MLS Columbus Crew SC

Preseason Training Begins Tuesday

Published on January 21, 2010 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
Columbus Crew SC News Release


COLUMBUS, Ohio - The two-time-defending Supporters' Shield-winning Columbus Crew has announced the early portions of its 2010 preseason schedule, including a trip to Bradenton, Fla. Players will report back to Columbus by Sunday (Jan. 24) and the Crew's preseason camp under second-year head coach Robert Warzycha will officially kick off the following day with player physicals. Training will commence on Tuesday, Jan. 26, indoors at the SuperKick/TeamZone facility in Lewis Center (409 Orangepointe Drive).

The squad will train at 10 a.m. at SuperKick/TeamZone from Jan. 26-29, with media availability following each morning's training session.

After a week in Columbus, the team will then continue preparations for defense of its MLS Supporters' Shield at IMG Academies in Bradenton from Feb. 1-14, before returning to Columbus for training from Feb. 16-19. Further preseason details - including further trips and exhibition match dates and times - will be released in the near future.

The Crew will open its 15th MLS season overall and 12th in first-of-its-kind Columbus Crew Stadium when it hosts Toronto FC in the first leg of the Trillium Cup on Saturday, March 27. It will first compete in the quarterfinals of the 2009-10 CONCACAF Champions League, March 9 and 17.

2010 Preliminary Crew Preseason Schedule (subject to change)

Sunday, Jan. 24: Players report to Columbus

Monday, Jan. 25: Player physicals

Tuesday, Jan. 26-Friday, Jan. 29: Training in Columbus (SuperKick/TeamZone, 409 Orangepointe Dr.)

Monday, Feb. 1-Sunday, Feb. 14: Training and exhibition games at IMG Academies, Bradenton, Fla.

Tuesday, Feb. 16- Friday, Feb. 19: Training in Columbus

TICKETS FOR CONCACAF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE QUARTERFINAL GO ON SALE FRIDAY, JAN. 29

Tickets for the March 9 home leg of the Crew's CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinal vs. Mexican club Toluca will go on sale to the general public on Friday, Jan. 29, at 10 a.m. at the Crew Stadium Box Office, all central Ohio Ticketmaster retail locations, via Ticketmaster phone at 1-800-745-3000 and on-line at TheCrew.com, following an exclusive pre-sale offer made available to Crew Soccer Nation members. Ticket prices start at $25 ($20 youth) for the March 9 match that is slated to kick off at 8 p.m. at Crew Stadium. The second game of the two-game, home-and-home total-goals match-up will be played at Toluca on Wednesday, March 17. Should the Crew advance past the quarterfinal stage, it would face the winner of the Pachuca (Mexico) vs. Comunicaciones (Guatemala) series in the semifinals March 30-April 1 and April 6-8. The Crew advanced to the quarterfinals after finishing the group stage in second place of Group C with 8 pts, behind Cruz Azul of Mexico. The CONCACAF Champions League is the confederation's annual club championship which features 24 teams from CONCACAF's three sub-regions: North America, Central America and the Caribbean. The top two teams from each group qualified for the Championship Round. The Final Round, to be held in late April 2010, will also be two-legged, home-and-away. The eventual champion will qualify for the prestigious seven-team FIFA Club World Cup - which annually pits each continental confederation's champion against the others - in December 2010.

CREW TRIO WITH USMNT AS IT PREPARES FOR UPCOMING FRIENDLY AGAINST HONDURAS

The Crew trio of Eddie Gaven, Chad Marshall and Robbie Rogers remains with the U.S. National Team as it prepares for Saturday's (Jan. 23) friendly match vs. fellow FIFA World Cup finalist Honduras at the Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. The match will be broadcast live on Fox Soccer Channel beginning at 9 p.m. ET. The U.S. squad, which began its current training camp session on Jan. 4 in Carson, will continue World Cup preparations on Feb. 24 in Tampa, Fla., when it faces El Salvador at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN Classic, in its second-to-last match before naming the roster for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The match in Florida will be followed by a friendly against third-ranked Netherlands on March 3 in Amsterdam. Fans can follow all three upcoming international friendlies live via ussoccer.com's MatchTracker and at www.twitter.com/ussoccer.

NEXT CYCLE OF CREW SOCCER FOUNDATION REFEREE SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM SET TO KICK OFF

The Crew Soccer Foundation (CSF) Referee Scholarship Program kicks off its next cycle on Saturday, Feb. 6, as the 2010 referee scholars begin their referee certification classes, conducted by the Columbus Area Soccer Officials Association (CASOA). Successful applicants will attend classes on each Saturday during the month of February. Upon successful completion of the course, CSF will provide a referee kit that consists of a yellow shirt, blackshorts, black socks, whistles, book, yellow/red cards, two flags and a sports watch. After finishing the training and receiving certification, each scholarship recipient will be assigned to recreational and/or competitive youth matches by CASOA, which will also serve as a resource for questions. All scholarship winners will also be invited to attend a selected Crew game during the regular season to observe an officiating crew in action.

Check out the Columbus Crew SC Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



Major League Soccer Stories from January 21, 2010


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central