COLUMBUS – Columbus Crew today announced additional details regarding its matchday programming for Hispanic Heritage Day at Lower.com Field on Sunday, Sept. 18 when the Crew hosts the Portland Timbers [1 p.m. ET / ESPN, ESPN Deportes / 97.1 The Fan & 971thefan.com (English); ColumbusCrew.com (Spanish)]. Tickets for Sunday’s match are available at columbuscrew.com/tickets.
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The Crew engages in inclusive community activities throughout the year, and Hispanic Heritage Celebration at Lower.com Field will celebrate the Hispanic community of Columbus as part of Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs annually from Sept. 15 through Oct. 15.
“Columbus is a widely diverse city whose multicultural population has been pivotal to the growth of the city. We are extremely proud of our Hispanic community in Columbus, which has helped shape not just our city, but the very history of our Club,” said Kristin Bernert, Crew President of Business Operations. “Our team has a rich history of Hispanic players including Guillermo Barros Schelotto and Federico Higuain. These are players who joined the Crew not only because they believed in our Club, but also in the city of Columbus. We are proud to continue our proud history of having Hispanic players in our squad through the likes of Luis Diaz, Juan “Cucho” Hernandez and Lucas Zelarayan, and we are equally proud of having supporter groups like La Turbina Amarilla and Guardia Noventa y Seis who celebrate our Hispanic community.”
In advance of the match, Crew fans of all ages are invited pre-game to join the lively and inclusive March to the Match on Sunday. In a Black & Gold showing through the downtown Arena District and ending in Astor Park, the march provides an opportunity to capture the intense build-up to each home matchday at Lower.com Field in a new tradition that returns in the Crew’s first full season at Lower.com Field. Supporters are encouraged to meet up at Battelle Plaza – the main rally point – beginning at 11:30 a.m. ET and departing for the stadium at noon ET. Supporters curious about the March to the Match are encouraged to click here. Serving as the Grand Marshalls for the March will be representatives from Ohio Hispanic Coalition, La Turbina Amarilla and G96.
All fans in attendance on Sunday are invited to the Community Plaza beginning at 11:30 a.m. ET to partake in activities including Nationwide Kick & Win, Lower.com Soccer Skee-Ball, Scott’s Yard Games including cornhole, pop-up goals and soccer pong, Tim Horton’s Prize Wheel, the AARP listening board, Pepsi sampling and the SpeakEASEy Bar. Additionally on the Plaza will be Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation and 4 Paws for Ability, who will be activating together to promote ways to de-stress. Fans on the Plaza will be treated to a live performance by Spanglish punk band Troubled Sapiens.
The Hometown Hero of the match will be Randy Swartz, and the U.S. National Anthem will be performed by Columbus-based bilingual singer Karen Echeverria-Labra, who previously sung the anthem during the Club’s Hispanic Heritage Night celebrations in 2021. Serving as the Hard Hat Hero for the day will be first generation Mexican American, a Crew season ticket member since 2016 and a founding member of G96, Diana Lopez. The Honorary Captain will be a representative from the Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation, and the Coin Toss Captain will be Columbus Blue Jackets winger Johnny Gaudreau.
Notably, tickets for Sunday’s match have been donated to Ohio Hispanic Coalition, Big Brothers Big Sisters Hispanic Mentoring, and the Columbus Spanish Immersion Academy.
Additionally, several in-stadium announcements included the Starting XI will be made in Spanish, while DJ Leek will play Hispanic Heritage Day themed warm-up and halftime music. The Nordecke will feature flags from all Hispanic countries, while representatives from La Turbina Amarilla and La Guardia 96 – two of Nordecke’s Hispanic supporter groups – will run capo responsibilities.
