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YouTubeI starting a letter writing campaign to Coach Warzycha to wear the scarf. I am starting to think that's really the only thing holding us back. In case my first attempt is a little too overwrought, I'm going to ask my spouse to edit it, but I'm hoping to do all I can to help my team.
Columbus Underground Messageboard » General Columbus Discussion » Sports
Crew 2009 Season Discussion
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pjguldan
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I am really feeling good about today's game. The Crew offense is on a roll. The gang is back together on defense. This is looking like a Crew win.
Now, I just need to decide where to watch the game. Direct kick is not carrying it and I don't get Telefutura. Claddagh is a great spot, but I might just end up a Studio 35. Nice to have options.
Posted 2 years ago # -
michaelcoyote
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Match starts at 3PM.. I might just have to wander up to Studio 35 myself.
Posted 2 years ago # -
michaelcoyote
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fuuuuuk
1-1.. equalized in the last 45 seconds of regular time.... blah...
Posted 2 years ago # -
pjguldan
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Crew 1 – Galaxy 1 (Game 9 - May 17th)
A game that started out so well ended with another last minute lead lost and another tie for the Crew. Columbus had not played their best game but they were in prime position to come out with three points, holding a lead through 90 minutes only to lose it in extra time, but it was another two points dropped and the creeping doubt about the rest of the 2009 season instead.
The Crew started out with it’s best stretch of the game in the first half. The first thirty minutes, the Crew attacked a very defensive Galaxy team. Rogers found space to take a shot that was saved by Ricketts. Marshall got on the end of a Schelotto corner but his header went right at Ricketts again. Those would be the two best chances the Crew would get in the first half.
The game really started going to plan as the Galaxy came out strong and started to put the Crew on the back foot. The Crew have not been a second half team this year. They gave up a lot of the possession and were unable to break down the LA defense when they did have the ball. I noticed far more long ball that did not set Columbus up in positions to score.
Schelotto would take it upon himself to lead the Crew towards a victory. His warning shot was a deflected free kick that rang off the crossbar. The breakthrough would come when Schelotto would press former Crew player and villain Tony Sanneh, intercept his soft pass, got one on one with the keeper and slotted the ball past Ricketts to put the Crew up 1-0 in the 70th minute.
The Crew wouldn’t have to hold on to the lead for long, only 20 minutes, but Columbus would spill yet another lead in dramatic fashion. LA would raise the pressure as the Crew moved into a defensive posture. This only invited more Galaxy pressure. As the pressure built up, the Crew were forced into a series of fouls. Danny O’Rourke would pick up two deserving yellow cards and was sent off in the 89th minute. On the next LA corner kick, Eddie Lewis would bury a 30 yard blast to tie the score.
It appeared inevitable that the Crew would cough up the lead. The team is nearly a third of the way through the season and it is clear, this team lacks a cutting edge. There are glimmers of a talented team that is ready to break out, but they keep losing leads, turning wins into ties, and falling behind the conference leaders.
It is not panic time yet, but something is clearly lacking at the end of Crew games, it could be fatigue, a lack of focus, injuries, coaching, but I am beginning to think it is a lack of confidence. This team doesn’t look like champions. Championship teams would be bleeding goals in the last ten minutes of games. The cracks may have started with a couple bad breaks and some injuries, but now this is a team expecting something bad to happen. Often enough when you keep looking for something bad to happen, often times it does.
Posted 2 years ago # -
michaelcoyote
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There's no blaming this on officiating.. The ref was pretty solid.. O'Rourke did a great job of drawing a bad foul in a bad spot.. I wish the ref could have sent him off for more than one game.. He'd be doing us a favour..
Would have like to see more chances from the offense too.. They seemed pretty bland today. I know that the conditions were warm on the pitch, but they had no crackle at all.. The only goal was off an unassisted GBS play.. We can't just rely on him..
I'm wondering what needs to change. I'm seeing incremental improvements, but it's not enough..
Posted 2 years ago # -
pjguldan
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michaelcoyote wrote >> I'm wondering what needs to change. I'm seeing incremental improvements, but it's not enough..
Well we have one change that I have been wanting to see, Danny O'Rourke will have to sit out the next game. I am not sure Eric Brunner is the answer, but I would like to find out.
O'Rourke has been reckless in the back and it has hurt us. His second yellow was not necessary. The attacker was not running direct to goal and there were other defenders.
As for the offense, that's a mystery. I really thought that things would start clicking, but Gaven had a quiet game, Ekpo wasn't as dangerous, and Moreno really didn't get into great positions to score.
Posted 2 years ago # -
pjguldan
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Big game day for soccer. The Barca/ManUtd Champions League final at 2:30 looks like a great matchup and the Crew face San Jose at 7:30 for Buck a Brat. I am picking ManUtd and the Crew.
Anyone heading out for the final this afternoon. Claddagh, Fado, and Studio35 will be showing the game.
Posted 2 years ago # -
michaelcoyote
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Buck A Brat night... that's right, Delicious Bratwurst for One US Dollar!!
Posted 2 years ago # -
berdawn
near that stretch of N. High Street in the Short North
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ah...finally got to see the Crew win. Coach Bob wasn't wearing a scarf, so I guess my pleas fell on deaf ears (much like the play occurred before blind refs)...if he had done, it would have been 4-0.
Posted 2 years ago # -
michaelcoyote
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That was an ugly win.. The Quakes were hacky and the reffing was haphazard..
I would have liked to have have seen one or two more goals against the Quakes as well.. We spent a lot of time in front of their goal but couldn't connect anything..
Bleah..
Posted 2 years ago # -
pjguldan
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Quakes 1 – Crew 2 (Game 10 - May 27th)
There is winning in style (see 2008 Crew and Barcelona), there is winning ugly (see the up and down with against Kansas City), and there is winning really ugly. Last night was an ugly kind of win. The Crew had to scrape and claw against a rough and tumble San Jose team to pull out just the second win of the year, 2-1. While the team won; they ended up losing the ironman Brian Carroll to a separated shoulder. Surgery is likely and he will be out a while.
Facing a San Jose team with only one win, the Crew were caught off guard as the Quakes came out aggressively in the opening minutes. Columbus would control possession, but San Jose would counter effectively, nearly seizing on a couple golden opportunities to come out with the lead. An excellent cross from former Crew player Eric Denton was chested by Quincy Amarikwa to a poorly marked Ryan Johnson. Johnson slotted it past Gruenebaum for the 1-0 in the 23rd minute. Johnson then endeared himself to the Nordecke by taunting the corner for a brief instance before Bobby Convey, showing that veteran leadership, moved him back towards the San Jose end.
Shocked into action, the Crew struck back quickly. The goal livened the team up as Columbus started piling on the pressure. A Schelotto corner kick was cleared to Gino Padula. Padula lofted a perfect ball back in to the box to Eric Brunner. Brunner made up for his mistake of leaving Johnson unmarked on the goal and nodded the ball far post. Gaven, fearing that the keeper “was going to take his head off†made the run and headed it home to tie it up at 1-1 in the 29th minute. The Crew would keep up that pressure for the rest of the half, chasing a go ahead goal that wouldn’t come in the 1st half.
The much needed go ahead goal would finally come 30 seconds into the 2nd half on some outstanding combination work. Moreno, pulled out right, headed the ball to Ekpo into space. As Ekpo bore down, Schelotto found space in the middle of the box. Ekpo calmly crossed the ball to a wide open Schelotto, who slotted a left foot shot for his 6th goal of the year and a 2-1 lead. It was a beautiful opening to an ugly second half as the rain started to fall, the game got rougher, and the game would take it’s toll on the Crew.
Ekpo was the first to come out. The stomach bug he was carrying got worse and he left in the 58th minute. The human wrecking ball, Steven Lenhart replaced him. True to form, Lenhart was called for a foul within 15 seconds of stepping on the pitch. The devastating blow came 10 minutes late. Brian Carroll was caught by Simon Elliot. The former Crew player had linked arms with Carroll, dragged him down and landed on him. The effect was devastating as Carroll separated his shoulder on the play and needed an immediate substitution.
Coming into crunch time, the Crew refused to play the bunkering game that had cost them several wins this year. San Jose never was able to back the Crew in the corner and get the equalizer that so many others have gotten this year. Rogers, Schelotto, and Lenhart acted as a pressure relief valve. Whenever the Quakes started to build, the defense was able to stop the buildup and the offense could get it down the field and hold on to the ball to give the defense a rest. The Crew really scratched out the win by playing the same confident game that the Crew faithful saw so many times last year.
Columbus now goes into a tough three game stretch starting with a cross country trip to Seattle on three days rest, followed by an away game at a suddenly tough Kansas City team, and followed with a home date against the first place team in the west, Chivas USA. The Crew will have to do it without at least 3 key starters and numerous reserves. If the champs wanted a tough test, these games will provide it.
Posted 2 years ago # -
UncommonSense
Hilliard
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Thug-fest last night. Thanks a lot Simon Elliot. And Amarikwa should have had 2 yellows and an ejection. Horrible to watch.
Posted 2 years ago # -
pjguldan
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UncommonSense wrote >>
Thug-fest last night. Thanks a lot Simon Elliot. And Amarikwa should have had 2 yellows and an ejection. Horrible to watch.I knew we would have a wrestling match as soon as I saw Okulaja's name as the Ref. He is a "no blood, no foul" style ref. I thought it was funny that Quakes coach Frank Yallop (Brit born) thought the ref should let them play and American refs call too much stuff, but Warzycha thought he let too much stuff go.
I side with that he let too much go, but strangely thought most of his card calls were correct.
Posted 2 years ago # -
jimbach
Short North (WP division)
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Ekpo probably wasn't relaxed, just heavily medicated due to some sort of GI tract issue...
Speaking of sick, I'm getting really disgusted with standing in the Nordecks and seeing people throw crap onto the field as a way of protest. From my vantage point it looks like it's coming from a very small number of people in an area of the corner where a lot of the HSH are. It's got to stop. These people are the fan equivalent of kindergarten students who stand up in front of the class and say "poopy" because they know it will get a reaction. They seem to derive enjoyment from having other people receive punishment for their own juvenile actions. If it continues to club will have to take strong actions, like banning beverages in the Nordecke, all the way to putting up netting in front of the supporters, like we're some sort of penal population on furlough. It's already starting to sour relations between the groups and the front office, after those relationships started to really flower last season.
Posted 2 years ago # -
pjguldan
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Crew 1 – Sounders 1 (Game 11 - May 30th)
The Crew faced a tough match to keep their unbeaten streak alive. Injuries have taken their toll, the team had a game on Wednesday, had to fly cross-country, Sigi prowling the opposing sideline, and Seattle has been tough at home. As shaky as the 2009 season has been to date, with last night’s 1-1 tie, there are signs that the Crew are starting to finally round into form. The Crew finished May with a record of two wins and three ties.
Columbus started fast. Rogers 30 yard shot in the opening minutes flew just feet wide. Continuing the good start, last year’s late season pickup and surprise substitute Pat Noonan made an impact immediately on the game. Filling in for a fatigued Schelotto, Noonan sent a perfect cross across to Moreno. Ale’s diving header put the Crew up 1-0 in the 12th minute.
The Crew continued to press Seattle in the first half. Seattle lost the individual battles as O’Rourke and Gaven controlled the midfield, stifling the Sounders. Ekpo and Rogers were dangerous on the wings. Ekpo had a great chance to make it 2-0, but his shot was parried by Sounders goalie Kasey Keller. The only shaky moment was when Jed Zayner coughed up a penalty that European import Freddie Ljungberg pushed wide.
The tired legs and Seattle’s tactical changes were able to change the nature of the game. Columbus started yielding more possession to the Sounders. The defense was called into action more in the first 10 minutes of the 2nd half than the entire first half. Seattle had several chances in the final third to even the game up, but it was a series of outstanding individual efforts by Seattle’s offense. Ljungberg took a pass and played a looping pass over to Nate Jaqua. Jaqua took the perfect volley past Gruenebaum to tie the game at 1-1.
The one-way traffic continued as Seattle continued to play quick balls on the wings. Zayner and Padula were caught upfield as the Sounders found several open chances to take the lead. Only the outstanding work of Marshall, Brunner, and Gruenebaum kept the score tied. The Crew even faced the very unusual indirect free-kick after Gruenebaum handled a back pass from Gaven. The resulting shot from the ever-present Ljungberg caromed off the wall and out for a corner.
In an attempt to turn the tide, Warzycha took a chance and inserted the reigning MVP Schelotto and then rambunctious forward Steven Lenhart. The dynamic offensive players were unable to get the deciding goal, but they were able to relieve the pressure on the defense. The Crew’s midfield picked up and the Crew again looked like the team wanting to win the game. Even with a late red card to Seattle’s Tyrone Marshall, the effort was a little too late, as the game would end in a tie.
Of the 7 ties the Crew have this year, I look at last night’s as the most satisfying. This was a game that Columbus was going to struggle, but they looked like a confident team no matter who was in the lineup. Noonan performed well in Schelotto’s absence. O’Rourke was calm and assured in the midfield. Columbus will have a lot of absences throughout the year, but it is very good to know that there is a lot of talent on this team.
As weak as Columbus’s start was, they are back in the playoff pack in the East. They are suddenly a mere 3 points behind the tie in 2nd place with one less game played. Kansas City is up next and started well this year, but has fallen off. This is a prime chance for the Crew to get the first win on the road and continue the very positive 7 game unbeaten streak they are on. The champs are suddenly regaining their footing and look to do some damage in the coming months.
Posted 2 years ago # -
michaelcoyote
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pjguldan wrote >>
It looks like things are going to get very interesting in the Nordecke. GM McCullers is issuing a "No Organized Swearing" edict. This and the crackdown on throwing stuff probably means big changes in the corner.wonder how the fuck they're gonna enforce that?
Kidding aside, I saw some interesting exchanges over on Big Soccer..
There seems to be a surprising large contingent of people who are fed up with the antics of some of their fellow supporters.. Evidently they've had an influx of yobbos who just want to come and get drunk and throw shit.. There are a few people there who want to take their ball and go home and a few (like myself) concerned about the loss of personality of the Crew Stadium. I think the general idea is that the yobbos need to be controlled or booted.. Interesting stuff...
Posted 2 years ago #
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