MLS Columbus Crew SC

Crew To Open Champions League Quarterfinals At Home March 9

Published on November 25, 2009 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
Columbus Crew SC News Release


COLUMBUS - CONCACAF announced today that the MLS Supporters' Shield-winning Columbus Crew will host Mexican Apertura champion Toluca on Tuesday, March 9, at Crew Stadium to open the CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinals, kicking off the tournament's knockout stages.

The Black & Gold will then travel to Estadio Nemesio D=EDez on Wednesday, March 17, to face Toluca in the road leg of the home-and-home series. Should the Crew advance past the Champions League quarterfinal stage, it will face the winner of the Pachuca (Mexico) vs. Comunicaciones (Guatemala) series in the semifinals March 30-April 1 and April 6-8 with the finals set for April 20-22 and April 27-29.

The Crew advanced to the quarterfinals after finishing the group stage in second place of Group C, 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, which consists of home-and-away elimination. 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.

WARZYCHA AND STAFF DEPART FRIDAY FOR GENERATION ADIDAS TOUR IN SOUTH AFRICA

Crew head coach Robert Warzycha will lead 18 MLS 'Generation adidas' players to South Africa - site of the 2010 FIFA World Cup - for a two-week tour departing Friday that will include at least two friendly matches. The group is scheduled to return on Dec. 8. Warzycha will be joined on the trip by Crew assistant coach Mike Lapper, head athletic trainer Jason Mathews and equipment manager Rusty Wummel. The squad will take on the Orlando Pirates reserve squad on Monday, Nov. 30, and the AJAX Cape Town reserves on Sunday, Dec. 6. The group is also scheduled to take part in a youth clinic, among other appearances, and enjoy sightseeing, including visits to Soweto "Nelson Mandela House," the Apartheid Museum, the World Cup 2010 Draw and the opening of the first FIFA Football for Hope Centre. Generation adidas, which was established ahead of the 2005 MLS season, is Major League Soccer's youth player development program designed to identify and nurture the elite youth soccer talent in the United States. In addition to training and playing on a weekly basis with one of Major League Soccer's 14 professional clubs, Generation adidas playersalso receive educational grants to further their college education.

CREWZERS TO CONDUCT TRYOUTS FOR 2010 SEASON DECEMBER 4-6

The Crewzers Professional Dance Team will be holding auditions for women interested in performing for the Crew's official dance and cheerleading squad for the 2010 season Dec. 4-6 at Crew Stadium's Huntington Club. Registration and the first round of clinics will be held Friday, Dec. 4, at 6 p.m. The second clinic and preliminaries are slated for Saturday, Dec. 5, at 10 a.m. and the final auditions will be Sunday, Dec. 6 at 12 p.m. Attendance at all clinics is mandatory to be eligible for the final auditions. The Crewzers are comprised of career women and college students who commit themselves to countless hours each week to make them the dynamic team they are. A variety of ages are represented on the squad, but ladies must be 18 by Aug. 31, 2010 to be eligible for the 2010 team. Registration for walk-ins will begin Dec. 4 at 5 p.m. A non-refundable standard registration fee of $35 is required at time of registration (cash or check only, made out to The Columbus Crewzers). Participants can receive a $10 discount off the registration fee by pre-registering online here. For more information and a detailed audition schedule, visit www.thecrewzers.com.

CREW TICKET SALES EFFORTS RECOGNIZED IN 2009 MLS CLUB AWARDS

Major League Soccer recently announced the winners of its 2009 Club and Executive Awards that recognize individuals and clubs for outstanding contributions off the playing field, and the Crew was recognized twice for its ticket sales efforts. Phil Goldfarb was named to the "Best XI" for new season ticket sales and the Crew and Toronto FC were recognized for excellence in season ticket retention.

CARROLL A MEMBER OF MLS SUPPORTERS' SHIELD-WINNING SQUAD FOR FOURTH CONSECUTIVE SEASON

With the Crew repeating as MLS Supporters' Shield winners in 2009, midfielder Brian Carroll has, remarkably, now been a member of the last four Supporters Shield-winning squads. Prior to joining the Crew in 2008, Carroll played five seasons (2003-07) for D.C. United, where he was a vital cog in United's Supporters Shield-winning seasons in 2006 and 2007. Carroll was acquired by the Crew in Nov. 2007 from San Jose in exchange for forward Kei Kamara, after being selected by the 'Quakes in the 2007 MLS Expansion Draft from D.C. In his two seasons with the Black & Gold, Carroll has been a stalwart in the midfield, starting in 56 of the Crew's 60 regular season games during that period, while also helping the Crew to its first ever MLS Cup in 2008.

CREW AND COLUMBUS CONNECTIONS DOT '2009 BEST OF U.S. SOCCER' AWARDS BALLOT

U.S. Soccer has announced the finalists for the 2009 Best of U.S. Soccer awards, with voting for the 12 categories beginning Nov. 24 on ussoccer.com, and the Crew and the Columbus area are represented in several of the voting categories. Crew captain Frankie Hejduk highlights the nominations with his goal at El Salvador on March 28 being considered for Best Clutch Moment. Meanwhile, the Crew's official away game viewing headquarters, Claddagh Irish Pub, has been nominated for Best Soccer Bar. And finally, two photos from the USA vs. Mexico World Cup Qualifier at Crew Stadium on Feb. 11 have been nominated for recognition. "Marching to Columbus" has been nominated for Best Fan Photo, while "Columbus Day" is up for Best Photo. The 2009 Best of U.S. Soccer Awards will be decided entirely by online fan votes submitted over the next three weeks here, and the winners will be announced shortly thereafter.

THREE FORMER CREW PLAYERS AMONG NOMINEES FOR 2010 NATIONAL SOCCER HALL OF FAME BALLOT

The National Soccer Hall of Fame and Museum recently distributed its 2010 Player Ballot, which features 24 retired national team and professional players who all have contributed to the growth of soccer in the United States, and it includes three former Crew players: Thomas Dooley, Robin Fraser and Chris Henderson. Dooley, was a defender who suited up for the Crew from 1997-99, making 63 appearances with five goals and four assists. Fraser, currently an assistant coach with recently crowned MLS Cup champ Real Salt Lake, was a standout defender for the Black & Gold in 2004 and 2005, racking up 57 appearances, while earning MLS Defender of the Year honors in '04. Henderson, a midfielder who is making his first appearance on the Hall of Fame ballot, played for the Crew in 2005, making 21 appearances and totaling two goals and three assists. Voters in the player election include selected members of the media, Hall of Famers, past and present U.S. Men's and Women's National Team coaches, MLS and WPS coaches of four or more years tenure, and a select group of soccer administrators. The results will be announced in early 2010.

"A MASSIVE SEASON," BY STEVE SIRK, ON SALE NOW AND CHARITY AUCTION OF SIGNED COPIES CONTINUES

Steve Sirk's new book chronicling the Crew's 2008 Championship season, through both his Notebook columns and new material, is currently rolling off the presses and the first copies are now in stock and available at Crew Stadium's Crew Gear store, which is open 9-5 onday-Friday and on game days. Sirk is generously donating a portion of the proceeds of all books sold there to the club's charitable arm, the Crew Soccer Foundation. The CSF is also continuing to auction off copies of the tome individually signed by Sirk himself and members of the 2008 championship squad. Visit the MLSNet.com auction site here for more details and to bid. The 480-page book, priced at $20, features all 19 of Sirk's 2008 Notebooks, including the epic MLS Cup recap from California; Recaps of those Notebook-less away games; The blog entries before and after MLS Cup; Several new essays sprinkled throughout; A foreword by Dante Washington; Footnote commentary; Over 140pro and amateur black & white photos; Notebook snippets from yesteryear; Documentation of the joyous aftermath, from the Statehouse to the White House; and a special section featuring Crew alumni. A must-read for diehard Crew fans, "A Massive Season" is the ultimate championship season scrapbook!

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Major League Soccer Stories from November 25, 2009


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