Crew Opens CONCACAF Champions League Quarterfinals Tuesday
Published on March 3, 2010 under Major League Soccer (MLS) News Release
COLUMBUS, Ohio - The Crew will wrap up its preseason trip to Phoenix, Ariz., on Thursday and will then turn its attention to the CONCACAF Champions League and its quarterfinal home-and-home series vs. Mexican club Toluca, beginning Tuesday, March 9, at Crew Stadium.
The Black & Gold will participate in the final match of its Phoenix trip this Thursday (March 4) against the Kansas City Wizards, before returning to Columbus on Friday (March 5). The club is currently unbeaten in preseason action with a 5-0-2 record, thanks to two wins against the U.S. Under-17 squad, victories against the IMG Academy Under-19 squad, Chivas USA and the Arizona Suaharos and draws with D.C. United and Colorado.
After returning to central Ohio, the Crew will train in preparation for Tuesday's crucial CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinal match vs. Toluca at Crew Stadium at 8 p.m. The match will be broadcast live on Fox Soccer Channel. Crew Stadium has historically been a difficult place for the Mexican National Team to play during the winter months - as evidenced by 2-0 World Cup Qualifying losses to the U.S. National Team in 2001 and 2009 - and Toluca will now have the opportunity to test its mettle in that environment.
Tickets for Tuesday's match are available 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. 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 Champions League match-up will be played at Toluca on Wednesday, March 17. Should the Crew advance to the semifinal stage, it would face the winner of the Pachuca (Mexico) vs. Comunicaciones (Guatemala) series on March 30 at Crew Stadium and April 7 on the road. The Crew advanced to the quarterfinals by finishing the group stage in second place of Group C.
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 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.
REGULAR-SEASON SINGLE-GAME TICKETS GO ON SALE TUESDAY, MARCH 9
The Crew has also announced that single-game tickets for the Crew's 2010 regular-season home schedule will go on sale to the general public on Tuesday (March 9) at 10 a.m., at the Crew Stadium Box Office, all central Ohio Ticketmaster retail locations, via Ticketmaster phone at 800-745-3000 and on-line at TheCrew.com and Ticketmaster.com, following the completion of an exclusive pre-sale opportunity being extended to Crew Soccer Nation members and other supporters. They will also be available at the Box Office that evening during the Crew's CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinal match. In the meantime, fans can also still become Crew Soccer Nation members by purchasing full-season ticket packages or partial plans, starting as low as $95 for 5-Packs. Group tickets are also available for all 15 home games. All ticket packages or plans are available through TheCrew.com and 614-447-CREW. The Crew's 2010 home schedule features a total of 13 Saturday games - including First Kick 2010, March 27, vs. Toronto FC - one Sunday match and one Wednesday match.
SECOND PIONEER CUP, A TRIBUTE TO LAMAR HUNT, SCHEDULED FOR MARCH 20 IN DALLAS
The second Pioneer Cup: A Tribute to Lamar Hunt, between the Crew and FC Dallas will be played at Pizza Hut Park in Frisco, Texas, on Saturday, March 20 at 7:30 p.m. CT with FC Dallas facing the Columbus Crew in their final preseason game before the 2010 Major League Soccer season. The Pioneer Cup is a preseason tribute match honoring the memory of late Crew Founder Lamar Hunt, who was the investor and operator of both teams. General admission tickets for the Pioneer Cup are $10 and can be purchased online at ticketmaster.com or through the FC Dallas front office at 888-FCD-GOAL (888-323-4625).
CREW TO FACE NOTRE DAME IN RESERVE MATCH NEXT WEDNESDAY, MARCH 10
The Crew will face Notre Dame next Wednesday (March 10) at 11 a.m. in a reserve match at Crew Stadium, following the Crew's CONCACAF Champions League match against Toluca next Tuesday (March 9). The match could potentially offer the first time that rookie forward Bright Dike has the chance to face off against his former Notre Dame teammates after being selected by the Crew in the first round (No. 12 overall) of the 2010 MLS SuperDraft.
CREW DELEGATION TRAVELS TO NETHERLANDS TO VISIT FC TWENTE
Representatives of the Crew's Youth Development program - Technical Director Brian Bliss, VP of Soccer Business Development Andrew Arthurs and Crew Juniors Director of Coaching Billy Thompson - recently returned from a trip to the Netherlands where it met with FC Twente personnel. The clubs shared best practices and the Crew had the opportunity to observe a number of Twente youth matches as well as a first-team match. FC Twente is currently second in the Dutch First Division.
GAVEN AND ROGERS SEE ACTION IN U.S.' 2-1 VICTORY OVER EL SALVADOR
The Crew's Eddie Gaven and Robbie Rogers each saw action last Wednesday (Feb. 24) in the U.S. Men's National Team's 2-1 victory over El Salvador at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla. Rogers started and played 86 minutes, while Gaven came on as a halftime substitute in the match, which was one of the final opportunities for players to impress head coach Bob Bradley as he irons out his roster selections for this summer's FIFA World Cup in South Africa. El Salvador took the lead in the 59th minute but Brian Ching equalized in the 75th minute before assisting on Sacha Kljestan's stoppage-time winner. The U.S. squares off against the third-ranked Netherlands this afternoon in Amsterdam, but no Crew players are on the roster. The U.S. Men's National Team has been drawn into Group C with England, Slovenia and Algeria for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. The U.S. will open its sixth consecutive World Cup finals tournament against England on June 12 in Rustenburg, and will follow that game with matches against Slovenia on June 18 in Johannesburg and Algeria on June 23 in Tshwane/Pretoria.
CREW SOCCER FOUNDATION REFEREE SCHOLARSHIP CYCLE TO CONCLUDE THIS SATURDAY
The Crew Soccer Foundation (CSF) Referee Scholarship Program will wrap up its current cycle this Saturday (March 6). Certification classes have been conducted by theColumbus Area Soccer Officials Association (CASOA) over the past three successive Saturdays at Gladden Community House. After this Saturday's final class, CSF will provide a referee kit that consists of a yellow shirt, black shorts, black socks, whistles, book, yellow/red cards, two flags and a sports watch to each graduate, each of whom 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.
CREWXTRA AIRS WEDNESDAY NIGHTS AT 8 AND 11 P.M. ON ONN-TV
CrewXtra, the Crew's weekly show, airs every Wednesday at 8 p.m. (and again at 11 p.m.) on ONN-TV. This week, host Beau Bishop will be joined by Crew President & General Manager Mark McCullers, the "Voice of the Crew," Dwight Burgess, and Columbus Dispatch beat writer Shawn Mitchell. CrewXtra provides viewers with in-depth coverage and access to the team every week, including game recaps, breakdowns and previews of the upcoming matches, while interspersing other news, interviews, discussion and features.
Major League Soccer Stories from March 3, 2010
- Earthquakes to Host Houston Dynamo at Kezar Stadium - San Jose Earthquakes
- Crew Opens CONCACAF Champions League Quarterfinals Tuesday - MLS
- Earthquakes Announce Schedule Change For Philadelphia Game - San Jose Earthquakes
- D.C. United Announces Preseason Friendly Against Santos Laguna - D.C. United
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