JUSTIN MERAM MAKES FIRST START SINCE RETURNING TO CREW SC
Justin Meram started in a road match against the Chicago Fire on August 23. The match marked his first start for Crew SC since returning to the club in 2018. Meram played 57 minutes, getting 33 touches and 26 passes. Prior to the match against Chicago, his last regular-season start for the Black & Gold came in a road contest against New York City FC on October 10, 2017. This season, Meram has made three regular-season appearances for Crew SC. Overall, he has made 191 MLS regular-season appearances (134 starts), registering 38 goals and 36 assists for the Black & Gold since making his MLS debut in 2011.
JOSH WILLIAMS MAKES 125TH MLS APPEARANCE
Josh Williams made his 125th MLS regular-season start (140th appearance) in Crew SC’s road contest against the Chicago Fire on August 23. Williams played the entire 90 minutes, getting 88 touches, making two tackles and attempting 76 passes with a team-high success rate of 96.1%. is season, Williams has made 15 regular-season appearances (13 starts). Since making his MLS debut in 2012, Williams has made 108 regular-season appearances (97 starts) for Crew SC, scoring seven goals and providing four assists in Black & Gold.
CREW SC SCORING CONSISTENTLY AT HOME
Through 13 home matches in the 2018 MLS regular season, Crew SC has managed to score 27 goals when playing at MAPFRE Stadium. Overall, the Black & Gold have compiled a winning regular-season home record of 8-2-3, outscoring opponents 27-16. Last year, Crew SC scored 34 goals regular-season goals at home, conceding 17. Of Crew SC’s 27 goals at home this regular-season, 13 have been scored by forward Gyasi Zardes, who is currently in third place in the MLS Golden Boot race, with 15 strikes to his name.
ARTUR AMONGST 2018 MLS REGULAR-SEASON LEADERS IN TACKLES
Midfelder Artur is among the top tacklers in MLS since the beginning of the 2018 MLS regular season. The Brazilian has attempted 64 tackles in 2018 MLS regular-season action, winning 48 of them to boast the second-best tackle success rate in MLS for players who have attempted 50 or more tackles (75%), behind only Vancouver Whitecaps FC’s Alphonso Davies (76.47%). Per Opta, Artur’s 48 tackles won tie him with Los Angeles Football Club’s Benny Feilhaber for fourth-most tackles won in MLS, behind only Minnesota United FC’s Ramus Schuller (91), Orlando City SC’s Mohamed El- Munir (58) and FC Dallas’ Reggie Cannon (50).
GYASI ZARDES ON THE VERGE OF TWO PERSONAL GOAL-SCORING MILESTONES
With 15 goals in 26 regular-season appearances in 2018, Gyasi Zardes is now only one goal away from equaling his single-season career-high of 16 goals. Zardes tallied 16 goals in 32 regular-season appearances (24 starts) in 2014, his second season in MLS. The forward is also only one strike away from bringing his MLS career total to 50 regular-season goals. Zardes joined MLS in 2013 and has made 157 regular-season appearances (142 starts), scoring 49 goals and providing 17 assists.
ZARDES AMONGST MOST EFFICIENT SCORERS IN MLS IN 2018
Forward Gyasi Zardes is proving to be one of the most efficient strikers in MLS during the 2018 MLS regular season. Per Opta, Zardes’ conversion rate (including blocked shots), is 21.74 percent, the third-highest in the League this season among players who have taken at least 50 shots, behind only Atlanta United FC’s Josef Martinez (36.36%) and the New York Red Bulls’ Bradley Wright-Phillips (23.88%). Similarly, Zardes’ conversion rate at home (including blocked shots) is 35.14 percent, the second-highest in MLS among players who have taken at least 25 shots, behind only Josef Martinez (35.56%). In 2018, Zardes has tallied 15 goals in 26 regular-season appearances (all starts) for Crew SC.
