Crewture

Crew News: Vampire Weekend?

2008-08-20T10:38:00.004-04:00

From Mitchell:

**Plotkin is being tipped for a developmental roster spot with the Crew. Thumbs Up, I think he has talent and is worthwhile for that price.

**Galaxy midfielder Peter Vagenas is being shopped and apparently Sigi likes him for some reason. I believe he is a rather abysimal player personally. Thumbs down on even thinking about him. Thumbs up that Mitchell said to not expect the Crew to make a move for Count Chocala. But, hey maybe the Cleveland City Stars will.

**Apparently multiple teams are deeply interested in Brad Evans. Really? Not to slight Evans as I hope he continues to improve. But, Brad has had one very good game on Saturday but that was only one game. Evans hasn't been exactly tearing it up all season.

And, who are these teams? Barcelona or FC Helsinki? Or does this mean multiple MLS teams?

Confusing?

And if Brad Evans is getting alot of interest after his first really good game in a while then how much interest are Robbie Rogers and Emmanuel Ekpo getting?

If we can't hold onto Evans then I don't know how we are going to hold onto are other talent.

This tidbit confuses the crap out of me. But, at least Mitchell said to expect the lineup to stay intact. Let's hope so.

Sirk Stats and Crew Heroes

2008-08-20T10:11:00.004-04:00

I found the Guillermo stats below that were featured in Sirk's weekly piece exciting for multiple reasons. The rest of the article, or rather book on anything you could ever want to know about Saturday's game is HERE.

Guille Stats

Guille's all time Crew stats in only 42 games are 32 goals produced over only a year and a half with the club. That's good enough to put him in 10th already in overall goals produced. Makes you wonder if Guillermo started with the Crew when he was 31 instead of 35 how many goals he would have now? Anyone want to venture a guess?

Hopefully he will stay for another year to double these stats and lead us to the MLS Cup for a second consecutive year.

From Sirk:
"CREW ALL-TIME GOALS PRODUCED LEADERS

1. Brian McBride - 107 (62 G, 45 A)
2. Jeff Cunningham - 105 (62 G, 43 A)
3. Robert Warzycha - 80 (19 G, 61 A)
4. Edson Buddle - 57 (42 G, 15 A)
5. Stern John - 51 (44 G, 7 A)
6. Brian Maisonneuve - 50 (23 G, 27 A)
7. Brian West - 47 (18 G, 29 A)
8. Dante Washington - 42 (28 G, 14 A)
9. John Wilmar Perez - 34 (12 G, 22 A)
10. Guillermo Barros Schelotto - 32 (9 G, 23 A)

Naturally, Guille hasn't been around long enough to catch many of the big names on that list. So let's flip it around and compare those 10 players on goals produced per 90 minutes.

CREW ALL-TIME GOALS PRODUCED PER 90 MINUTES LEADERS
(Minimum of 30 goals produced)

1. Stern John - 1.143
2. Guillermo Barros Schelotto - 0.882
3. Jeff Cunningham - 0.830
4. Dante Washington - 0.764
5. Edson Buddle - 0.749
6. Brian McBride - 0.689
7. Robert Warzycha - 0.593
8. John Wilmar Perez - 0.513
9. Brian West - 0.473
10. Brian Maisonneuve - 0.323

So if you've been watching Guille and have had the feeling that you've been seeing something special...you have. In the entire history of the Columbus Crew, only Stern John has produced goals at a pace that exceeds Guille's rate of production. The Nordecke has every reason to genuflect in the Argentine's presence."

Guille is definitely worth the price of admission alone weekly at Crew Stadium.

A legend at two clubs:

Sirk's article also touched upon another Crew legend in Cunningham and his stats:

From Sirk:
"It was only fitting that goal No. 100 came at Crew Stadium. With the exception of his first playoff goal, which was scored on the road in Tampa, all of Jeff's milestone goals have been scored in Columbus:

• First career goal - May 17, 1998, at Ohio Stadium
• First goal in Crew Stadium history - May 15, 1999
• 50th career goal - May 10, 2003, at Crew Stadium
• First All-Star goal - July 30, 2005, at Crew Stadium
• 100th career goal - August 16, 2008, at Crew Stadium

According to the pool quotes provided by MLS after the game, it appears that Cunningham realized all this. "Sometimes people say the stars are aligned and things are meant to be, and I just felt like this was destiny for me to get it here (in Columbus)," he said. "This is where it all started. I have special place in my heart for Columbus and the fans appreciate me, so this is where it was supposed to happen. Maybe all the things I went through in Toronto was because it wasn't meant to happen there."

Come back to us Jeff sometime before you retire and congrats on getting your 100th goal here.

New Chant Ideas

2008-08-19T12:26:00.002-04:00

This is kinda carried over from BigSoccer.com. But are there any ideas for some new chants? I've heard some floatin around for Frankie and Rogers. I've liked bother so far. I think we should do the Solskjaer song for Rogers. It's the "You Are My Sunshine" song but instead of Sunshine we'd say Rogers! Or I also liked the idea of the "Here We Go" chant. Basically...Here We Go! Here we go! Here we go! but instead say "Columbus Crew! Columbus Crew! Columbus Crew!" Something like that. I'm just throwing ideas out there. I'd like to get some new ones! Either for Columbus Crew as a whole or for our old players, show them we still love them!!! Anyways. Let's kick some RSL a** Saturday! Show RSL some REAL fans!!!!

Hey Look...

2008-08-19T12:24:00.016-04:00

It's Americans pretending they are British, how cute! Somewhere George Washington & John Hancock are writhing about in their graves:

But, ending up looking more like France in the dumb scuffle heard round the world (per new footage):

(By the by Crewture does not promote fighting before the website is declared a haven for MMA-Mixed Martial Arts, it's on youtube.)

The damages of the brawl were one $70 buck West Ham jersey, intense. I would be pretty steamed too. I mean your parents will buy you one jersey but two? Not happening.

Just to get back to morals. Here is a new chant for Faith and Family night against New England on the 6th of September (probably shouldn't open up at work):

Well, unless your boss likes a$$ and titties.

You're probably wondering where this is going or has revelance. And, if you guessed that we have another bi-weekly is swearing bad or good? And what chants are deemed acceptable? thread then you're correct and win the satisfaction of guessing right.

Apparently this is an issue because a portion of the Nordecke section are bible thumpers and the other portion are heathens.

I believe in being yourself and having the right to choose how you support your team. Neither way is entirely incorrect.

The Wheels Are Falling Off in New England and Chicago

2008-08-17T16:23:00.005-04:00

While the Crew only needed 3 minutes of Robbie Rogers injected into the attack to storm away with a 2-1 win against FC Dallas, the Crew's competition for first, New England and Chicago, both took decisive nose dives this week.

New England lost their semifinal match on Tuesday against DC United in the Open Cup. In that game New England didn't play any of their starters in preparation for Saturday. Nice call Nicol as New England got beat up by DC United and then completely torn apart by San Jose 4-0 last night.

"The first half we played poor," Nicol said. "It took us the whole half to figure out how to play on the field. We go into halftime down 1-0, which is probably fair enough, but we still had a clear chance (to win)."

Hmm, really? I must have been watching a different game.

Additionally while the Crew are just about the healthiest they have ever been, the Revs are suffering from a plethora of injuries. Even Reis is now out. The news of an injury riddled Revs bodes well for the Crew in the coming weeks.

Chicago has turned into a dysfunctional wreck lately. The coming of McBride last night didn't help turn their anger in the stands around either as Chicago fell 1-0 to DC United in front of a quiet crowd.

Per the Chicago Tribune:

"A crowd of 19,742 was on hand, although the atmosphere hardly reflected the attendance in the first half. The Fire's notoriously raucous supporters group, Section 8, was relatively quiet in the first 45 minutes. The silence was part of a protest against Monterrey Security, which Section 8 is accusing of racist behavior toward Hispanic fans.

As had been predetermined, Section 8 spent the second half standing and cheering as it usually does.

"The fans are [garbage]," said an annoyed Blanco, who blames fans for friction with security. "They get drunk and become insulting. It's the same way in Mexico. I don't think security has anything to do with it."

So, the Chicago Fire's top star is calling his team's most hardcore fans garbage. Wow. Can you say trainwreck. Can you say friction between the players, fans, and the front office because of this mess.

I can only imagine how bad things would get if one of our players said that about the Nordecke. So it's safe to surmise that things will get alot worse in Chicago before they get better and they will start dropping out of the Supporters Shield picture here shortly. I can only say that someone needs to tell Blanco how to talk to the media. His above words are the nail in the coffin of Chicago this year.

Meanwhile in Columbus,

Studio 79's Pics: Crew 2 vs. FC Dallas 1

2008-08-17T13:10:00.003-04:00

More here at Studio 79.

New Banners For Tomorrow

2008-08-16T04:02:00.004-04:00

From Kevin:

From Thoma Gol:

Crew Juniors Freestyle

2008-08-14T15:41:00.002-04:00

Our juniors taking it to the street.

Brian Plotkin Trialing With Crew, More To Come?

2008-08-13T19:23:00.002-04:00

Minute 1:51 shows some of Brian Plotkin's sweet ability with a screamer of a goal in 2006:

Plotkin made 23 appearances over two years with the Fire and the Crew are giving the Indiana University former player a shot to impress after he was waived by the Fire on the 5th of August.

In other news from Shawn Mitchell's blog,

--The European contacts of Russian goalkeeper coach Vadim Kirillov might pay off before the end of the season. The Crew is said to be in the early stages of attempting to trial a defender from Moldova and a forward from Ghana, both of whom are out of contract after previously playing in Ukraine. It’s possible, however, that visa issues could keep the pair from Columbus. It’s also possible neither could be signed before the Sept. 15 roster deadline and would instead be looked at for next season.

Black & Yellow Exchange: AEK Athens

2008-08-13T19:12:00.004-04:00

Slow news day. I like this chant, no actually words, but comes from a team with black and yellow in their colors in AEK Athens and I think it's kind of cool.

Not sure if La Turbina has ever tried a chant like that?

Anyways, will this be the Nordecke next year?

I'm going to be featuring videos of different teams fans around the world for more ideas from now on weekly. Especially black and yellow teams, maybe we will take a look at what Borussia Dortmund or Fenerbache are doing next week.

MLS Crewsing

2008-08-12T23:04:00.002-04:00

It's been way too long without a minute of Crew soccer played, especially when the last match was a trainwreck. Granted, the trainwreck was facilitated by surfer suspensions, in-game injuries and the Chinese scheduling their Olympics right during the year the Crew are making their first playoff run in four years. Damn Commies.

On a quick sideriff here, have you listened to Bela Karoli, former US Women's Gymnastic coach, give his commentary on the games with Bob Costas? I think he would be a perfect replacement for Marcelo Balboa as the color commentator for Olympic Soccer. Sure he would have no idea what he's talking about, but neither does Balboa, and at least Karoli is tragically funny. Balboa is just tragic. Also, Karoli has had the balls to call out China for blatantly lying about the age of their gymnasts. I'll take that over Balboa's slobbering over every other team's athletes while skewering our own any day of the week.

Still, despite the drought of Crew action, that doesn't mean there aren't other things happening in MLS.

One of the big stories of the last two weeks is the firing/resignation of Alexi Lalas and Ruud Gullit, respectively. One was completely justified (Lalas) and one was really unnecessary (Gullit). How can anyone blame Gullit for the desparate state of affairs that Alexi Lalas was allowed to put the Galaxy in? Forget David Beckham's $5 million-a-year contract for a second. Alexi Lalas has spent AEG's money like, well, it was Real Madrid's. Landon Donovan's $900,000 contract is arguably worth it, but not at the expense of having 17 k-a-year guys playing defense and midfield. And let's not sweep Carlos Ruiz's ghastly $400,000 contract under the rug. Imagine if Sigi Schmid and Brian Bliss were allowed $1.3 million extra? We'd have a bonafide behemoth to go with Chad Marshall in the back, a true attacking mid to connect with Guille, a left back who could connect with Rodgers, and still have enough beer money for Sigi to buy all the German beer he wants. I honestly don't know if the Crew would need to spend it all. Instead, Lalas turned that money into two egotistical players, one who is having agreat season, and one who has been on the bench for most of it. And somehow, that's falling on Gullit. Makes no sense.

Cobi Jones is taking the reigns of coaching that mess out in L.A., but it seems like the moves are not getting any better. Rumors are now circulating, and appear to be confirmed, that L.A. has passed on returning defender Cory Gibbs in favor of returning midfielder Eddie Lewis in the allocation rankings. Fortunately for the Crew, Colorado snatched up Gibbs, keeping him from going to the Revs, who now hold the first allocation spot that would have belonged to the Crew. Of course the Revs appear to be wheeling and dealing, as Goff and others are reporting that Saprissa's Gabriel Badilla will be joining New England for the playoff push. He's a defender by the way.

On the Eddie Lewis thing, I guess they're thinking they'll win 6-5?

Meanwhile, there's still time in all of this for the Crew to make a move. I know, I know, Pat Noonan is here, Gino Padula appears to be practicing once again, and the Olympics will be over sooner than later, but the Crew still need to make another move, preferably for a back line defender who can play on the left (just in case, sorry Gino). And it's not just me saying that, but the ever-more-enjoyable Mike Arace from the Dispatch. According to Mitchell's article (first link in this paragraph), the Crew are trialing Brian Plotkin, formerly of the Chicago F*re, and are looking at a defender from Moldova who used to play in the Ukraine. And yes, those countries are neighboring, in case you went to public school. Don't know who it is, but there's good money in betting the nameplate will be sleeve to sleeve.

Regardless, those moves won't cut it. The Crew have until the 15th to make one more move, and I have to believe we can unload a couple of youngsters (a la Jed Zayner and Brad Evans) for a veteran stopper in the middle. After all, guys in your fantasy football league make bad trades once their season has tanked, and there are plenty of horrible decision makers in MLS (which many times does not attain the high standards of most FF leagues). Let's keep the faith that we can get a final piece on the cheap, and the Crew can make a run at the Supporter's Shield, the Cup, and stuffing it all in the face of Brian McBride.

Former National Coach Bassey Calls For More Ekpo at Olympics

2008-08-11T21:24:00.001-04:00

From KickOffNigeria.com:

Columbus Crew's Emmanuel Ekpo has barely got a sniff of action, and former national coach Charles Bassey says Olympic Coach Siasia should use him more.

"Ekpo used to play for me here at Akwa United and I know what his ability. Siasia should bring him on early enough. He is skillful, strong and a good passer of the ball."

A Few New Crew Videos As You Bide Your Time Til' Saturday..

2008-08-11T18:33:00.004-04:00

A nice video here, good angle from Chicago Fire game and nicely produced. Would have been nice to see the goal celebrations from this angle. Also nice add in of Nacho Libre.

I find this video sort of funny because niether Nico Hernandez or Guillerme are still with the Crew. And, Guillerme didn't even speak Spanish as he was Brazilian. But, hey whatever. This is for our spanish viewers.

An Interesting Saturday Beckons...

2008-08-11T14:30:00.006-04:00

Noonan: "Ok guys this is how you kick some New England ass."

I'm digging this lineup for Saturday against FC Third Rate South Americans, I mean FC Dallas:
------------Hesmer----------
Hejduk--Iro--Marshall--Padula
------------Carroll---------
Ekpo--------GBS--------Gaven
------Moreno-----Noonan-----

Of course Ekpo will have to somehow make his way back 12 hours in an airplane to the states, if the US as I expect knocks out Nigeria on Wednesday. Don't count your chickens folks. The last time Ekpo was out of the States it took him about three months too many to find his way to the Crew, so don't expect some miracle unless McCullers pays for that round trip ticket personally.

Additionally Padula will, although slated to be available, have to actually show up and play for more then three minutes before injuring himself again to matter in the equation on Saturday night.

And, Noonan who is the only definite new face out of the three maybe's for this week has to get angry. Some of his comments have me no doubt stoked about this weekend and his last name on the Crew roster:

From the Shawn Mitchell Dispatch Blog:
"Noonan is from St. Louis and indicated he has no desire to play anywhere but Columbus. He said he and his fiancé are eager to start a “normal” life and that Columbus is a good place to do so."

Since when has any top players have only desire to play in Columbus? :-) I hope that trend continues.

Futhermore, let me read in between the lines for you, the following is a pissed off former player who plays for a new team two points behind his previous team in first place with two games remaining against his former team. I probably didn't phrase that the best but in easy terms the Revolution are going to regret pissing off Pat Noonan by the end of this season and the Crew in the smartest move of the year is going to reap the benefits in the two pivotal games yet to come between the two sides.

Noonan has also said he has been following the Crew and that he is familiar with its remaining schedule, including the final dates against one opponent in particular.

“The Crew is in good position,” he said. “And it looks like we play New England twice.” Can't wait to see you again New England! Geez, will that be a tense game when they come back to Crew Stadium.

Moreover, just the additions of Noonan and Padula this week in an options stand point makes an awful Crew team in Houston a contender again this week against FC Dallas.

Btw, man did all of us pining over Cunningham get our wish in the "Bring Back Cunningham Home" thread. Seems he will be in Columbus this week playing for his new side and for what it seems his 22nd team in the last three years in FC Dallas.

Ekpo Olympic Update

2008-08-11T00:33:00.003-04:00

Columbus Crew's Nigerian Midfielder Emmanuel Ekpo enters the foray:

Japanese Coach Honda Looking Pissed That He Will Be Living Out Of His Honda Next Week:
Ekpo gets ready for a corner kick:
Thoughts on Ekpo's action: If you can call it that. Ekpo did what most late subs do, have not much of an effect on the game (Ekpo entered in the 78th minute). The game for the most part was already won. Japan scored their only goal a minute and a half after Ekpo entered but it was an obvious consolation and had little to do with Ekpo as he obviously doesn't play defense.

Ekpo per usual had two great touches and two awful touches. His best touch was in the 81st minute when he did a brillant spin around a Japanese midfielder. His worst touch was near stoppage time when he had the ball at the 18 and could have either of passed the ball or shot it, and instead tripped over it.

Hopefully Ekpo gets more playing time against the US and the US eliminates Nigeria so that we can get Ekpo back sooner. :-)

Toronto Road Trip Update

2008-08-10T23:59:00.003-04:00

hey they may be imbeciles, but they are learning.

47 out of 54 of the bus tickets have been sold.
25 out of 30 of the Crew Union's non bus tickets have been sold.

The remaining of those should be sold by this weekend's game. Crew Union is looking to snatch up the remaining 15 after that which means that the Crew will be sending a full 100 up on the 13th.

With a month left it makes me wonder with more open seats and a little more planning if another hundred or two wouldn't be out of the possibility next year. If not at TFC, then at Chicago or DC.

Another note: all Crew supporters will be dressed in black. There is supposed to be some shirts made I guess. Although I'll probably just wear my HSH shirt.

Go Crew. Let's get that Trillium Cup. Should be a walk in the park.

Crewfighter Musings on USA 2-Holland 2

2008-08-10T22:54:00.005-04:00

This might be the most excited celebration I have ever seen for a goal that one has scored from a powerful ball that has reflected off of his thigh.

But hell the Americans looked astoundingly assured and downright awesome once they got over the fact that they were playing the Netherlands. The first 25 minutes of the game was plainfully awful. Most of the rest was all USA, all day. The Americans deserved a victory and had the game in hand but ended up tying the Netherlands 2-2 in the dying moments because of a Gabriel Sibon free kick just outside of the box that somehow ruled on the ground straight to the net without ever being touched. (To be quiet honest it was one of the best worm burners I have ever seen.)

The Beautiful Game: I have to say before I get into the meat of my analysis of today's contest that the coverage of soccer on NBC Olympics.com is absolutely breathtaking. How refreshing is it not to have to listen to some annoying asshole announcer the whole time. The game is so much better when it's a beautiful feed and just absolute silence except the ball and the crowd.

I wish MLS would be an innovator in no announcers. I don't really get the point of announcers really? Even good ones. Wouldn't an announcer at your wedding or your graduation, just be downright annoying as well? Even if he had a bunch of interesting facts about your life.

Okay end of rant...

My Musings:

**Adu is absolutely phenomonal. When you have an American player who just schools 6 or 7 Netherlands players in the offensive third three or four times, you know something is up. Adu's development is going to be one of the main vocal points to whether we ever win a World Cup someday.

**You know right that some of those American youngsters we have running around are going to get some inquisitive looks when they are outplaying Royston Drenthe of Real Madrid, Ryan Babel of Liverpool, and John De Guzman of Feyernood. 8 of the starters were MLS players. 11 out of the 13 players that hit the pitch today were developed by MLS. And they should have won against top European youth. That's pretty exciting. I mean if I had to go by the overall game I would have taken the MLS developed players over these top European ones from the Netherlands. Another thing that I noticed is that this group has more confidence against big time opponents then our senior side.

**Robbie Rogers doesn't look as fast out there when he is playing against some top notch youngsters. His performances so far in the Olympics probably mean that we don't have to worry about any top offers for him anytime too soon. Maybe it has just been the time change. But, he has looked a step slower and not in his best form.

Don't know if he will be starting against Nigeria.

**Why is Brian McBride out there starting? He touched the ball once or twice the entire first half. He is dead space out there. I'm glad actually that we didn't sign him. He would have scored 2 or 3 headers this season after the Olympics and retired.

If you don't have a good crossing game Brian McBride especially at this older age is entirely ineffective. I know they won't bench a captain like McBride. But, the US team if they want to have a shot at gold are better off with Jozy starting and McBride on the bench.

And, FYI, just to really blow your minds... I believe that Chad Barrett is a better investment then Brian McBride right now and especially long term and if a team shows confidence in him. Obviously Carver did that by giving Barrett the free kick duties from long distance against Colorado.

So yes it's plausible that choke artist Barrett is worth more then Brian McBride. So Crew fans don't sweat not having McBride. It would have been the biggest waste of money ever. Now we have Pat Noonan instead who will be with us for possibly the next five years.

**Marvell Wynne really, really impressed me today. He did a fantastic job on Drenthe. Not exactly the easiest task in the world. He also made some solid runs well done. Edu, Holden, and Klejstan also had notable performances.

Morning Afterthoughts: Olympic Running Diary

2008-08-08T02:21:00.001-04:00

It's been a while since I've done a running diary. And since there's no Crew game this week, I figured I'd do one for the US - Japan match. I decided not to post until at least a day after the game, so everyone could watch without me givign away results. Enjoy!

Pregame:

Welcome to Tianjin, for the first match of the 2008 Olympics! The US men are starting three players named Michael (Parkhurst, Bradley, and Orozco), while the Japanese are starting two players with the last name "Honda". I bet they have good motors.

Bwahahahahahahahahaha!!!! Does the fun ever start?

First Half:

1:46 - Apparently my shiny new Silverlight plugin does not allow me to hear the announcers commentary that went along with this game. Since it was Marcelo "Facts? Logic? What are those?" Balboa on the call, I think I'll be just fine listening only to the game sounds.

2:35 - One of the Michaels (Orozco) fouls one of the Hondas. I might type this more than once...

6:30 - Robbie Rogers tears up the left sideline for the US, and nearly draws a foul on the edge of the box. Lots of oohs and aaaahs from the pro-American crowd on that one.

8:37 - Freddy Adu attempts a backheel pass, and it fails miserably. Are we allowed to take the kid gloves off on him yet?

9:02 - Dangerous chance up the left side for Nippon, but Brad "Money Man" Guzan is up to the task and snuffs out the play before a shot is attempted.

Japan is getting better chances here, but the US is overall controlling the midfield.

10:51 - Robbie Rogers corrals the loose ball, than makes two defenders fall out of their jockstraps trying to stop him. He gets free on the edge of the box, passes to Maurice Edu, who wastes his chance. Good stuff from Robbie though...

14:03 - Another Michael (Bradley) launches a shot from 20 yards that the keeper handles with little problem. But it was a cannon ball of a shot. If he doesn't hit that right to the keeper it's a goal.

15:26 - After earning a free kick at midfield, Freddy Adu stands over the ball for 23 seconds until he decides where to kick it. Naturally, he kicks it into a gaggle of jerseys, and it's knocked out of bounds by the US.

Out of curiosity, anyone else out there think Adu is just trying to be too perfect? Instead of taking what the game gives him, he's looking for the perfect pass, the perfect opportunity, the perfect buildup. If he just pushed as hard as he could for 90 minutes, I think it would work better for him.

19:24 - Orozco gets stuck in pretty well here, and doesn't give an inch, though he concedes the corner. Nice bit if defending from him, however.

20:35 - Wow that was nice football by Japan. Off the corner, they play a little give and go, and get enough space to cross in front of and past a diving Guzan, leaving Masato Morshige with the ball at his feet at the near post with no one between him and 1-0. Unfortunately for him, he somehow tucks the ball outside of the near post, and blows his open chance.

That was great soccer by Japan all the way to the finish. If Morshige had just stood there, the ball had a better chance of bouncing off of him and rolling in that what he did with it.

21:57 - Well THAT was interesting. Rogers has the ball at midfield on the left sideline. Freddy Adu makes a diaganol run towards the left sideline from midfield. Rogers plays the ball with his right boot, thus causing it to tail away from Adu and out of bounds. Immediately, Adu screams back to Rogers "Robbie, Robbie...the inside of your LEFT foot!" (I can hear this because there is no match commentary audio, just the field mics.)

And you know what? Adu is right. Robbie could have and should have played that with his left. Good job by Freddy for being a bit of a coach there, whether his age warrants it or not.

23:45 - The US is pressing here, but they end up bunching up and giving away a foul to Japan. Not very pretty, boys...

27:55 - Another dangerous cross for Japan, but no one was on the end of it. Scary stuff, though.

32:14 - Robbie Rogers breaks another pair of cankles on the left side, and sends in a beautiful, near-post ball that absolutely no one gets on the end of. Dammit, McBride, where the hell are you?

Oh, you were camped out on the FAR post. My bad, OG.

32:38 - Freddy Adu gets a nice pass from Stuart Holden just outside the 18, flips it up on his knee, then nearly gets a highlight-reel goal, as he volleys it JUST over the bar. Keen stuff from him on that play.

33:17 - By the by, the Japanese keeper's kit is roughly the color of the bibs roadcrew workers have to wear. If his kit could talk, it would be shouting at us.

39:31 - After a Freddy Adu foul, Japan plays a quick restart, and Atsuto Uchida gets behind the US defense. His cross to Hiroyuki Taniguchi is thwarted by Marvel Wynne, who was the one who sent the nice ball up the field to spring Adu just a few seconds before.

Also, the name "Marvel" has only boldened my stance that the first child I have will be named "Top Cow".

40:38 - Good God...

On the ensuing corner kick, the ball bounces to Adu, who attempts to clear. His clearance is stopped by a Japanese defender, who gets the ball to Uchida, who once again finds Taniguchi alone in the box. His header, though, once again does not find the net. And though I can't see the flag from the camera angle, the replay clearly shows two of the Nippon offside. Whew...

Extra time - Strange way to end the half. Japan earned a corner kick, and as they were aligning themseves, the ref blew the whistle before the corner could be taken. Usually you see them let the play happen and then call time. Ah well.

Halftime 0-0

2nd Half:

46:29 Marvel Wynne does his best Frankie Hejduk impresonation, and blazes up the right hand side, sending in a cross that's deflected out to an unmarked Stuart Holden at the top of the box. Holden fires at keeper Shisaku Nishikawa, who can't handle the shot, and it scoots in for a

GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!

It was poor play by the keeper, but we'll take it. 1-0 US.

50:48 - After losing possession in the midfield, Freddy Adu takes a stab at one of the Japanese players' ankles, resulting in a booking. We can again hear Adu, and he says "One foul? You're gonna book me after one foul?" Well, Fred, there was more than one...

63:55 - Japan nearly levels, as Yuto Nagatomo crosses into the box, Keisuke Honda just misses getting any part of his face on the ball. Man, the US is trating Brad Guzan like a piece of wet laundry out there.

65:50 - Freddy Adu carries the ball across the corner of the 18 yard box, and is shoved with two hands from behind. Even though it's in the box, there's no call. Unbelieveable...

72:51 - Honda just received a yellow for Japan for a hard and late tackle on Robbie Rogers. Robbie is grabbing the ankle, I'm hyper-ventilating. Fortunately, he hops up and seems to be OK.

Also, Japan just subbed in a player named Toyoda. So on the field, we've got two Hondas and a Toyota. We're an Ichiro Suzuki away from having my uncle's garage.

73:34 - Novak decides to sub out McBride, who's done nothing all game, for Jozy Altidore. Also, apparently the number "1" on the front of McBride's jersey got ripped off, because he looks like number 7 from the front, even though the back of his jersey says 17. Wonder if the jerseys were made in China?

76:35 - Takuya Honda is booked for fouling Altidore on a breakaway up the sideline. Upon further review via replay, it looks like Honda was boooked for grabbing Altidore's junk and pulling like he's trying to start a lawn mower.

80:24 - Shaking off the foul, Altidore creates a good chance, getting in on the keeper, but at a very poor angle. I know McBride is on the team, but why are we not starting Altidore?

82:10 - Stuart Holden gets a nice ovation for his efforts and goal as he is taken off for Benny Feilhaber. Good move by Novak to add Feilhaber here.

86:12 - There's a little karmic Zen weirdness for ya. Robbie Rogers gets subbed out for none other than former Crew mate Danny Szetela. Robbie took some knocks, hopefully he's OK. He too got a standing ovation when he left.

Out of curiosity, are we always going to have to call these guys by their cutesy nicknames? When will they be men? Daniel Szetela? Bob Rogers? How about Benjamin Feilhaber, or Fred Adu? The only one show should get to do the ending sounding like "y" thing is "Stewie" Holden, and that's just for the Family Guy reference.

88:48 - Brad Guzan gets a yellow for wasting time. Not so hot if he gets another one of those...

And that's it!!! Final: U.S. 1, Japan 0. MOTM is probably Holden or Rogers. Not pretty, but this was a game the US needed if it wants to advance.

With Nigeria and the Dutch playing to a tie, it's going to be an interesting group stage. The Natty lights take on the Netherlands this Sunday morning with a chance to seal a birth into the next round if we win. Pretty big "If" though, as this Dutch side is LOADED. The game is at 7:30am. Well, at least we got the late game...

Crew Sign Pat Noonan

2008-08-06T15:37:00.003-04:00

Team Afro starring Pat Noonan and Steve Lenhart.

Noonan has been sent to Columbus from New England for the Crew’s first-round Super Draft selection in the 2009 crap shoot and an unknown ammount of allocation money. Additionally, the teams traded spots in the current 2008 allocation standings, with Columbus moving into the 10th spot and New England moving to 3rd. The two clubs have also agreed to unknown considerations regarding 2009 allocation rankings.

Ok, so, with all this cheeky allocation super draft lingo, I'm asking you my fellow Crew brethren, is this too much for Pat Noonan or just right?

My thoughts:
Maybe not just right. But, just fine.

After the debacle that was Robertson Stadium last Saturday we could use another competent body on the field on the 18th against FC Dallas. Hopefully with injuries abating in the form of Gino Padula and suspensions ah being lifted in the form of Frankie Hejduk, the Crew should be able to put out a competent lineup two Saturday's from now. Hopefully.

Either two things can happen here:
1.) Noonan slots into the midfield or up top to become that one missing piece to make us a Champion. Or,
2.) Noonan ends up being just okay or at least a decent contributing shell of his former self. Which means we don't get sad because we wouldn't have received an allocation player anyways or a big time star in the Super Draft.

So I rather have the Crew take the risk and gamble on Noonan then to gamble on no one. We can all see that we needed a fresh face or two. Therefore, I welcome Pat Noonan with open arms.

Crew Closes on Noonan

2008-08-06T06:24:00.001-04:00

Goal.com is reporting that Pat Noonan is coming to the Crew. The Boston Globe mentions that an announcement is expected later today. The trade sends a first-round draft pick and allocation money to New England. The Revs also swap allocation places with Columbus while the Crew get Noonan.

Not a bad trade overall. We lose a first round draft pick, but our record in the draft as of late is spotty at best. I am not sure how much allocation money the Crew have left, but they will be keeping at least one allocation. The Crew finally get a striker. He may not strike fear into the opposition, but he does have 42 goals over the course of his career and can also play on the wings.

Grades versus Houston

2008-08-05T23:22:00.001-04:00

II may be the only one, but I actually thought Brad Evans had a decent game, and there were several bright spots, including Jed Zayner and Danny O’Rourke.

Hesmer – 7: Both goals were not his fault. He controlled the box well and his distribution was quick to spur the counterattack.

Zayner - 7: Good game on the right. Showed composure against Ashe and came into the attack. Was indecisive on the first goal, but played well otherwise.

Iro - 6: His mistimed header led to the first goal and he played a high line at times. He did handle being pulled out wide pretty well.

Marshall - 6: Injury forced him out after 25 minutes. He was slow to drop back and cover on the first goal.

O’Rourke - 7: He got into the attack early and played solid defense. He did well to get back on defense when

Gaven - 6: Still getting back to 100 percent, but had a pretty good game. He is starting to look like the player from late last year, getting forward and creating some chances.

Evans – 6: Played a better game than I initially thought. He settled in the middle of the field and did get forward several times. Sadly, his finishing was found lacking, twice.

Carroll - 6: I was down on his performance and his passing was off, but on second viewing he had another quietly solid game. His positioning is superb.

Peterson - 6: Solid performance, but he got lost the later the game went. His crossing was his best attribute. He was slow to pass the ball and his turnover started the possession that led to the 2nd goal.

Schelotto – 7: He highlighted his dribbling skills several times throughout the game. There were several stretches

Moreno – 6: Another quiet game, he did get his chances but could not bury one. He is not linking well with the wingers. He really seems to miss Rogers.

Hendrickson – 5: Ezra always seemed just inches from giving up a goal, but held up for the most part. He did pickup several fouls and did not cutoff Ching’s pass to Jaqua or the return that led to the 2nd goal.

Oughton – 4: He was slow and not involved in the game. He is going to struggle to get playing time on this team when everybody is healthy.

Garey - 5: A lot of hustle, but not much to show for it.

Crew Man of the Match – Schelotto – He tried to carry the offense all by himself, but was ultimately unsuccessful.

Well That Explains Houston

2008-08-05T18:10:00.002-04:00

Check out the Crew's preperation for Houston. Would have been great if they were preparing for an attack through the Ardennes forest.

A new podcast will be up tomorrow and I'm going to get back to posting more regularly. Apoligies been a tough week and a half. But, now I'm all moved into Columbus and revving to go. Hopefully, there will be some stories during the week to work off of.

Morning Afterthoughts: Lack of Depth Sinks Crew

2008-08-04T07:20:00.004-04:00

I really don't have much to say about the Crew's 2-0 loss on Saturday nightn, other than the obvious. The Crew lost because of poor finishing, poor defense, and a ton of players missing, due to callup, suspensions, and injury. With both teams at full stregth, I'm sure the Crew would have fared better. And yet, they could have tied or won that game, had they hit on a few of the sitters that were missed. Ah well.

The Good: Guille, Gaven, Peterson, Zayner, Moreno.

The Bad: Iro, Marshall's injury, Evans misses, Moreno's misses, Guille's misses.
I was going to say "Sigi's subs" here for not bringing on Garey until the 70th minute; but when two of your subs get burned due to injury, it throws the plan out the window.

The Ugly: How did Nate Jacqua stay on the field after this tackle?

Tell me how that is not a red card? Also tell me how he didn't get his 2nd yellow 10 minutes later when he hit Iro with his studs in the thigh a full second after the ball had been played? Meanwhile, Steve Lenhart watched and put his head in his hands.

But insted of belaboring the obvious, I want to change gears. The Crew are sitting at a weird point in the season. They are off for a week, then come back but won't be at full strength, unless the US and Nigeria can't make it out of their group stage at the Olympics. Then we play Dallas twice in three weeks (Houston and Dallas roadtrips in August? Gee, thanks MLS Scheduling Computer...) before heading into the most important stretch of our season, where the final nine of eleven games are against the Eastern Conference.

Menawhile, the transfer window for MLS closes on August 15th. Do the Crew need help? Should we trade someone? Splash some international cash? Kidnap Pat Noonan and drag him back to Columbus in Crew Cat's Van? And if any of that happens, who would the Crew be looking to replace?

Just for the heck of it, I'll list the positions, the players who play at each, and a percentage of confidence I have that the Crew cannot find someone who will perform better at their salary, thus showing us who is expendable. Of course, most of these salaries are guaranteed by now, so it's not like we can just cut someone and keep their money. Still, it's interesting to see what the Crew are getting for their money.

For example, I don't think we're going to find someone who will perform any better than Lenhart while being paid $12,900. It's the league minimum, so at best, we could maybe find someone as good as he is for that price. So I have 100% confidence we can do no better than Lenhart in his situation. Same goes for a high-salaried player like Guille, who has shown over the course of a year and a half that he is a leader and true engine on this team. We aren't going to find someone who is a guarantee to perform like he has been.

However, someone like Nico Hernandez, who was making 100k and riding the pine? Well I have little doubt the Crew can and in fact will do better than him before things are said and done, seeing as how they have already released him. But even when he was here, I know for sure I could do exactly what he did for $100,000: sit on my ass and barely make an impact when brought into the game.

Forwards (And Guille)
Guillermo Barros
Schelotto $375,000 - 100%
Alejandro Moreno $131,000 - 80%
Steven Lenhart $12,600 - 100%
Jason Garey $60,625 - 60%
Geroge Josten $12,600 - NA

I feel fairly confident of all of these guys. Though I note we could do better than Garey, that's mainly just because we have two guys (Rogers and Lenhart) who have performed better and make less money. I like his heart though as well as his ability he showed us in the Colorado game, and don't truly view him as expendable. Josten, since he's seen no time on the field, doesn't rate at all. But our forward situation, does not seem to be a problem area.

Midefield
Emmanuel Ekpo $123,000 - 70%
Robbie Rogers $57,500 - 99%
Eddie Gaven $165,000 - 40%
Brad Evans $33,000 - 80%
Brian Carrol $126,000 - 70%
Stefani Miglioranzi $84,200 - 70%
Duncan Oughton $75,000 - 30%
Andrew Peterson $12,900 - 90%
Cory Elenio $12,900 - NA
Kevin Burns $12,900 - NA

At $165,000 Gaven is always going to get looked at. I don't want to see us lose him, as he's only 21, and has looked good since coming back from injury. But for the purposes of this argument, $165,000 is an awful lot of money, and it seems as though for the money, there must be someone better than present-day Gaven. And in case you're wondering why Gaven gets paid so much, consider that the Crew are paying a contract negotiated between Gaven and the NY Red Bulls. The man in the Red Bulls FO who OK'd the deal? Alexi Lalas.

And yes, as much as we all love and respect the Kiwi, Duncan Oughton just flat out doesn't have it anymore. $75,000 could go a long way towards finding some help in a midfield that has truly missed Adam Moffat.

Defense
Chad Marshall $148,000 - 90%
Frankie Hejduk %175,000 - 70%
Andy Iro $53,500 - 70%
Danny O'Rourke $69,000 - 70%
Gino Padula $145,000 - 20%
Jed Zayner $43,800 - 60%
Ezra Hendrickson $72,000 - 10%
Ryan Junge $12,900 - 90%
Ryan Miller $12,900 - NA

If Gino could play left back, he's worth whatever we can pay him. But since he hasn't proven to be healthy yet, I don't know that we should be paying a guy that much to ice his knees. No one can predict an injury, of course, but the fact that he had only played in 6 games over a 2 year period might have tipped us off. And yes, for $72,000 I could buy a stack of bricks to set on the field that would play better defense than Ezra Hendrickson. You're telling me that the Crew couldn't spend that $210,000 on a sturdy anchor at center back?

Keeper
William Hesmer $70,000 - 100%
Andy Gruenenbaum $33,000 - 90%

Just for point of reference, San Jose is paying Joe Cannon $213,000 this season. Hell, Matt Reis is only making 160k! But for $70,000 the only two guys near that pay figure of any talent are John Busch ($80k) and Brad Guzan (was $103,000, but not anymore). So, yeah, I don't think we're going to find anyone better than William Hesmer for the money.

Out for season:
Adam Moffat $17,700 - 100%

Overall, this raises some interesting questions. The Crew are being fairly prudent, as Gaven seems to be the only overpaid player based on current performance. Next year, the Crew will most likely have to up the payout on guys like Rogers, Moffat, Hesmer, and maybe even Guille or Lenhart to keep them from leaving the fray. And while there has been talk of adding a Designated Player, how would that affect a guy like Guille? This is his team, and if a big name midfielder is brought in, I wonder how the new player would interact with our beloved Argentine.

Still, if there was ever a time to make a move, it's now, as the Crew have two weeks to get him acclimated into the system.

So what do you think? Want to see the Crew spend a lot of money now to add a final piece or two to the puzzle for this year, or leave that room for next year, and go into the playoffs with what we have?

Post Game Dynamo vs. Crew: What was that puke?

2008-08-03T15:16:00.003-04:00

Brad Davis: "We are going to Texas, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Florida, and then we are taking over the white house, waa hoo!"

Man, I bet Jericho(our podcast man who traveled to Texas) had a blast. *Roll eyes and sarcasm*

Last night's abismal performance was the first away game I have watched in Columbus at Ruby's as I moved into town around 2 p.m. on Saturday. Although most of the move has gone smoothly and the great majority of the people have been welcoming, last night's result was anything but.

Some of my thoughts from last night's game:

1.) We won 2-0 last weekend with another striker in the attack. Coincidence? No. Why must we wait until the 70th minute when the tempo of the game has already been decided to put on another striker. If you wait until the 70th minute doesn't matter if we play another 200 minutes. The result isn't going to change.

2.) Garey who had a remarkable goal the week before gets 20 minutes while Andrew Peterson is roaming the pitch.

3.) Christian Miles is the most annoying woman in the world. Who is Andy Ira?

4.) We have too many injuries and too many Olympics. What product we have to put on the field at the moment just isn't that good.

5.) Schelotto and Moreno gave a hell of an effort but it's kind of hard to score when you have no one to pass it to and your surrounded by 5 orange shirts.

6.) Brad Evans could have tied the game if he knew how to make contact with the ball and not the ground. Totally dinked two sitters.

7.) The refs have it out for Columbus.

8.) Ezra Hendrickson almost scoring on his own net always brings a sad laugh to my mind.

To sum it all up:
We are in mucho trouble until after the Olympics. PLEASE SIGN SOME REINFORCEMENTS!

Houston Game Day Forecast

2008-08-02T15:49:00.003-04:00

This is face of the sun hot. This is turn the oven on clean and stick your head in hot. This is Larissa Oleynik in a bikini hot. Hell has nothing on Houston in August. It is so hot right now that the computer I'm using to type this is starting to melt.

Wish me luck. Time for the Crew to go mess with Texas.