Crew expect strong support at MLS Cup
Lenhart, Schmid and others with Crew have strong California connections
Ironic, then, that it was Lenhart's goal in stoppage time against Kansas City in the first game of the Eastern Conference Semifinal Series that has much to do with the Crew playing for the MLS championship Sunday at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. -- not far from where he grew up in Yorba Linda, Calif.
"It's more cool than anything," he said. "You have people you grew up with and you have a chance to spend time with them. That's one of my favorite things, the relationships here. It hasn't distracted me at all."
As he had done on two prior occasions, Lenhart came off the bench against the Wizards to score the tying goal and send the aggregate series back to Columbus for the deciding game.
Columbus went on to beat the Wizards 2-0, then downed Chicago 2-1 in the Eastern Conference Championship to earn its first trip to the MLS Cup, where it will face New York.
Maybe it was fate. Call it destiny. Whatever the case, the Crew's appearance has sparked a huge demand for tickets because of its many California connections.
Nobody had more requests than Lenhart. The players get four apiece so he has helped in finding tickets for his family and friends.
"I'm at 96. I haven't really talked to anybody. My mom's doing it all," he said. "I've got Sigi beat by about 50."
One of the main storylines is coach Sigi Schmid's return to The Home Depot Center. He coached the Los Angeles Galaxy to the MLS Cup in 2002 and had the team in first place in 2004 when he was let go by the club.
"Winning would be the culmination of an extremely successful season," he said. "With the exception of the Open Cup, we were able to garner every trophy we could in the league and that's something you don't get a chance to do very often. So for us to get that opportunity to do that this year is extremely important.
"It would be very satisfying. To become the first coach to win with two different teams would be very rewarding."
His family still has a home in the Manhattan Beach area and many, many friends -- not only from his days with Galaxy, but 19 years prior to that at UCLA.
"We will have the home crowd on Sunday," said defender Andy Iro, a rookie from UC Santa Barbara. "We deserve it. The Columbus Crew fans have jumped on board as the season went on. They've had hard times the past couple of years. We've been the best team start to finish. In our own minds there's a quiet confidence that we know we're the best team in the league."
Iro heard from close to 100 people about getting tickets and joins a long list of Crew players with ties to the area as natives or through attending college such as Frankie Hejduk, Chad Marshall, Brad Evans, Robbie Rogers and Duncan Oughton and former Galaxy players Alejandro Moreno, Stefani Miglioranzi and Ezra Hendrickson.
"We have Frankie, Steve Lenhart, Chad, a bunch of guys coming back to their old spots," Iro said. "It's kind of bittersweet for Sigi coming back to his old stadium and hopefully winning it. It will be very, very disappointing if we don't walk out MLS champions."
Supporters from the West will merge with a contingent of more than 1,000 from Columbus.
"We stopped in a bar after the last game and a bunch of people said they had bought at least 40 tickets each and had already sold them right after the game," midfielder Brad Evans said.
Columbus was assigned two sections for its supporters in The Home Depot Center.
In a possible fortuitous sign, the seats are in the northeast corner. Back home, the Nordecke -- German for North Deck -- was formed this season in the northeast corner of Crew Stadium and is home to the three main supporters' group.
"Hopefully, we'll get good support and it will be to our advantage," Evans said. "If we can replicate that (Nordecke) as much as possible that would be awesome."
More than 500 fliers with the Nordecke's songs and chants have been made and will be handed out to Crew fans and they are being encouraged to mass as one on Sunday. Thunder sticks will also be distributed in the hope of making the venue a SoCal Nordecke.
"We've definitely got a good following, whether it's here or in Columbus," Lenhart said. "It helps on the field having the people you love and supporting you in the stands."
The Crew might have karma working for it as well. The supporters were told to enter through Gate 13 on Sunday. While the number is unlucky for some, this -- the 13th season -- has been the best for the Crew. Also, 13 was Schmid's mother's favorite number.
"They're together. They're unified. I get goose bumps when I think about how that fan base has grown," Schmid said. "When you go to Columbus now you definitely know you've been someplace and you've been in a game. That's reflection of our fans which has infected the whole city. Winning the MLS Cup would be tremendous for our team, our organization but for the whole city as well."
Craig Merz is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
