MLS Columbus Crew SC

Crew prepares for MLS Cup 2008 Final Sunday against New York

Published on November 18, 2008 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
Columbus Crew SC News Release


COLUMBUS, Ohio - The Supporters' Shield-winning Columbus Crew continues its quest to achieve the MLS Double (Supporters' Shield and MLS Cup) this Sunday, Nov. 23, as it takes on the New York Red Bulls in the 2008 MLS Cup Championship at the Home Depot Center. The match will be the first-ever MLS Cup appearance for both sides, meaning one team will capture the MLS Cup for the first time in its history. The Crew advanced with a dramatic 2-1 victory over the Chicago Fire at Crew Stadium in the Eastern Conference Championship last Thursday, Nov. 13, on ESPN2 Primetime Thursday. In its first-round, conference semifinal match-up, the Crew advanced with a 3-1 aggregate-goal victory over Kansas City in the two-game, home-and-home series.

Sunday's MLS Cup Championship kicks of at 3:30 (ET) and will be televised live nationally on "ESPN on ABC," with JP Dellacamera and John Harkes calling all the action, and Allen Hopkins and Pedro Gomez reporting from the sidelines. The game can be heard in English on News/Talk 610 WTVN and on-line at theCrew.com and MLSNet.com, with Dwight Burgess and Neil Sika behind the microphone. The match can also be heard live nationally in Spanish on ESPN Deportes radio.

In the Eastern Conference Championship victory over Chicago, the Crew once again stormed back from an early deficit to secure a comeback victory. Brian McBride, a former member of the Crew, scored on a header in the 29th minute to give the Fire the lead, but he was beaten on the tying goal by defender Chad Marshall in the 49th minute and Eddie Gaven notched the game-winner for the Black & Gold just six minutes later to secure the comeback victory and the Crew's first-ever appearance in the MLS Cup Championship. The Crew has never been afraid of falling behind, as no other team had as many points after giving up the first goal during the regular season. Columbus has now earned at least a tie 11 of 18 times after trailing 1-0 this season. MLS Most Valuable Player candidate Guillermo Barros Schelotto registered assists on each goal, to continue his stellar play as the engine of the Crew offense this season. With its victory over Chicago, the Crew has now secured at least one win over every team in MLS during the 2008 season.

New York advanced to the 2008 MLS Cup Championship after defeating Real Salt Lake, 1-0, last Saturday (Nov. 15) at Rio Tinto Stadium. The Red Bulls scored the lone goal of the match in the 28th minute when John Wolyniec beat RSL defender Jamison Olave on the left side and then fired a low cross into the box that the sliding Nick Rimando punched out and onto the foot of Dave van den Bergh, who then deposited the ball into the empty net. New York is led into Sunday's match by Colombian striker Juan Pablo Angel and Dutch midfielder Dave van den Bergh. Angel tallied 14 goals - good for fourth in MLS in goals scored this season - to go along with three assists, while van den Bergh has totaled seven goals and five assists this season. In addition, Angel and van den Bergh have combined for three of New York's five goals in the postseason.

Sunday's match will be the second-ever playoff meeting between Columbus and New York. The two sides met for the first time in a three-game series of the opening round of the 1998 playoffs. Columbus defeated New York 5-3 at home in the series' opening game at Crew Stadium, then took to the road to finish off the series with a 2-1 shootout victory over New York in the second game.

Columbus posted a record of 1-0-2 against New York during the 2008 regular-season series. In the first meeting between the two sides, on April 5, New York's van den Bergh got the scoring under way just 46 seconds into the match, and New York doubled its advantage just minutes later thanks to Kevin Goldthwaite as the Red Bulls earned the 2-0 victory at Giants Stadium. In the second match, at Crew Stadium on Sept. 18, New York's Angel drew first blood with a spectacular free kick goal in the 21st minute, but Frankie Hejduk and Robbie Rogers staked the Crew to a lead with goals on either side of halftime and Gaven scored a late insurance goal as the Black & Gold earned a 3-1 victory over the Red Bulls on ESPN2 MLS Primetime Thursday. In the third and final match, played at Giants Stadium on Oct. 18, the Crew fielded a lineup made up of a mixture of regular starters and reserves, as it dropped a 3-1 decision to the playoff-chasing Red Bulls. Angel again scored the match's opening goal, before Steven Lenhart equalized with the Crew's lone goal in the 62nd minute, getting his head on Guillermo Barros Schelotto's free kick from the left side. Angel responded with his second goal of the match in the 76th minute, and New York finished the night's scoring on a bizarre play that saw goalkeeper Danny Cepero's 80-yard free kick take a surprising skip off the artificial turf and into the Crew's net for the first-ever goal scored by a goalkeeper in MLS history.

COLUMBUS CREW vs. New York Red Bulls

MLS Cup Championship

Sunday, Nov. 23 - 3:30 p.m. (ET) at The Home Depot Center

National Television: ABC; Local Television: N/A

Crew Radio: 610 WTVN (English); National Radio: ESPN Deportes (Spanish)

Crew Webcasts: TheCrew.com; MLSNet.com (English)

SCHMID EXTENDS ALL-TIME RECORD FOR CAREER PLAYOFF WINS AMONG MLS COACHES TO 18

With the Crew's 2-1 win over Chicago last Thursday (Nov. 13), head coach Sigi Schmid now has a playoff record of 18-7-4, extending his all-time career lead in playoff wins among MLS coaches. Schmid, who was named 2008 MLS Coach of the Year on Nov. 11, will take the Crew to its first-ever appearance in the MLS Cup Championship this Sunday, after leading the Black & Gold to a new club record for points in a season (57), eclipsing the 2004 Supporters' Shield-winning squad that earned 49, while also setting new club marks for wins (17) and goals (50) in the post-shootout era (since 2000). While leading the Crew to the 2008 Supporters' Shield trophy, Schmid also achieved a pair of new personal milestones this season, as he notched his 100th career MLS victory on April 26 - making him only the second coach in MLS history to reach that plateau - and the club's 17 wins set a new single-season career-high, one more than his 2002 MLS Cup-champion Los Angeles Galaxy squad.

CALIFORNIA CONNECTIONS

Although it will travel over 2,000 miles to play in the 2008 MLS Cup Championship, the Crew will surely compete at the Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif., before a wide variety of family and friends, as the Black & Gold features numerous connections to the state of California. Foremost is 2008 MLS Coach of the Year Sigi Schmid, who was raised in the Los Angeles area since the age of nine after immigrating from Germany. Schmid was a four-year starter at UCLA, and later became the program's head coach, leading the Bruins to three national championships (1985, 1990 & 1997) over 19 extremely successful seasons. Schmid then coached the Los Angeles Galaxy from 1999-2004, leading the Galaxy to the 2002 MLS Cup title. Midfielder Robbie Rogers and assistant coach Mike Lapper - who played for Schmid at UCLA - are both from Huntington Beach. Midfielder Brad Evans attended UC-Irvine and English defender Andy Iro is in his first MLS season out of UC-Santa Barbara, about 100 miles north of Los Angeles. Rookie forward Steven Lenhart is from Yorba Linda and went to Azusa Pacific University, where fitness and strength coach Steve Tashjian, a Pasadena native, had been a consultant for the soccer programs. Veteran midfielder Duncan Oughton attended Cal State Fullerton for his collegiate soccer career. MLS Defender of the Year Chad Marshall is from Riverside and defender Frankie Hejduk - who also played for Schmid at UCLA - is from La Mesa and spends his offseason surfing in the San Diego area. Midfielder Stefani Miglioranzi spent half a season in L.A. in 2006 after signing with the Galaxy from Swindon Town FC (England), and midfielder George Josten was born in Anaheim before his family moved to Idaho Falls, Idaho.

BLACK & GOLD CONTINUES TO DISPLAY DIVERSE ATTACK IN PLAYOFFS

The Crew's five goals in the 2008 MLS Cup Playoffs have come from five different players, as the club continues to display a diverse offensive attack. The Crew boasts five players that have scored at least five goals in the regular season and playoffs combined, and in total, the Black & Gold has gotten goals from 14 different players this season, while 10 players have scored at least two goals, eight have scored at least three and seven have scored at least four.

SEVERAL CREW PLAYERS BRING CHAMPIONSHIP EXPERIENCE TO MLS CUP

Although Sunday's match vs. New York will be the first-ever MLS Cup Championship appearance for the Crew, several players on its roster boast MLS Cup experience, including a total of five MLS Cup wins. Crew Golden Boot winner Alejandro Moreno has two previous MLS Cup appearances, with L.A. in 2002 and Houston in 2006, and was part of the winning side in both. Midfielder Brian Carroll played in and won MLS Cup 2004 as a member of D.C United. Veteran defender Ezra Hendrickson has participated in two MLS Cups wins, with Moreno and L.A. in 2002 and with Carroll and D.C. in 2004. Forward Pat Noonan appeared in three MLS Cup Championships during his five seasons with New England, but has yet to emerge victorious. Keeper William Hesmer was a member of the 2004 Kansas City Wizards that fell to Carroll and Hendrickson's D.C.'s Cup-winning squad.

HESMER HOPING FOR BIRTHDAY VICTORY ON SUNDAY

Crew goalkeeper William Hesmer is hoping for an extra special day at the MLS Cup this Sunday, Nov. 23, as he will spend his 27th birthday in goal for the Crew at the Home Depot Center. The 2008 MLS Cup would surely serve as a great birthday present and season-ending accomplishment for the Crew goalkeeper that experienced a breakout season in 2008 and finished as a finalist for the 2008 MLS Panasonic Goalkeeper of the Year award. Hesmer finished the regular season tied for first place in MLS in shutouts and added another clean sheet in postseason play vs. Kansas City on Nov. 8. Hesmer also finished the regular season with the league lead in wins (17) and finished third in goals-against-average (1.14) and saves percentage (73.5).

O'ROURKE MEETS UP AGAINST FORMER SQUAD IN CUP CHAMPIONSHIP

Crew defender and Columbus native Danny O'Rourke will suit up for the Black & Gold in the MLS Cup this Sunday (Nov. 23), but he will see several familiar faces on the opposing side as he takes on his former New York Red Bulls squad. O'Rourke was originally drafted by San Jose with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2005 MLS SuperDraft, but was traded to New York prior to the 2006 season. He appeared in 28 games, with 27 starts, for the Red Bulls in 2006, then was selected by Toronto FC in the 2006 expansion draft and subsequently traded to Columbus along with goalkeeper William Hesmer in November of that year. O'Rourke has started in all 55 games in which he has appeared for the Crew over the last two seasons, registering five assists, including a career high four this season.

CREW PLAYING LATE INTO THE CALENDAR YEAR

The Crew's 2008 MLS Cup Playoff run has led to the squad playing late in the 2008 calendar year, with its match against Chicago last Thursday (Nov. 13) being the latest the team has hosted an MLS home game, while this Sunday's (Nov. 23) match vs. New York will exceed its Nov. 13, 1999 game at D.C. United as the latest the team has ever played an MLS match.

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