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Press Release wrote
Crew comes from behind to defeat FC Dallas, 2-1, Saturday at Crew Stadium
Saturday, Aug. 16, 2008
Crew forward Guillermo Barros Schelotto showed why he is the MLS assists leader, notching his 11th and 12th of the season in a three-minute stretch of the second half that helped turn a first-half deficit into a 2-1 Columbus victory before a crowd of 17,647, the largest of the season at Crew Stadium.
FC Dallas saw its five-game unbeaten streak end, after former Crew forwards Jeff Cunningham put the Hoops into the lead in the 35th minute with the 100th league tally of his career.
The Crew returns to action next Saturday, Aug. 23, vs. Real Salt Lake at Crew Stadium. The match will be televised live locally at 7:30 p.m. on ONN.
Comments
- Rmoiii: Where are the photo's of the current construction going on in the short nor
- cheap: i highly recommend the Millersport sweet corn festival of course,the cor
- Jimmy Mak: Thanks for the write-up! Just to clarify - this is the third year we've do
- Briana Henry: Well, eventually they plan to add more bands from the region...gotta start
- bucki12: I like the business model, but the internet sales part seems like something
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The Crew are back at the top of the League
By: Walker
Related Posts:
Guess I’ll be the first one to leave a comment:
The esteemed MikeReed, I and our significant others all attended this Crew game as our first soccer match in Columbus. I’ll let him offer his own opinion if he desires; I thought the atmosphere was very laid back. Too laid back, really. It’s great that the Crew are on top of the league but I’d rather see the BlueJackets over soccer any day.
I’m guessing you weren’t sitting on the north end (either side of the stage). I find the fans there are more vocal (a lot more in the case of the Nordecke) and tend to get into the match more than fans along the east and west sides of the stadium.
This is where I was (NW section) for most of the match on Saturday with FC Dallas and I liked the crowd involvement there. I’ve sat in the center field sections, and I’ve found that the fans there are kinda lame…
The on the field action was a bit tough for me to watch because the Crew was pretty much lacking in momentum until the 60th minute, the defense was sucking and Dallas kept making plays in front of our goal. Luckily Hesmer is amazing and only let one past.
Pat Noonan (NOOOOONAN!!) was fun to watch though. For a guy playing his first match with a new team he made some great moves and was on point the entire time. His run downfield to catch the ball with a slide right at the corner before it went out and the chance that he generated off of that was just amazing. I’m betting that with Noonan and Rogers in we’ll be generating a lot more offensive play.
On the whole though I’d say that we did well against a very tough Dallas side (we broke their 5 match winning streak), and as far as I was concerned it was an edge of the seat match for 90+ minutes.
I like them both really.. I used to go to a lot more Blue Jackets games, but after the strike I pretty much lost all interest. I still don’t mind going, but honestly it’s not really on my radar anymore. Besides, sitting at Hunt stadium on a summer evening watching the a soccer match is great way to cap a Saturday in my book.
One problem with last Saturday is that it was “family night” or some such crap. This sort of theme doesn’t lend itself to a rowdy fan atmosphere, although I’m guessing McCullers was OK with that after the problems during the West Ham match. Still, the fact remains that too many people at Crew Stadium act as if they are at an OSU football game, so they sit on their hands or text each other rather than become involved with the game.
My experience with attending Crew games has been frustrating since the league began, and particularly since the club moved to Crew Stadium. Like it or not, the sport is marketed in this country as family entertainment, particularly in places like Columbus, where we don’t have a large immigrant population with ties to the sport (although this is obviously changing, for the better). As a (very) vocal Crew supporter who is also interested in watching the game, I am continually faced with a dilemma – do I sit quietly in my nice seat with a good view, surrounded by young mothers and their tender-eared children, or do I walk down to the Nordecke, where I can sing, cheer, and swear to my heart’s content, yet can’t really ever see what’s going on? Two seasons ago I was scolded by some woman behind me because I was (get this) standing up during a game. Apparently her child couldn’t see or something. I didn’t realize I was supposed to sit down all the time while watching a sporting event. At first i thought she was joking.
My dream, of course, is that we could have sections in the “better” sections of the stadium where the more vocal fans could be themselves without having to worry about being tossed out because of harsh language. A place where we could sing, chant, cheer, and get a good view of the action. Maybe families could be restricted to a few small sections while real fans could sit wherever they wanted?
Wouldn’t that be nice.
Oh, and about the game:
Hesmer had a good match. After a shaky early season he seems to have found his form.
It was nice to have Gino back. His assurance and composure on the ball is a welcome change from the rotating cast of stooges we’ve tried at left back. Marshall was fantastic, clogging up the middle and probably saving at least one goal single-handedly. O’Rourke was his usual incompetent self. Frankie was, well, Frankie. A great captain and a great inspiration. If only he could cross…
Carroll had his usual quiet, excellent match at defensive mid, plus he scored hist first goal in our colors. Gaven was pretty decent, better than he often is but not as good as how capable we know he can be. He was more active on defense than usual, a nice sign. Evans continues to be a dilemma. He’s technically quite proficient, yet he seems to have no fantasy, as the Brazilians would put it. There’s definitely a spark missing, but he does have a rifle shot. Noonan was about as good as we could expect given his lack of match fitness, but Rogers was certainly a key to our play in the second half.
The Maestro showed us his genius yet again. We truly are not worthy. Moreno had a quiet, hard-working game. He deserves more goals, but under Sigi’s system that isn’t his primary role, and he seems OK with that.
Guillermo Barros Schelotto had a goal and an assist in the first half and later added his league-best 14th assist, which leaves him one shy of the Crew’s single-season record of 15 set by John Wilmar Perez in 2001. Defender Chad Marshall and midfielder Brad Evans also scored for the Crew while William Hesmer had two saves for his sixth shutout.
I really don’t think I’ve ever seen Columbus play with such talent and assurance. The game Saturday makes me think we are the best team in the league.
I would have liked to have seen better touch from our guys, but they still took RSL out behind the woodshed and whipped their ass.
And now we are clear at the top of the table. Go Crew!
I feel sorry for those who are missing out, the Crew are playing some of the best soccer the MLS has ever seen.
A match report is here:
Game 22: Crew 2 – FC Dallas 1
The Crew wrapped up their tour of the west Saturday in Dallas. They left with another come from behind win. They now have three straight wins, are in first by two points, and Schelotto is raising his game and the team with him. Not a bad month of work.
Much like two weeks ago, Dallas had several chances early. Several shots rang off the post as FCD looked to go up early. The Crew had a couple set peices early, but they would fall short. Again, much like two weeks ago, Dallas would take the lead. Jeff Cunningham received a pass and easily rounded Chad Marshall and shot past William Hesmer.
Before my pessimism could set in, the Crew pressed to equalize. Within three minutes, Schelotto’s corner found Chad Marshall. Marshall’s flick found Alejandro Moreno. Moreno redirected the ball past Dario Sala to tie the game. The Crew pressed on as Schelotto had a moment of individual brilliance. His cutback on Drew Moor freed him to lob a cross to a wide open Eddie Gaven. Gaven’s header put the Crew up 2-1 before halftime.
The Crew would hang on throughout the second half. Dallas pressed, but the Crew defense would hold on. Andy Iro capably stepped in for Danny O’Rourke. Eddie Gaven excellent form continued. Evans, Rogers, and Carroll shored up the midfield. Moreno got back into goal scoring form. Most importantly, Schelotto continued to impose his will on the game. This is a team on a roll.
I expect to see the Crew continue their strong play. Pat Noonan should be able to play a greater role, and Emmanuel Ekpo will be back in town next week. Yes, the Crew will be missing Moreno and Hejduk, but this is a team that has responded to challenges all season. They responded to a strong Dallas offense and secured the only away win of the weekend in the league. I expect they will rise to meet more challenges throughout the regular season and into the playoffs.
I have not been to a game in since Brian McBride days…..but me and my friend met a bunch of them one night in GV….they are great fun to hang out with which inspired me to want to go see them play when they are back.
The next Crew home game is on Saturday at 7:30
We play New England (they are in 2nd place right now, 2 points behind the Crew)
This is a huge game for the Crew.
The best seats are sections 103 – 109 (but there really is not a bad seat in the stadium)
If you want to get the whole experience stand in The Nordecke (sections 139 – 142, first 10 rows are general admission, standing only) with the supporters, all Crew fans are welcome
Sadly, Saturday’s game will be the only home game this season I’m unable to attend. I’ll be there in spirit however.
For Immediate Release: Saturday, Sept. 6, 2008
Behind the play of MVP candidate Guillermo Barros Schelotto, the Columbus Crew downed the New England Revolution, 4-0, at Crew Stadium on Saturday night, the Black & Gold’s fourth consecutive win while increasing their lead in the Eastern Conference to five points ahead of the Revolution.
Schelotto, the MLS Player of the Month for August, continued his string of contributing to Crew goals with a goal and two assists on the first three scores. It gave him two goals and eight assists on 10 consecutive Crew goals over the past four games. With Schelotto resting on the bench for the final seven minutes, his streak ended when ex-Revolution midfielder Pat Noonan set up substitute forward Jason Garey for his second goal of the match in the 90th minute.
The Crew took a 2-0 lead into the break thanks to Schelotto. He put Columbus ahead in the 39th minute with his sixth tally of the season and added his league-best 17th assist in the 45th minute when his free kick was headed in by rookie defender Andy Iro for his first career goal.
Columbus did not let up in the second half and Garey took a pass from Schelotto off his chest, settled and put a left-footer home for his second goal of the season. The 18th assist for Schelotto moves him into a third-place tie for most in an MLS season.
I saw this tonight and it was great. The Crew dominated the Revolution tonight. The atmosphere in the stadium tonight was beyond belief. I hope that more that a few of you made it…
Me: “So this game was the peak of our season so far, right?”
Long suffering Crew Fan Friend: “This game was the peak of 13 years of Crew soccer.”
And he is right. This team is deep, seasoned, comes from behind to win, and never lets off the gas pedal.
A wonderful, wonderful game. Going to a Crew game and standing in the first 5 rows Nordecke is one of the great sporting experiences to be had in Columbus, and if you haven’t done it, you are missing out.
Wow, this game was amazing. Without a doubt, it was one the best sporting events I have ever experienced. The atmosphere in the stadium was unbeatable and the team played like it was the last time they would ever step on the pitch. I am still buzzing. If you are considering checking out a Crew game, now is the time.
Michael Arace summed up the night in his commentary in today’s Dispatch:
I’ve got the fever. Saturday night’s match was my second in the last month and it was a perfect. A stingy Crew defense gave the Revs nothing. They swarmed and challenged every New England possession.
Regarding the atmosphere: electric is about right. It felt like a major league event!