The Crew (0-1-1, 1 pt.) hosts defending Western Conference-champion FC Dallas (0-1-1, 1 pt.) in the first leg of the inaugural edition of the Lamar Hunt Pioneer Cup this Friday, April 1, at 7:30 p.m. The Black & Gold looks to build upon its scoreless draw against the New York Red Bulls last Saturday, while FC Dallas is coming off a 2-0 loss against San Jose at Pizza Hut Park the same evening.
The match will be televised live nationally on Fox Soccer with JP Dellacamera and Kyle Martino calling all the action and Brian Dunseth reporting from the sidelines. The game can also be heard in English on News/Talk 610 WTVN and on-line at TheCrew.com, with Neil Sika and John Bluem behind the microphone, and Dwight Burgess reporting from the sidelines. Carlos Cordova and Benny Pietrangelo will provide the call in Spanish on La Mega 103.1, while Jose “Chele” Gudiel will report from the sidelines.
One of the founding fathers of American sports, Lamar Hunt pioneered the rise of soccer in the United States. As one of the founding investors in Major League Soccer, Lamar Hunt was a visionary and catalyst for the inception, growth and success of MLS. His legacy in soccer in North America lives on in the two professional teams owned and operated by the Hunt family: the Columbus Crew and FC Dallas. In honor of Lamar Hunt, who was often referred to as a “Pioneer” in American sports, the Crew and FC Dallas are launching an annual, regular season competitive tribute series called the Lamar Hunt Pioneer Cup.
The home-and-home Pioneer Cup series will conclude on Saturday, July 2, when the Crew visits Dallas. The winner of the Lamar Hunt Pioneer Cup will be determined by aggregate goals, meaning the team with the most goals scored at the end of the two-match series will win the Pioneer Cup. A trophy commemorating the series will be awarded to the winning team.
This is the 39th regular-season encounter between the two teams, who have split those games to the tune of a 15-15-8 all-time record. Last season the Crew and FC Dallas drew a pair contests, the latter one being a scoreless tie on Aug. 28, the same day the Crew dedicated a statue to its Founder, Mr. Hunt, at Crew Stadium.
Crew defender Korey Veeder will still be unavailable, as he is currently in Guatemala for the 2011 CONCACAF U-20 Championship until April 10.
Robbie Rogers leads the Crew in scoring with one goal. FC Dallas forward Milton Rodriguez has one goal and defender Zach Loyd has one assist. The Crew will also be facing Dallas newcomer Fabian Castillo for the first time.
With his next goal, Crew forward Jeff Cunningham will become the club's all-time leading goal scorer, a designation he currently shares with Brian McBride (62). Cunningham enters the match against his most recent former team with 132 career goals scored, which is just one behind all-time MLS leading scorer Jaime Moreno.
COLUMBUS CREW vs. FC Dallas
Friday, April 1 – 7:30 p.m. – Crew Stadium
National Television: Fox Soccer; Regional Television: N/A
Crew Radio: News/Talk 610 WTVN (English); La Mega 103.1 (Spanish)
Crew Webcasts: TheCrew.com (English)
FRIDAY IS ANNUAL CSF KICKS FOR KIDS NIGHT
Friday (April 1) is the Crew Soccer Foundation’s annual “Kicks for Kids Night” presented by Kroger, OhioHealth, and Vorys and Mowry & Grimson. Thousands of area youth from 77 child-focused agencies will have the opportunity to enjoy the match vs. FC Dallas, thanks to the unique program and its donors and sponsors. Over the past five years, the CSF has helped more than 30,000 deserving young people see Crew live and in person. For more information on the Crew Soccer Foundation’s Kicks for Kids program and how you can help, please call (614) 447-CREW.
CREW CAPTAIN CHAD MARSHALL NAMED TO TEAM OF THE WEEK
Black & Gold captain Chad Marshall was named to the MLSsoccer.com Best XI for week two of the 2011 MLS season. Marshall was named to the Team of the Week for his exceptional performance against the New York Red Bulls last Saturday, March 26.
US U-20 ROUTS SURINAME IN FIRST MATCH OF CONCACAF U-20 CHAMPIONSHIPS
The United States U-20 National Team routed Suriname 4-0 in the first match of the CONCACAF U-20 Championship in Guatemala City on Tuesday. Crew defender Korey Veeder is with the U20s for the tournament, which also serves as the U-20 FIFA World Cup qualifier later this year. The team will returns to action this Saturday, April 2, when it faces Panama.
CREW YOUTH DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM HOSTS FRIENDLY MATCHES THROUGHOUT COLUMBUS
The Crew Soccer Academy and Crew Juniors hosted a series of friendly matches that involved more than 80 teams over the course of last weekend. The 15/16 and 17/18 CSA teams as well as CUP Crew Juniors U14 and U13, participated in a four-club tournament against the academy teams from Toronto FC, the Chicago Fire and Sporting Kansas City. The 17/18s defeated the Fire U18 Developmental 5-1 and lost to both the Fire Academy (1-0) Sporting KC Academy (3-2). The 15/16s lost to Fire Academy 4-1, drew with SKC 2-2 and defeated TFC 3-1. The CUP Crew Juniors U14s defeated the Fire’s U14 and U13 teams 3-0 and 3-1, respectively, while the CUP Crew Juniors U13s lost to Sporting KC’s 13s 2-0. Next up, the Academy teams return to U.S. Soccer Development Academy play next weekend as they host Indiana United this Saturday, April 2, at the Crew Training Center at Obetz.
FORWARD TOMMY HEINEMANN ON CREWXTRA THIS WEDNESDAY
CrewXtra, the weekly show on ONN Wednesdays at 8, 8:30, 11 and 11:30 p.m., will feature forward Tommy Heinemann this week, along with Crew radio man Neil Sika and Shawn Mitchell of the Columbus Dispatch, as they discuss last Saturday’s home opener vs. New York and the upcoming Lamar Hunt Pioneer Cup match against Dallas with host Beau Bishop.
