Crew to Welcome Toluca in CONCACAF Match
The Black and Gold Express of the Columbus Crew take to the pitch for the first time in 2010 tonight when they welcome Deportivo Toluca F.C. of Primera División de México to the confines of the Columbus Crew Stadium for the first leg of the Quarterfinal round of the CONCACAF Champions League. The CCL is the annual club championship that features 24 squads from the three regions of CONCACAF: North America, Central America and the Caribbean. Columbus advanced to the quarterfinal round by finishing the group stage (C) with a second place finish, following behind Mexican powerhouse Cruz Azul.
The Crew, however, will be without the service of Captain Frankie Hejduk and 2008 MLS MVP Guillermo Barros Schelotto, who are both suspended for the match due to exceeding the limit of Yellow cards in the Group Stage of the tournament. Columbus will also be without 2009 MLS Defender of the Year, Chad Marshall, who suffered a hamstring injury while training for the upcoming MLS season in Arizona. Columbus, which lost forward Alejandro Moreno to Philadelphia in the expansion draft, will look to fill the void left by Schelotto with newly acquired Colombian striker Sergio Herrera. Coach Robert Warzycha will also count on performances from US National Team members Robbie Rogers and Eddie Gaven, who look to impress National team manager Bob Bradley in hopes of getting the call to represent the US in the World Cup this summer.
Toluca will look to reverse the curse of Crew Stadium that has plagued those that represent Mexico. El Tri (The Mexican National Team) has lost their last two visits to Columbus Crew Stadium, both to the final score of 2-0. Los Choriceros will also be without center back, Edgar Duenas, who was also suspended due to the accrual of yellow cards in the group stages.
The second game of this home and home total goals series will take place on March 17th at La Bombonera, the oldest soccer stadium in Mexico, and home of Toluca. The winner of this series will advance to face the winner of Pachuca (Mexico) vs. Comunicaciones (Guatemala). Those games will take place on March 30th and April 7th.
The Crew/ Deportivo Toluca F.C . match will take place at 8:00, March 9th. Television broadcast will be on Fox Soccer Channel and Galavision. Tickets are available starting at $25 for adults, $20 for youth at the ticket office, Ticketmaster or by calling 614-447-CREW.
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March 9th, 2010 at 2:28 pm
The defense may be shorthanded and we may not have the cold weather we hoped… but Go Crew!
March 9th, 2010 at 3:37 pm
Going to be tough. The Crew is playing their first match and Toluca is in mid-season form.
Go Crew!
March 9th, 2010 at 3:39 pm
C’mon people! Get to the stadium tonight! Weather is beautiful and it’s gonna be a blast!
March 10th, 2010 at 12:03 am
That match was awesome! Toe to toe with the best international competition in our region. We have a great team.
I am fired up for Toronto March 26th. The Nordecke will be rockin when all those cheering chanting Canadians come down to C-bus to see their team lose.
March 10th, 2010 at 9:08 am
COLUMBUS CREW PRESS RELEASE
CREW COMES BACK TO TIE TOLUCA OF MEXICO 2-2 IN FIRST LEG OF CONCACAF QUARTERFINALS TUESDAY
The Crew and Toluca of Mexico played to a 2-2 draw Tuesday at Crew Stadium in the first leg of their CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinal series, with Steven Lenhart scoring twice in the second second half to lead Columbus back from a two-goal halftime deficit. Game 2 of the two-game, total goal series is March 17 at Toluca.
Lenhart cut the deficit to 2-1 in the 66th minute and added the equalizer in the 84th off an assist from recent substitute Emilio Renteria. Both of Lenhart’s goals were from 13 yards on the right side of the box. The first went high and the second low to the back of the net to cap the rally.
Columbus had large chunks of the possession but one good counter and a brilliant shot from a broken play gave Toluca the halftime lead on goals by Antonio Naelson Zinha in the 19th minute and Antonio Rios in the 45th.
Toluca is the current full-season champion in Mexico while the Crew had the best regular-season record in MLS the past two seasons. The Crew was missing defenders Chad Marshall (hamstring) and Jed Zayner (knee) as well as suspended midfielder Guillermo Barros Schelotto — the Crew’s top scorer last season — and U.S. defender Frankie Hejduk. The latter two will be eligible for the second leg.
March 10th, 2010 at 10:07 am
It was a crazy-fun and fantastic way to kick off the Crew new year. The over-all attendance may have been small, but the Nordecke was Massive, loud, and rocking as always. Here are highlights from the Champions League homepage:
http://www.concacaf.com/page/CL/Video/HighlightsDetail2/0,,12813~1989335,00.html
And for everyone who didn’t make it last night, do not despair. You can make it up to the Massive by getting your tickets for the MLS opener on the 27th against Toronto. Come, join the Massive. The Massive wants you.