LAST MATCH RECAP

CREW SC OPENS 2018 WITH WIN OVER TORONTO

Last Saturday, Crew SC traveled to BMO Field to take on the 2017 MLS Cup Champions, Toronto FC. Federico Higuain put the Black & Gold ahead in the 44th minute when he volleyed a cross from Milton Valenzuela past Toronto’s Alex Bono. Gyasi Zardes doubled Crew SC’s less than a minute into the second half, when he put away a pass from Pedro Santos. The match also marked the regular-season debut of defender Milton Valenzuela, midfielder Luis Argudo and forward Gyasi Zardes.

CREW SC & MONTREAL IMPACT AT A GLANCE

All-time regular season record: 8-5-3 (26 GF, 22 GA)
Home games: 6-1-2 (19 GF, 9 GA)
Road games: 2-4-1 (7 GF, 13 GA)

LAST 3 REGULAR-SEASON MEETINGS

COACHES

Gregg Berhalter (54-47-36, Columbus Crew SC: ‘14 - Present)
vs.
Remi Garde (0-1-0, Montreal Impact: ‘18 - Present)

WHERE TO WATCH/LISTEN

Saturday’s contest against the Montreal Impact kicks-off at 1 p.m. ET and is set to be televised regionally on ABC-6, Spectrum Sports and BCSN2. Neil Sika (play-by-play), Dwight Burgess (analyst) and Clay Hall (sidelines) are set to have the call in English. Coverage begins at 1 p.m. ET. Exclusively on Spectrum Sports and BCSN2, “Crew SC Post-Match” begins immediately following the action. Locally, the contest is available via the radio in English on CD102.5 FM. The English radio broadcast also is set to stream live on ColumbusCrewSC.com. New this year, a broadcast of the match is set to be streamed in Spanish on ColumbusCrewSC.com, with Juan Valladares on the call. The complete list of places to catch the Black & Gold on TV is available at ColumbusCrewSC.com in the drop-down item “Crew SC Bars” under the “Supporters” tab. For complete regional television listings, please visit ColumbusCrewSC.com/broadcast.

ZARDES, VALENZUELA & ARGUDO MAKE DEBUTS

Saturday’s match between Crew SC and Toronto FC saw three players make their debut for the Black & Gold: Gyasi Zardes, Milton Valenzuela and Luis Argudo. Zardes and Valenzuela started for Crew SC and played the entire 90 minutes, with Zardes scoring a goal in the 46th minute, while Valenzuela provided an assist on Federico Higuain’s 44th-minute goal. Meanwhile, Luis Argudo came into the match as a substitute for midfielder Pedro Santos in the 77th minute.

ZARDES SCORES IN DEBUT

Forward Gyasi Zardes scored in his regular-season debut for Crew SC during Saturday’s match against Toronto FC. The forward the Black & Gold’s second goal of the day after receiving a pass from midfielder Pedro Santos in the 46th minute. Zardes played the entire 90 minutes, registering three shots (one on target) and scoring one goal. The strike marked Zardes’ 35th goal in MLS regular-season action since he joined the League in 2013. Since 2013, he has made 132 regular-season appearances (117 starts).

VALENZUELA MARKS DEBUT WITH ASSIST

Defender Milton Valenzuela made his regular-season debut for Crew SC in Saturday’s match against Toronto FC. The Argentinean started for the Black & Gold and provided the game-winning assist on Federico Higuain’s 44th- minute goal, as he crossed the ball to Higuain after receiving a long ball from Artur. Valenzuela played the entire 90 minutes, making 45 passes, registering two tackles and tallying one shot (one on target). The 19-year-old joined Crew SC in January of this year as the first Young Designated Player in club history.

CREW SC HOSTS MONTREAL FOR 1ST HOME MATCH 

Columbus Crew SC hosts the Montreal Impact for the first of two regular-season meetings between the two clubs in 2018. This is the 16th all-time regular-season match between the Black & Gold and the Impact dating back to the 2012 MLS regular season, with the Black & Gold holding a winning 13-8-10 record against Montreal over that span. Crew SC and the Montreal Impact last met at MAPFRE Stadium on June 24 of 2017. The Black & Gold won 4-1 through goals by Federico Higuain (17’ and 88’), Kekuta Manneh (70’) and Ola Kamara (72’). Montreal scored through Anthony Jackson Hamel in the 19th-minute.

ARTUR & SANTOS REGISTER 1ST ASSISTS

Midfielders Artur and Pedro Santos registered their first assist of the 2018 MLS regular season in Saturday’s match at BMO Field. Artur provided a secondary assist in the game-winning goal when he played a long ball over the top to Milton Valenzuela, who then crossed the ball for Federico Higuain to open up the score in the 44th minute. Pedro Santos set up Gyasi Zardes’ 46th-minute goal, as he crossed the ball into the box from the left for Zardes to finish it. In 2018, Artur provided three regular-season assists, while Santos registered two assists in regular-season action.

HIGUAIN SCORES 1ST GOAL

Mid elder Federico Higuain registered his first goal of the 2018 MLS regular season in Saturday’s 2-0 win over Toronto FC. The Argentinean scored the opening (and game-winning) goal of the match when he volleyed a ball past Toronto’s Alex Bono in the 44th minute after receiving a cross from Milton Valenzuela, giving the Black & Gold a 1-0 lead. The midfielder was voted Acura Man of the Match by Crew SC supporters following his performance. Since joining the club in 2012, Higuain has registered 49 goals and 49 assists in regular-season action.

HIGUAIN CLOSE TO ENTERING 50/50 CLUB

Federico Higuain’s goal over Toronto FC this past Saturday was his 49th regular-season goal. Since joining the club in 2012. In that time, he has also registered 49 assists in regular-season action. Should Higuain score one more goal and provide one more assist in regular-season action, he would become the first player in Crew SC history to record 50 of each. Additionally, Higuain would join a very elite club of MLS players to achieve this same feat, as only 19 other players have managed to accomplish this.

HIGUAIN MAKES 150^TH APPEARANCE

With his start in Saturday’s match at BMO Field, Federico Higuain reached 150 regular-season appearances (145 starts), tying Ethan Finlay for ninth place in Crew SC’s list of most regular-season appearances in club history. The Argentinean midfielder is now behind only Chad Marshall (253), Mike Clark (221), Eddie Gaven (209), Jeff Cunningham (203), Justin Meram (188), Brian Maisonneuve (172), Brian McBride (161) and Robert Warzycha (160).

TRAPP MAKES 125^TH START

Midfielder Wil Trapp made his 125th regular-season start (128th appearance) in Saturday’s 2-0 win over Toronto FC. The Black & Gold captain led the Black & Gold with 67 passes, created three goal-scoring opportunities, registered five tackles and got 81 touches on the ball. Trapp’s three goal-scoring chances against the Reds tied Cristian Martinez for the most goal-scoring chances created by the Black & Gold during the match.

ARTUR MAKES 25^TH  APPEARANCE

Midfielder Artur made his 25th regular-season appearance (20th start) for the Black & Gold in Saturday’s match against Toronto FC at BMO Field. The Brazilian provided a secondary assist on Federico Higuain’s goal in the 44th minute, as he played a long ball to Milton Valenzuela who then crossed the ball to Higuain. In addition to providing a secondary assist, Artur played the full 90 minutes, making 64 passes, registering one shot and making eight tackles, more than anyone on either team.