Crew News & Notes - July 6

The first-place Columbus Crew once again pulls double duty this week as it welcomes the Charleston Battery (USL-2) tonight (July 6) for a Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Quarterfinal match, before traveling to Texas Saturday (July 10) to take on the Houston Dynamo in MLS regular-season play.

An audio webcast of tonight’s match at Crew Stadium, which kicks off at 7:30 p.m., will be available at TheCrew.com (http://clbtv.neulion.com/mlsvp/console.jsp?id=6605), with Neil Sika behind the microphone.

Charleston advanced to tonight’s quarterfinal match-up with the Crew by defeating the Chicago Fire, 0-0 (5-3 PKs), last Tuesday (June 29) at TOYOTA Park in Bridgeview, Ill. The Battery enters the match after falling to the Richmond Kickers, 2-0, last Saturday (July 3) in its most recent USL-2 league match. Tonight’s match marks the first time ever that the Crew and Charleston have met in Open Cup play.

The Black & Gold advanced to tonight’s match after earning a 2-1 win over the Rochester Rhinos last Tuesday (June 29) at Crew Stadium, thanks to a headed goal by Andy Iro in the 30th minute and the last-second heroics of Steven Lenhart, who scored the game-winner with a volleyed shot in the second-half stoppage time.

The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, which is recognized as U.S. Soccer’s National Championship, is an annual competition open to all amateur and professional soccer teams affiliated with U.S. Soccer. The tournament has crowned a champion for 96 consecutive years dating back to 1914. It is the oldest annual team tournament in U.S. sports history and among the oldest soccer tournaments of its type in the world. In 1999, the competition was renamed to honor long-time soccer pioneer Lamar Hunt, the Crew’s founder. The Crew is looking for its second Open Cup title in club history. The first came in 2002 at Crew Stadium when Freddy Garcia provided the match’s lone goal in the 30th minute to defeat the 2002 MLS Cup Champion L.A. Galaxy.

Saturday’s MLS match, which kicks off at Robertson Stadium at 8:30 p.m. ET, will be televised live regionally on ONN-TV, with Dwight Burgess and Dante Washington calling all the action. The game can also be heard in English on News/Talk 610 WTVN, with Neil Sika behind the microphone, as well as in Spanish on La Mega 103.1-FM.

Houston, which currently sits in sixth place in the Western Conference with a 5-7-3 record (18 pts.), enters the match after drawing with Toronto FC, 1-1, last Thursday (July 1) at BMO Field, thanks to a goal by Brian Ching in the 73rd minute. Prior to hosting the Crew on Saturday (July 10), the Dynamo will welcome Chivas USA tonight (July 6) for a Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup quarterfinal match at Robertson Stadium.

The Crew, which currently sits in first place in the Eastern Conference with an 8-2-3 record (27 pts.), enters pair of matches this week after defeating the Chicago Fire, 2-1, in MLS play last Saturday (July 3) at Crew Stadium thanks to first-half strikes by Adam Moffat and Jason Garey.

The opening goal came in the 43rd minute, when Guillermo Barros Schelotto hit Garey with a pass as he cut through the penalty area. Garey got a touch on the ball but Chicago goalkeeper Andrew Dykstra came out to smother the ball. However, Dykstra was unable to completely corral it and Moffat poked the ball away, depositing it into the empty net for his second goal of the year. After an unlucky own goal by Crew defender Frankie Hejduk just a minute later, the Crew responded with the game-winner just moments before the halftime whistle. Eddie Gaven and Schelotto executed a give-and-go along the left touchline. Gaven then dribbled between two Fire defenders and sent a left-footed cross into the box. A streaking Garey slipped in between to Fire defenders to send a diving header past Dykstra.


COLUMBUS CREW vs. Charleston Battery (USL-2)
Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Quarterfinal
Tuesday, July 6 – 7:30 p.m. (ET) at Crew Stadium
Webcast: TheCrew.com (English)
(Link: http://clbtv.neulion.com/mlsvp/console.jsp?id=6605)

COLUMBUS CREW at Houston Dynamo
Saturday, July 10 – 8:30 p.m. (ET) at Robertson Stadium
National Television: N/A; Regional Television: ONN-TV
Crew Radio: News/Talk 610 WTVN (English); La Mega 103.1 (Spanish)


GAREY TALLIES HIS FIRST GOAL OF THE SEASON
Crew forward Jason Garey tallied his first goal of the 2010 season last Saturday (July 3), in the Crew’s 2-1 victory over the Chicago Fire. Garey’s goal, which proved to be the game-winner, came in first half stoppage time when Eddie Gaven and Guillermo Barros Schelotto executed a give-and-go along the left touchline. Gaven then dribbled between two Fire defenders and sent a left-footed cross into the box. A streaking Garey slipped in between to Fire defenders to send a diving header past Chicago goalkeeper Andrew Dykstra. Garey is in his fifth season with the Crew after originally being drafted by the club in the first round (No. 3 overall) of the 2006 MLS SuperDraft. He has 14 goals and four assists in that time.

ROOKIES DUKA AND FRANCIS SEE FIRST ACTION FOR THE BLACK & GOLD FIRST TEAM
Crew rookies Dilly Duka and Shaun Francis each made their respective debuts with the Crew first team last Tuesday (June 29) in the Crew’s 2-1 win over the Rochester Rhinos in a Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup match at Crew Stadium. Duka, who was selected by the Crew in the first round (No. 8 overall) of the 2010 MLS SuperDraft, started in central midfield while Francis, a fourth round selection (No. 63 overall) in the 2010 SuperDraft, started at left back.

CREW STADIUM TO HOST MAJOR LEAGUE LACROSSE THIS SATURDAY, JULY 10
Crew Stadium will host Major League Lacrosse, the premier professional outdoor lacrosse league, this Saturday (July 10), when the Chicago Machine take on the Long Island Lizards in a regular-season match starting at 7 p.m. Tickets are available for purchase at the Crew Stadium Box Office, through TicketMaster at www.ticketmaster.com, any Ticketmaster outlet or by calling (800) 745-3000. The contest will mark the return of MLL to Columbus after an eight-year hiatus. The 2002 New Balance MLL Championship Game was held at Crew Stadium, in which the Baltimore Bayhawks defeated the Long Island Lizards by a 21-13 margin.

CREW JUNIORS U19 SQAUD ADVANCES TO UNDER-19 US YOUTH SOCCER NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
The Crew Juniors U19 men’s team coached by Crew technical director Brian Bliss and Ian Gordona captured the USYSA Region II Championships, which were held June 26-30 in Beavercreek, Ohio. The tournament began with group play, with the U19 squad advancing out of its group with a draw against NWI United FC Black (Mich.) and wins against Brookfield (Wisc.) and Everest (Ohio). The squad then defeated Waza FC Black (Mich.) in the semifinals to set up a championship match-up against the Kansas City Wizards U19 sqaud. Eric Erb scored off a corner to give Crew the 1-0 lead in the 19th minute and that lead would hold through the first and most of the second half.  Brandon Silva added a second tally in the 70th minute, but Kansas City stormed back with two late goals by Alex Sweetin, in the 81st minute and second half stoppage time.  The teams then entered overtime, where the Crew made the most of its opportunities and added two goals to the Wizards one, to give the Black & Gold a 4-3 win. The championship win propels the Crew Juniors U19s to the Under-19 Boys US Youth Soccer National Champion, where it will compete for the storied James P. McGuire Cup. This year marks the 75th anniversary of the McGuire Cup. Many players on the U19 roster are alumni of the Crew Soccer Academy 15/16 and 17/18 squads from the first two years and are now competing for top universities across the United States. The team qualified for the Region II Championships by winning the Ohio South State Cup with a 3-1 win over CUP Red ’91 on June 6. 

CREW JUNIORS SUPER-20s SUFFER FIRST SETBACK OF 2010 SEASON
The Crew Juniors Super-20s continued play in the USL’s Super-20 League last Saturday (July 3) at Crew Stadium, as it suffered its first loss of the season, a 2-1 setback to their Chicago Fire counterparts. Andy Lubahn had the CJ Super-20s’ lone strike of the match. Coached by Crew Technical Director Brian Bliss, the CJ Super-20s currently sit in second place in the Midwest division at 6-1-0 (18 pts.). They will play a trio of matches this week, as they travel to Cincinnati tonight (July 6) to face Cincinnati United Premier, then next travel to Chicago Friday (July 9) for a rematch against the Fire, before wrapping up on Saturday (July 10) with a visit to Fort Wayne, Ind., to take on TKO Premier SC.

WORLD CUP VIEWING PARTIES CONTINUE AT CREW STADIUM
World Cup Viewing Parties continue at Crew Stadium as the knockout stage wittles down to the final two teams alive in the FIFA World Cup tournament. Thousands of fans have already visited Cup Headquarters and games will continue to be shown in high definition on Panasonic HD televisions provided by Best Buy in the Stadium Club tent, located just west of the stadium. Parking and admission to Cup Headquarters is free, and complimentary snacks and Pepsi products are available to fans in attendance, as is a cash bar and $1 Sugardale hot dogs throughout the tournament. Wireless internet access is available in the Time Warner Cable Business Center for those who wish to bring their work to Crew Stadium while they watch the games, and elements of the Crew Soccer Tour will be set up just north of the Stadium Club tent. State Farm Insurance, Claddagh Irish Pub and Montgomery Inn are also supporting the events and will be on-site at each of the 64 games. Fans can also enter into daily drawings for the chance to win prizes from the Viewing Parties’ various sponsors. By entering into the daily drawing, fans also enter themselves into a pair of Grand Prize drawings, to be held at halftime of the 2010 FIFA World Cup Final this Sunday, July 11. The two Grand Prizes are for a 42-inch flat-screen HD television, courtesy of Best Buy, and one year of Bundled Home Services including digital cable, internet and home phone service, courtesy of Time Warner Cable.

TUNE IN TO CREWXTRA WEDNESDAYS AT 8 AND 11 P.M. ON ONN-TV
This week on CrewXtra, the Crew’s weekly show on ONN-TV, host Beau Bishop will be joined by Crew technical director Brian Bliss, Voice of the Crew Dwight Burgess and Dispatch beat writer Shawn Mitchell at 8 and 11 p.m. CrewXtra is broadcast every Wednesday and provides viewers with in-depth coverage and access to the team every week, including game recaps, breakdowns and previews of the upcoming matches, while interspersing other news, interviews, discussion and features.