Weekly Update: Final exams
Supporters' Shield, Champions League destinies to be determined
Tuesday's Champions League match, which kicks off at 8 p.m. ET, will be televised nationally on Fox Soccer Channel on a tape delayed basis six hours later, Wednesday at 2 a.m. The Crew, which is currently in second place in the Group C standings with a 2-2-1 (7 pts.) record, can assure its advancement into the quarterfinals of the 2009-10 CONCACAF Champions League - to be played in March 2010 - with a win or draw against the Islanders in Tuesday's match. It would also go through with a win or a tie by top-seeded Cruz Azul in its home match vs. No. 3 Saprissa Tuesday.
Puerto Rico, which sits in fourth place in the Group C standings with a 0-3-2 record (2 pts.), enters Tuesday's match after falling to Cruz Azul, 2-0, on the road in its last Champions League match on Sept. 29, thanks to goals by Mario Ortiz and Emanuel Villa. The Islanders have spread the wealth around on the scoring sheet in their seven Champions League matches to date, as six different players share the team lead with one goal apiece.
Sunday's MLS match in Columbus, which has been changed to a 6 p.m. kickoff, will be televised live nationally on ESPN2, with JP Dellacamera and John Harkes calling all the action and Allen Hopkins reporting from the sidelines. The match can also be heard in English on 106.7 WRXS (please note change) and on-line at TheCrew.com and MLSNet.com, with Dwight Burgess and Neil Sika behind the microphone.
New England, which is currently tied for third place with Toronto and D.C. in the Eastern Conference standings with a 10-10-9 record (39 pts.), enters the match after earning a scoreless draw with Chicago last Saturday (Oct. 17) in the Revs' regular-season home finale at Gillette Stadium. Midfielders Kheli Dube and Shalrie Joseph currently lead the club in goals this season, with eight apiece, while Joseph also has eight assists to lead the team in that category. In the previous regular season match-up between the Crew and New England -- just two weeks ago on Oct. 10 -- the Crew came away with an important 1-0 victory at Gillette Stadium thanks to a goal from Gino Padula off a free kick in the 36th minute.
The Crew, which sits in first place in both the Eastern Conference and overall MLS standings with a 13-6-10 record and 49 pts., enters its pair of matches this week after dropping a 1-0 decision to D.C. United on a cold, soggy night at RFK Stadium last Saturday (Oct. 17). The night's lone tally came in the 17th minute when D.C.'s Thabiso Khumalo evaded the challenge of defender Danny O'Rourke and sent a pass in to a streaking Luciano Emilio. The striker ran on into the Crew penalty box and flicked the ball over the charging William Hesmer, but with barely enough pace to get over the goal line ahead of O'Rourke's valiant clearance attempt.
The battle for the 2009 MLS Supporters' Shield now comes down to two teams as MLS enters its final week of regular season play. The Crew currently leads the Supporters' Shield race with 49 pts., and its lone competition for the trophy is Chivas USA, which has 45 pts., but will play two matches this week including a Thursday night (Oct. 22) affair at Chicago on ESPN2 at 8 p.m. ET and a Sunday (Oct. 25) match-up against the Houston Dynamo at the Home Depot Center at 3 p.m. ET. The Crew controls its own destiny in its bid for a second consecutive MLS Supporters' Shield trophy, as a win against New England on Sunday would guarantee its place atop of the MLS standings.
COLUMBUS CREW at Puerto Rico Islanders (USL-1)
CONCACAF Champions League
Tuesday, Oct. 20 - 8 p.m. (ET) - Estadio Juan Ramón Loubriel
National Television: Fox Soccer Channel (TAPE DELAYED AT 2 a.m.); Regional Television: N/A
Crew Radio: N/A; Crew Webcasts: N/A;
Live Commentary: http://www.concacafchampions.com/page/CL/Schedule/0,,12856,00.html
COLUMBUS CREW vs. New England Revolution
Sunday, Oct. 25 - 6 p.m. - Crew Stadium
National Television: ESPN2; Regional Television: N/A
Crew Radio: 106.7 WRXS (English) - please note change
Crew Webcasts: TheCrew.com and MLSNet.com (English)
2009 MLS CUP PLAYOFFS TICKETS NOW ON SALE
Both two-game Crew playoff ticket packages and individual-game tickets are currently on sale at the Crew Stadium Box Office and all central Ohio Ticketmaster retail locations, via Ticketmaster phone at 800-745-3000 and on-line at TheCrew.com and Ticketmaster.com. Each package includes both of the Crew's potential playoff games - the one guaranteed game in the first round and the Eastern Conference Championship, which it would host if it advances out of the first round. Prices range from $38-$74 for adults and $30-$54 for students. Playoff pairings, dates and times have not yet been determined, but the Crew, as the 2009 Eastern Conference regular-season title winners, will have home-field advantage through the first two rounds of play - meaning it will host Game 2 of the first round, the weekend of Nov. 5-8, and the Eastern Conference Championship, the weekend of Nov. 12-15, should it advance.
SCHELOTTO TIED FOR THIRD ON MLS GOAL SCORING LIST
Despite failing to score in the Crew's match at D.C. last Saturday (Oct. 17), reigning MLS MVP and 2009 MLS All-Star First XI selection Guillermo Barros Schelotto remains tied for third place on the MLS goal-scoring list. FC Dallas' Jeff Cunningham leads the list with 17 goals this season, followed by Colorado's Conor Casey who has 16 goals to his credit. Schellotto, who leads the Crew in goals this season, and Seattle's Fredy Montero each have 12 scores in 2009, and TFC's Dwayne De Rosario, L.A.'s Landon Donovan, Josh Wolff of Kansas City and San Jose's Ryan Johnson follow with 11 goals apiece.
CREW TO HOST ANNUAL AWARDS CEREMONY AND CASINO NIGHT ON MONDAY, OCT. 26
The Crew will hold its 2009 Team Awards Ceremony, presented by adidas, on Monday, Oct. 26, 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, Goal of the Year, Crew Most Valuable Player, Budweiser Golden Boot, MLS WORKS/U.S. Soccer Foundation Humanitarian of the Year, Newcomer of the Year, CSF Crew Chiefs Hardest Working Man, Defender of the Year, Coaches Award, Crew Fan of the Year and the Fans' Choice Award, which fans will be able to vote on at TheCrew.com in the near future, as well as the Crew Soccer Academy U18 and U16 Player 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.
"A MASSIVE SEASON," BY STEVE SIRK, ON SALE NOW
Steve Sirk's new book chronicling the Crew's 2008 Championship season, through both his Notebook columns and new material, is currently rolling off the presses and the first copies are now in stock and available at Crew Stadium's Crew Gear store, which is open 9-5 Monday-Friday and on game days. Sirk is generously donating a portion of the proceeds of all books sold there to the club's charitable arm, the Crew Soccer Foundation. The 480-page book, priced at $20, features all 19 of Sirk's 2008 Notebooks, including the epic MLS Cup recap from California; Recaps of those Notebook-less away games; The blog entries before and after MLS Cup; Several new essays sprinkled throughout; A foreword by Dante Washington; Footnote commentary; Over 140 pro and amateur black & white photos; Notebook snippets from yesteryear; Documentation of the joyous aftermath, from the Statehouse to the White House; and a special section featuring Crew alumni. A must-read for diehard Crew fans, "A Massive Season" is the ultimate championship season scrapbook!
AUTOGRAPH ALLEY POSTERS NOW UP FOR AUCTION AT THECREW.COM
For the fourth straight year, the Crew is auctioning off the signed, foam core-mounted posters used at Autograph Alley via an on-line auction at TheCrew.com. The auctions are now live and close on Friday afternoon, Oct. 30. All proceeds benefit the club's charitable arm, the Crew Soccer Foundation. Please call 614-447-CREW or visit TheCrew.com for more information
