games.  Columbus will host Vancouver next Saturday.

[dmerkow]

The second Gaven goal was WOW!

[BUCKEYE54]

The second Gaven goal was WOW!

Yeah it really was amazing! I was really was happy with the crews effort although the defensive collapse that gave up the equalizing goal was really disappointing.

[tedders55]

Well, if the Crew keep losing I don't think the attendance jump they have received will remain.  This is an interesting article as unless you can get to the NFL popularity level stadium placement is a big driver of attendance.

http://www.soccernewsday.com/usa/a/131/mls-stadium-locations-attendance-comparison

MLS Stadium Locations & Attendance Comparison
Comparing distances of MLS stadiums from their urban cores with recent club attendance figures

This week I decided to compile some statistics on something that always seems to come up in MLS: the current attendance per club stats and the location of their stadiums in regards to those trends. This time we see how the distance per club and the classifications of those distances may (or may not) affect overall attendance.

[Columbo]

Another night of dreary weather and another disappointing result at last Saturday's game against Vancouver.  And the Crew really did deserve a better fate then they got.  They started off strong by knocking two balls in the back of the net in the first 5 minutes.  Unfortunately, both goals were called back. 

In the 3rd minute, the first "goal" occurred off a Mirosevic corner kick that defenseman Josh Williams hit in with his right foot.  That beautiful goal was disallowed due to a questionable foul on Marshall in the box.  Then, in the 5th minute, a Vargas to Schoenfeld combination found Eddie Gaven wide open in the box for a goal.  However, that goal was disallowed due to Gaven being barely offside.  In the 16th minute, Josh Williams blasted a beautiful bicycle kick from a corner that rang off the crossbar.  The Crew dominated possession for the rest of the first half and had two more scoring chances from Gaven and Schoenfeld that were well saved by the Vancouver goalkeeper.  0-0 HALFTIME

The Crew kept up the possession advantage early in the second half but didn't generate any quality scoring chances.  However, in the 74th minute, Vancouver defender Y.P. Lee took a free kick just outside the box.  Crew goalkeeper Gruenebaum initially took a step forward to prevent a crossing play - only to realize too late that the free kick was on goal - and saw the ball go into the net past his outstretched hand.  Lee even admitted after the game that he was trying for a crossing pass, but "mis-hit" the ball to perfectly place it on goal instead.  VANCOUVER WINS 1-0

Here are the MLSsoccer highlights:

MLS: GAME HIGHLIGHTS - VANCOUVER AT COLUMBUS - 4-28-12

So, even though the Crew dominated possession, generated multiple scoring chances, and defensively shut down Vancouver's offense - the Crew end up on the wrong end of a 1-0 result because of one "mis-hit" free kick!  Sometimes the game of soccer isn't fair.  The Crew are now a disappointing 2-4-1 after going winless in April.  And the May schedule doesn't let up on the Crew as 3 of the next 4 matches will be on the west coast.  Columbus travels to Portland for next Saturday's match.

[BUCKEYE54]

The marshall foul was a joke as was the yellow card he recieved in the 2nd half when going up for a header. Apparently, the ref didn't understand that the offensive player had the right to go for the ball. That may have been the most dominating performance that resulted in a loss that I've ever seen.

[Columbo]

Question: When does a 0-0 draw feel like a win?

Answer: When you bring a Columbus Crew team that resembles a MASH unit to face a Portland team before the Timbers Army.  The Crew already lost Vargas and Schoenfeld because of last week's game.  Then they lost Chad Marshall during a Friday practice due to concussion symptoms and held him out of this game.

The 0-0 final score belied the number of scoring chances for both teams - and the number of great saves from both goalkeepers.  Troy Perkins of Portland and Andy Gruenebaum of Columbus both made spectacular saves to keep the game scoreless.  Josh Williams was also a stand-out for the Crew - filling in for Marshall defensively and getting a shot on goal.  Here are the MLSsoccer highlights:

MLS: GAME HIGHLIGHTS - COLUMBUS AT PORTLAND - 5-5-12

Columbus returns home to face FC Dallas next Saturday at Crew Stadium.

[Columbo]

Saturday's match against Dallas had all the makings of another Crew loss.  The first half went badly for the Crew.  In the 22nd minute, Crew midfielder Tony Tchani had Dallas forward Fabian Castillo well defended along the sideline when the ball skirted on the out-of-bounds line.  Tchani stops defending to argue with the official that the ball went out-of-bounds (replays showed it didn't).  The now unmarked Castillo streaks towards the goal and beats Crew goalkeeper Gruenebaum for a goal.  Just an egregiously bad play by Tchani.  DALLAS LEADS 1-0

Things looked even worse near the end of the first half when Crew forward Ethan Finlay suffered an elbow to the head and had to be replaced by Justin Meram.  But that foul and the substitution would set the stage for a second half Crew comeback.  In the 63rd minute, another Dallas player elbowed a Crew player in the head.  This lead to a yellow card, which was this Dallas player's second yellow card, and meant a red card ejection.  With Dallas now down to 10 men, Meram took advantage in the 67th minute.  Meram blasted a 35-yard shot for his first-ever MLS goal and the Crew's first goal.  GAME TIED 1-1.

Only a few minutes later Mirosevic had a great scoring chance saved by the Dallas goalkeeper.  This set up a Crew corner kick.  Vukovic took the corner kick in the 72nd minute and found a completely unmarked Sebastian Miranda just outside the box.  Then Miranda uncorked one of the longest and fastest headers you may ever see and blasted a 20-yard header past the keeper for the Crew's second goal.  CREW WIN 2-1

MLS: GAME HIGHLIGHTS - DALLAS AT COLUMBUS - 5-12-12

It's a good thing the Crew won Saturday's home game.  Four of their next five games are on the road.  The next two road games are at San Jose next Saturday and at Seattle the following Wednesday.

[Columbo]

In addition to winning Saturday's game against, the Crew also won the Pioneer Cup.  This goes to the winner of the two MLS teams owned by the Hunt family (previously by the late Lamar Hunt, AFL and MLS pioneer).  Below is a photo of the Lamar Hunt Flag Corps at the game and of Crew Captain Danny O'Rourke holding the Pioneer Cup after the game courtesy of Columbus Underground.

[Columbo]

The Crew marked the 13th anniversary of the opening of Crew Stadium earlier this week.  It was noted by the Columbus Dispatch in their on-going Bicentennial column that features an historic event on each calender day: Columbus Mileposts | May 15, 1999: Country’s first soccer-specific stadium opens and by the Dispatch's Crew blog: Crew, Fans Reflect On Anniversary.

Just prior to that 13th anniversary, the Houston Dynamos opened their new stadium.  Which is the latest in a string of great new soccer-specific venues for Major League Soccer.  Houston's stadium broke new ground because it's the first of these new venues located in their city's downtown district.  More about it from the Houston Dynamo website and from wikipedia.

Those two events got me thinking about just how far Major League Soccer has come as a league in those 13 years.  In 1999, there were only 12 MLS teams.  And only the Columbus franchise was playing in a soccer-specific stadium.  Now in 2012, there are 19 teams.  And only three of those teams are not playing in places that were either built or renovated as soccer-first venues.  Crew Stadium was built for $28 million in 1999.  Now MLS is getting brand new stadiums like a $200 million New York Red Bulls stadium in 2010, a $120 million Philadelphia stadium in 2010, a $200 million Kansas City stadium in 2011, and now a $95 million Houston stadium.  The present and future of MLS looks good.

[tedders55]

^ Don't forget that for the 2002 season MLS contracted two teams to go down to 10 total.  At the time it really looked like the beginning of the end.  So, if you look at the situation from that nadir it is really amazing to where they have come.  I still wish the playoff format just took the top 4 teams from each conference but that is a debate for another time (like after the second NYC team is added).

[surfohio]

The Crew marked the 13th anniversary of the opening of Crew Stadium earlier this week.  It was noted by the Columbus Dispatch in their on-going Bicentennial column that features an historic event on each calender day: Columbus Mileposts | May 15, 1999: Country’s first soccer-specific stadium opens and by the Dispatch's Crew blog: Crew, Fans Reflect On Anniversary.

Just prior to that 13th anniversary, the Houston Dynamos opened their new stadium.  Which is the latest in a string of great new soccer-specific venues for Major League Soccer.  Houston's stadium broke new ground because it's the first of these new venues located in their city's downtown district.  More about it from the Houston Dynamo website and from wikipedia.

Those two events got me thinking about just how far Major League Soccer has come as a league in those 13 years.  In 1999, there were only 12 MLS teams.  And only the Columbus franchise was playing in a soccer-specific stadium.  Now in 2012, there are 19 teams.  And only three of those teams are not playing in places that were either built or renovated as soccer-first venues.  Crew Stadium was built for $28 million in 1999.  Now MLS is getting brand new stadiums like a $200 million New York Red Bulls stadium in 2010, a $120 million Philadelphia stadium in 2010, a $200 million Kansas City stadium in 2011, and now a $95 million Houston stadium.  The present and future of MLS looks good.

Columbo, here up in Cleveland we seemed pretty close to getting a team. If we actually do, I'm interested in what you think the dynamic would be? It would seem a natural rivalry, but then it struck me that there is no modern example of a Columbus/Cleveland sports rivalry that I know of. It could be interesting.

p.s. Happy anniversary Crew

[Columbo]

The Crew marked the 13th anniversary of the opening of Crew Stadium earlier this week.  It was noted by the Columbus Dispatch in their on-going Bicentennial column that features an historic event on each calender day: Columbus Mileposts | May 15, 1999: Country’s first soccer-specific stadium opens and by the Dispatch's Crew blog: Crew, Fans Reflect On Anniversary.

Just prior to that 13th anniversary, the Houston Dynamos opened their new stadium.  Which is the latest in a string of great new soccer-specific venues for Major League Soccer.  Houston's stadium broke new ground because it's the first of these new venues located in their city's downtown district.  More about it from the Houston Dynamo website and from wikipedia.

Those two events got me thinking about just how far Major League Soccer has come as a league in those 13 years.  In 1999, there were only 12 MLS teams.  And only the Columbus franchise was playing in a soccer-specific stadium.  Now in 2012, there are 19 teams.  And only three of those teams are not playing in places that were either built or renovated as soccer-first venues.  Crew Stadium was built for $28 million in 1999.  Now MLS is getting brand new stadiums like a $200 million New York Red Bulls stadium in 2010, a $120 million Philadelphia stadium in 2010, a $200 million Kansas City stadium in 2011, and now a $95 million Houston stadium.  The present and future of MLS looks good.

^ Don't forget that for the 2002 season MLS contracted two teams to go down to 10 total.  At the time it really looked like the beginning of the end.  So, if you look at the situation from that nadir it is really amazing to where they have come.  I still wish the playoff format just took the top 4 teams from each conference but that is a debate for another time (like after the second NYC team is added).

^ That is a great point.  I didn't follow MLS as closely in 2002 as I do now.  But I'll bet that two team contraction in 2002 must've had many thinking that MLS was fading away like NASL did in the 1980's.  It looks like the U.S. team's strong performance in the 2002 World Cup rejuvenated MLS.  Then when Los Angeles and Chicago built soccer-only stadiums, it signaled that the league was starting to mature and be a safe place for future investments.

With Montreal becoming the 19th MLS team this year, speculation is building about where the inevitable 20th team will go.  South Florida is a likely and somewhat ironic candidate for team 20.  Ironic because the two teams that contracted in 2002 were Miami and Tampa Bay.  But likely because South Florida has a natural soccer fan base plus adding a Florida team makes geographical sense and balances the east-west structure of the league.  But there also might be a strong push for a 2nd New York team.  (Maybe called the New York Cosmos?)

[Columbo]

Columbo, here up in Cleveland we seemed pretty close to getting a team.  If we actually do, I'm interested in what you think the dynamic would be?  It would seem a natural rivalry, but then it struck me that there is no modern example of a Columbus/Cleveland sports rivalry that I know of.  It could be interesting.

p.s. Happy anniversary Crew

I might be the worst person to answer this because I really don't get into the whole "bitter rivalry" thing - so I might be downplaying this.  But I'm not sure Columbus/Cleveland would develop into a Cleveland/Cincinnati or especially a Cleveland/Pittsburgh type sports rivalry.  As far as NFL, MLB and NBA fandom goes, Columbus feels like "Cleveland South" at times.  Partially because of Clevelanders who have moved into Central Ohio and partially because of the bandwagon effect, there are tons of Browns, Indians and Cavs fans here.  Heck, Columbus' AAA baseball team is even the farm team for the Indians. 

But like you said, there is no modern example of a Columbus/Cleveland sports rivalry.  So maybe it would develop into a rivalry if they played head-to-head games.  But it just doesn't seem natural to have one.  However, if Detroit got a MLS team . . . now that seems more natural.

[tedders55]

Columbo, here up in Cleveland we seemed pretty close to getting a team.  If we actually do, I'm interested in what you think the dynamic would be?  It would seem a natural rivalry, but then it struck me that there is no modern example of a Columbus/Cleveland sports rivalry that I know of.  It could be interesting.

p.s. Happy anniversary Crew

I might be the worst person to answer this because I really don't get into the whole "bitter rivalry" thing - so I might be downplaying this.  But I'm not sure Columbus/Cleveland would develop into a Cleveland/Cincinnati or especially a Cleveland/Pittsburgh type sports rivalry.  As far as NFL, MLB and NBA fandom goes, Columbus feels like "Cleveland South" at times.  Partially because of Clevelanders who have moved into Central Ohio and partially because of the bandwagon effect, there are tons of Browns, Indians and Cavs fans here.  Heck, Columbus' AAA baseball team is even the farm team for the Indians. 

But like you said, there is no modern example of a Columbus/Cleveland sports rivalry.  So maybe it would develop into a rivalry if they played head-to-head games.  But it just doesn't seem natural to have one.  However, if Detroit got a MLS team . . . now that seems more natural.

I don't think a Cleveland MLS team will happen for a long time.  Unless the Crew are moved up here.  There is no real point for MLS to create a division among the Ohio soccer fans.  There honestly probably aren't enough to currently support two teams in state.  Although I know if there was a team up here I would definitely have season tickets. 

I really would expect the 20th MLS team to be in NYC.  Maybe Detroit, but probably not the Florida area.  While that is a big soccer market and has a good number of fans they are mostly immigrant fans.  Where they are supporting the teams their fathers supported (like Barca and Madrid or the National teams of South American countries).  MLS has done a much better job of including the Latino population in their fan bases (Chivas and Houston have done particularly well), but Florida is just a weird place fan wise all around, look at all the trouble Jacksonville, Tampa, and Miami have filling a stadium.  Actually it's just a weird place period.

[Columbo]

I really would expect the 20th MLS team to be in NYC.  Maybe Detroit, but probably not the Florida area.  While that is a big soccer market and has a good number of fans they are mostly immigrant fans.  Where they are supporting the teams their fathers supported (like Barca and Madrid or the National teams of South American countries).  MLS has done a much better job of including the Latino population in their fan bases (Chivas and Houston have done particularly well), but Florida is just a weird place fan wise all around, look at all the trouble Jacksonville, Tampa, and Miami have filling a stadium.  Actually it's just a weird place period.

That is true about Florida fans.  All major league sports seem to have a tough time there!

Everything I've heard seems to have either Florida or a 2nd NYC team leading in the 20th MLS franchise sweepstakes.  And you might be right about NYC having the inside track.  I just think MLS would like to give Florida another shot.  It seems like it's an enticing demographic and geographic area that MLS hasn't filled yet.  But, as always, it will probably come down to which area has the better ownership and stadium deal.

[Columbo]

The Crew had a game at San Jose on Saturday night (or early Sunday Columbus time) that ended in a 1-1 draw.  Both teams picked up a point in the standings.  But Columbus and San Jose probably felt they gave away those extra two points and should have come away with a win.

The beginning of the first half was all San Jose.  The Quakes held possession and peppered Crew goalkeeper Andy Gruenebaum with shot after shot.  This surge culminated when former Crew player Steven Lenhart got fouled in the box by Crew defender Eric Gehrig in the 22nd minute.  San Jose's (and MLS') leading scorer Chris Wondolowski took the penalty kick - and it was blocked by Gruenebaum!  San Jose kept the pressure on the Crew defense in the rest of the first half but never got a better scoring chance. 

The first half moved into its 2 minutes of stoppage time when something amazing happened for the Crew.  Justin Meram gained possesion at midfield and tapped the ball to Gaven.  Gaven moved it back to Tchani, who found Meram on the left flank making a run forward.  Meram got the ball and was one-on-one with a defender at the edge of the box.  Then Meram lofted a shot that went over the Quakes keeper and ever-so-gently curved into the upper corner of the goal - giving the Crew a 1-0 lead heading into halftime!  The second straight game that Meram scored for the Crew.

The second half saw the Crew trying to preserve the lead and San Jose pushing forward to get a tying goal.  The Crew defense and Gruenubaum held firm for almost the entire second half.  Then in the 90th minute, 2nd half sub Alan Gordon blasted a shot for San Jose that hit the crossbar, deflected back to him, and was hit into the net for the tying goal.

MLS: GAME HIGHLIGHTS - COLUMBUS AT SAN JOSE - 5-19-12

Although Columbus was disappointed they couldn't get the win by denying San Jose for just a few more minutes, the Crew should be pleased with this road draw.  Especially when the final match stats are viewed.  San Jose outshot Columbus 24 to 9.  The shots-on-goal were 8 for SJ and only 1 for the Crew (which was Meram's goal).  If not for Gruenubaum's 7 saves (including the PK) Columbus could have been blown out at Buck Shaw Stadium.

Columbus is in the middle of a 3 games in 8 days stretch.  Their next game is at Seattle on Wednesday.  Then they return home for a Saturday night match against Chicago.  On the injury front: Mirosevic was subbed at halftime because of a groin injury and is questionable for the Seattle game - Duka played 30 minutes in the second half, which was his first apparance since April 7.

[dmerkow]

The NY is still the odds on favorite. They seem to be scared of Florida. I think Arizona, St. Louis, the Twin Cities, a New South city are possibilities. There are consistent rumors that D.C. may move to Baltimore if they can't get a new stadium soon. I don't think they would be opposed to a fourth Canadian team (Calgary perhaps).

[surfohio]

The NY is still the odds on favorite. They seem to be scared of Florida. I think Arizona, St. Louis, the Twin Cities, a New South city are possibilities. There are consistent rumors that D.C. may move to Baltimore if they can't get a new stadium soon. I don't think they would be opposed to a fourth Canadian team (Calgary perhaps).

As someone who was fortunate to experience the craze spurred by the Cosmos in the 70's, I'm hoping for NY. It was truly amazing and I'd love to relive even a fraction of that excitement once again, and see the MLS benefit from it.

The Cosmos have a favored waterfront site in Manhattan, but it being NYC, still a lot of hurdles to overcome.

edit - Oh yeah, I have to rep this:



http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0489247/

[Columbo]

Crew fans had every right to feel pessimistic about their chances at the start of this west coast road trip.  Columbus was 8th in the east and getting ready to face two teams (San Jose & Seattle) that were in the top 1/3 of the west.  Even last Saturday's draw at San Jose, though good, could have easily been a win instead.  But last night's match at Seattle gave much more hope to Crew supporters.

Last night's game against Seattle had a lot of similarities with the San Jose match.  The Crew was behind in possession, scoring chances, shots, corner kicks - basically every stat except for goals.  The first Crew goal came in the 15th minute.  Duka blasted a cross into the box that found Justin Meram in front of the Seattle goalkeeper.  Meram deftly headed the ball into the net.  Meram's third goal in three straight games!

The Crew's second goal was a rare finesse shot from Emilio Renteria in the 76th minute.  Off a midfield throw-in, the ball bounced from a Seattle defender to Gaven to the feet of Renteria outside the box at least 35 yards away from goal.  Renteria noticed the Seattle keeper was off his line and lofted a shot over his outstretched hand into the net.  Renteria's first goal of the season.  And only the second shot-on-goal of the night for the Crew.

Meanwhile, Seattle kept the pressure on Crew's goalkeeper Andy Gruenebaum.  But just like the San Jose game, Gruenebaum was outstanding.  He finished with six saves.  CREW WIN 2-0

MLS: GAME HIGHLIGHTS - COLUMBUS AT SEATTLE - 5-23-12

The win vaults Columbus into 5th place in the east.  The only dark cloud from the game was another prominent player getting inured for the Crew.  This time it was Danny O’Rourke - who suffered an apparent ankle injury just before halftime.  O'Rourke was taken off the field by stretcher and immediately replaced in the lineup.  There was no word on the seriousness of the injury, but O'Rourke was sporting a pair of crutches after the game ended.  The Crew return home for a Saturday night match against Chicago.

[Columbo]

Justin Meram's play over the past three games has been amazing - three goals in those three games.  Surprising too - considering that Meram went scoreless in the 17 games he played during his rookie season last year.  Even more amazing is the variety and quality of his three goals.  The first was a 35-yard rocket blast in front of the net.  The second was a bending chip shot from left of the net to beat a keeper off his line.  The third was a beautiful diving header from a crossing pass.  I don't know if he can keep this level of production up, but it is just what the Crew needed.

Also, Danny O’Rourke has an MRI scheduled for today on his left ankle.

[Columbo]

Columbus came into last night's game riding a four-game point streak.  Chicago came into Crew Stadium three points ahead of Columbus in the eastern conference standings.  But it was the Crew who struck first. 

Eddie Gaven found some space at the left corner of the box and blasted a 30-yarder in the 9th minute to give the Crew a 1-0 lead.  Gaven impacted play later in the first half when he found Emilio Renteria deep in the box in the 43rd minute.  Renteria took the pass, turned and fired it into the net to give the Crew a 2-0 lead at halftime.

In the second half, the Crew fell back into a defensive shell and tried to wear Chicago down on a hot night.  The strategy almost backfired when Chicago scored in the 72nd minute.  But after that the Crew held possession more to take pressure off Crew goalkeeper Gruenebaum.  Still, Gruenebaum needed to make seven saves to preserve the 2-1 Crew victory.  Below are the MLS highlights:

MLS: GAME HIGHLIGHTS - CHICAGO AT COLUMBUS - 5-26-12

The win vaulted Columbus into a fourth-place tie in the East with Chicago.  The Crew join the rest of MLS in a 2 1/2 week hiatus while the U.S. National Team begins World Cup qualifying matches.  The Crew won't play again until Saturday, June 16 when they travel to New England.  Despite the Crew's run of good play, the MLS break comes at an opportune time for the team.  It lets some of their injured roster heal up.

More about some of the Crew's injures from the Dispatch's Crew Blog: Chicago Postgame. (Some good news about Danny O’Rourke - some potentially bad news about Chad Marshall - and an explanation about why Justin Meram did not play in last night's game.)

[Columbo]

The Columbus Crew and New England Revolution had a 0-0 tie Saturday night at New England.  The scoreless game wasn't due to a lack of scoring chances though.  The Crew had more attempts on goal (13 to 11) then the Revs.  But the Revs had better scoring chances with more shots on target (6 to 3) then the Crew.

The Revs first scoring chance occurred in the first minute when longtime U.S. national team member Benny Feilhaber was open just left of the six-yard box and bounced a shot in front of the net that trickled wide.  But the Revs best chance of the night occurred in the 15th minute.  A perfectly timed run found Moreno completely open in space and one-on-one against Crew goalkeeper Andy Gruenebaum.  Gruenebaum came out to make the save-of-the-match with a spectacular diving kick save.

The Revs had a 30-yard shot bounce off the crossbar in the 29th minute and had a clear shot in the 38th minute from 10 yards right of goal that was brilliantly deflected by Gruenebaum.  They ended with two more scoring chances in 2nd half stoppage time that forced Gruenebaum to make one more quality save.

The Crew had two pretty good scoring chances.  The first in the 8th minute on a Mirosevic shot that was saved by the Rev goalkeeper and bounced around the box until it was cleared.  The second in the 65th minute when Meram found Renteria well positioned in front of the net, but then left-footed wide by Renteria.  Crew goalkeeper Andy Gruenebaum was definitely the Man-of-the-Match and the reason the Crew left Gillette Stadium with a road draw.  Gruenebaum stayed top three in GAA with this shutout and leads MLS in saves.  Not bad for a player who was slated to be the Crew's back-up keeper behind Will Hesmer!

Below are the match highlights from MLS:

MLS: GAME HIGHLIGHTS - COLUMBUS AT NEW ENGLAND - 6-16-12

The Crew are now riding a six game point streak with 3 wins and 3 ties.  Saturday's draw temporarily put Columbus into a fourth-place tie in the East.  A Chicago win on Sunday vaulted them 2 points ahead of Columbus for 4th in the East (although Columbus does have one game-in-hand over Chicago).  And Chicago is where the Crew will be next Saturday - as they continue their road trip before returning home on June 30 to face Real Salt Lake.

[Columbo]

The Crew came into Chicago with a six-game point streak and chance to vault over the host Fire with a win.  But things didn't go the Crew's way in the beginning.  In the 2nd minute, Marco Pappa of the Fire blasted a 25-yard shot past a diving Andy Gruenebaum for a goal.  Then, in the 26th minute, a combination of poor defense and a well timed run allowed a second Fire goal from 10 yards out.  CHICAGO LEADS 2-0

The Crew caught a huge break only three minutes later though.  In the 29th minute, a Fire midfielder committed a late studs-up challenge that caught the Crew's Kevan George in the leg and was given a straight red card ejection.  The Crew capitalized in the 36th minute when Tony Tchani made a great move to lose a defender at the edge of the box, moved into the box and knocked the ball past the on-rushing Fire keeper for a goal.  CHICAGO LEADS 2-1

Despite the one-man advantage, the Crew didn't generate many dangerous scoring chances the rest of the game.  They dominated statisically with a 21-9 attempts-on-goal and 9-2 shots-on-target advantage.  But the final touch was lacking.  The Crew's best scoring chance came in the 57th minute when Josh Williams' header off a Vokovic free kick was nicely blocked by the Fire keeper.  But the best scoring opportunity in the second half came from the Fire in the 61st minute when the Crew defense was forced to make a 50-50 tackle in the box that sometimes results in a PK.  CHICAGO WINS 2-1 

Below are the match highlights from MLS:

MLS: GAME HIGHLIGHTS - COLUMBUS AT CHICAGO - 6-23-12

A win over Chicago would have vaulted the Crew over the Fire for fourth-place in the East.  Instead, the loss drops them to sixth with a 5-5-4 record.  Columbus hosts Real Salt Lake on Saturday, June 30. 

[Columbo]

The Crew's Saturday night game started one hour late because of all the power outages caused by Friday night's storms.  The power to Crew Stadium didn't get turned on until 5:30PM.  But the near capacity crowd was pleased that it did.  Fireworks on the field and fireworks after the game in the annual Red, White and Crew match.

The Crew's offense, which looked underpowered in their two previous games, got its first jolt in the 16th minute.  Emilio Renteria controlled a long ball and took it to the end line.  As Renteria drew the defense to him, he passed it back an on-rushing Tony Tchani in the box - who right-footed it into the goal.  Great pass from Renteria - great finish from Tchani.  CREW LEAD 1-0

The Crew got their second goal in the 44th minute on a corner kick that found Josh Williams open right of the goal in the box.  Williams passed it back to an unmarked Eddie Gaven in front of the net - who top shelved it home.  With the exception of one lose ball in the box in the 71st minute, RSL never threatened to score in the second half.  CREW WIN 2-0

Below are the match highlights from MLS:

MLS: GAME HIGHLIGHTS - REAL SALT LAKE AT COLUMBUS - 6-30-12

The win gives the Crew a 6-5-4 record.  Columbus travels to Montreal on Sunday, July 8 for their first game in the Impact's newly renovated stadium. 

[Columbo]

The Crew's sunday night game went from looking like they might steal three points in the standings with a road win at Montreal - to looking like they might survive with a road tie and add one point in the standings - to eventually losing and gaining zero points.

After a lackluster first half, the Crew got the game's first goal in 64th minute.  On a corner kick from Vukovic, Mirosevic snuck into the near side six-yard box unmarked.  Vukovic served a good ball to Mirosevic - who quickly headed it before the defense could close in.  Really good goal by Mirosevic.  Unfortunately, it proved to be the Crew's sole offensive highlight of the night.

But it still might have been enough for a win, if the Crew defense could keep Montreal from scoring.  But two defensive miscues set up Montreal's goals.  The first was committed by Vukovic in the 78th minute.  Vokovic was out of position and allowed a Montreal player to outflank him into the 18-yard box to score.  The second was committed by Birchall in the 89th minute.  Birchall made a poor clearance that Montreal was able to maneuver back into the 18-yard box.  The Montreal player was then knocked down by Birchall in the box and awarded a penalty kick.  Montreal converted the PK to win 2-1.

Match highlights from MLS:

MLS: GAME HIGHLIGHTS - COLUMBUS AT MONTREAL - 7-08-12

The loss drops Columbus into a tie for sixth in the East.  The good news is that the Crew will be returning home for their next two games.  The bad news is the games are against the two teams currently tied for first place in the Eastern Conference.  The Crew face Sporting KC on Saturday, July 14 and DC United on Saturday, July 21.

[Columbo]

The Crew followed up their poor performance at Montreal with an equally poor match back home against Kansas City.  Coach Warzycha's constant fiddling with the starting lineup extended to the defense in this game.  Miranda was replaced with Gehrig on the wing.  Williams was moved from center to wing.  Anor, usually a midfielder, was shifted to left center to take Williams place.  These changes proved critical when KC scored their first goal at the 6 minute mark.  KC struck a through ball to unmarked player running into the 18-yard box.  That unmarked player knocked the ball past Gruenebaum to give KC a 1-0 lead.

With the lead, KC fell back into a defensive shell.  The Crew had some good scoring chances.  But their old bugaboo of not finishing well and a few sterling saves from KC's All-Star starting goaltender Jimmy Nielsen kept the Crew off the scoreboard until KC could score their second goal in the 82nd minute.  The best chance the Crew had to tie came in the 48th minute when a crossing pass from Gaven found Meram in the 6-yard box.  Meram's header hit the bottom part of the crossbar but bounced away from goal and was saved by KC.

Match highlights from MLS:

MLS: GAME HIGHLIGHTS - KANSAS CITY AT COLUMBUS - 7-14-12