MLS Columbus Crew SC

Crew returns home to face Colorado Saturday

Published on April 8, 2009 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
Columbus Crew SC News Release


COLUMBUS, Ohio - The Columbus Crew returns home this Saturday, April 11, to face Western Conference foe Colorado, following a two-game West Coast road trip last week. It will be the Rapids' lone visit to Crew Stadium this season and an Easter Egg hunt will take place on the stadium grounds when gates open at 6 p.m. Fans will receive Crew schedule magnets, sponsored by SWACO, while supplies last.

Saturday's match, which kicks off at 7:30 p.m. ET, will be televised live regionally on ONN-TV, with Dwight Burgess and Bill McDermott calling all the action and Katie Witham reporting from the sidelines. The match can also be heard in English on News/Talk 610 WTVN, and on-line at TheCrew.com and MLSNet.com, with Neil Sika and John Bluem behind the microphone, as well as in Spanish on La Que Buena 1550-AM with Carlos Cordova and Benny Pietrangelo on the call.

Colorado enters Saturday's match on the heels of a pair of games in L.A. against the Galaxy within the last week. A 3-2 victory Saturday (April 4) in league play was followed by a U.S. Open Cup play-in game Tuesday, won by the Rapids, 4-2 on penalty kicks, following 120 scoreless minutes. The Rapids were paced on Saturday by forward Conor Casey, who registered his second career hat trick as Colorado won its second straight match. Casey started his deluge by scoring just 16 seconds into the match, making his tally the second quickest goal in MLS history, and netted the game-winner in the 84th minute.

Columbus, which hasn't been able to field its first-choice squad yet this season, due to injuries and national team absences, enters the match after losing both games of its West Coast swing last week. On Thursday night (April 2), a Robbie Findley hat trick paced Real Salt Lake to a 4-1 victory at Rio Tinto Stadium, ending the defending MLS Cup champs' unbeaten streak at seven games (4-0-3), including playoffs. Jason Garey scored the Crew's lone goal in the match, the 10th of his MLS career, which briefly evened the match in the 22nd minute. Garey was forced to leave the game late in the proceedings with a sprained right ankle.

The Crew then proceeded to Los Angeles where it dropped a 2-1 result to Chivas USA, despite a valiant effort. Atiba Harris drew first blood for Chivas USA in the 35th minute, but Andy Iro equalized for the Black & Gold minutes before halftime. Eduardo Lillingston then put Chivas back in the lead just five minutes after the halftime restart with his second career MLS goal. The Crew's woes were compounded minutes later when Iro was shown a straight red card by referee Kevin Stott in the 54th minute for a hard tackle on Chivas defender Cary Talley. The 10-man Crew battled hard to claw its way back into the match, but the deficit and man disadvantage proved too much to overcome.

COLUMBUS CREW vs. Colorado Rapids

Saturday, April 11 - 7:30 p.m. (ET) at Crew Stadium

National Television: N/A; Regional Television: ONN-TV

Crew Radio: News/Talk 610 WTVN (English); La Que Buena 1550-AM (Spanish)

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

GAREY NOTCHES FIRST TALLY OF YOUNG SEASON, 10TH OF HIS CAREER

Forward Jason Garey scored his first goal of the 2009 season in the Crew's 4-1 setback at Real Salt Lake last Thursday (April 2). Garey's goal - the 10th of his MLS career - came in the 22nd minute, as a dangerous cross from Gino Padula fell inside the Salt Lake area. Clint Mathis attempted to clear the ball from danger, but it fell to Garey, who lunged to slot it past RSL keeper Nick Rimando and level the match. Garey was forced to leave the game late in the proceedings with a sprained ankle.

IRO SCORES HIS FIRST GOAL OF 2009, SECOND OF HIS CAREER

Second-year defender Andy Iro also recorded his first goal of 2009 - and second of his MLS career - in his first start of the season last Sunday (April 5) at Chivas USA. In the 37th minute, Emmanuel Ekpo sent a cross into the Chivas box which eventually fell to the feet of Iro, who knocked the ball into the back of the net for the match equalizer. Unfortunately, Iro's joy was short lived as he was sent off in the 54th with a straight red card for a hard tackle on Chivas USA defender Cary Talley. Iro's previous goal came during his rookie campaign in 2008, when he tallied against New England on Sept. 6.

U.S. SENATE RESOLUTION COSPONSORED BY SENS. VOINOVICH AND BROWN PASSES

Co-sponsored by Sens. George V. Voinovich and Sherrod Brown of Ohio, S.Res.61, a resolution commending the Columbus Crew on winning the 2008 MLS Cup, was introduced on March 2 and passed on March 23 in without amendment and with a preamble by Unanimous Consent.

CREW NAMED A FINALIST FOR 2009 CORPORATE CARING AWARD

Along with its charitable arm, the Crew Soccer Foundation, the Crew has been named a Finalist for a 2009 Corporate Caring Award. Business First and sponsors Battelle, Grange Insurance, Mills/James Productions and Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP will celebrate corporate philanthropy in Columbus this Thursday, April 9, presenting awards at the 13th Annual Corporate Caring Awards Luncheon that will be held at the Hyatt Regency Ballroom. The Crew/CSF was a recipient of a 2008 Corporate Caring Award in Education.

HEJDUK, MORENO AND OUGHTON ALL SEE ACTION FOR RESPECTIVE NATIONAL TEAMS

Crew defender Frankie Hejduk, forward Alejandro Moreno and midfielder Duncan Oughton each completed their respective national team duties last week as the recent FIFA international match window came to a close. Hejduk once again started and went the full 90 minutes for the U.S. on April 1 in its 3-0 victory over Trinidad & Tobago in Nashville, Tenn. Moreno also started and went the distance in Venezuela's 2-0 win over Colombia on March 31 in Puerto Ordaz, Venezuela. Oughton did not participate in New Zealand's 2-2 draw with Thailand 'A' in a friendly match on April 1 in Bangkok. In previous international action on March 28, Hejduk started and went the full 90 minutes, assisted on the U.S.'s first goal and then equalized the match with a late header as the Red, White and Blue came back from a 2-0 deficit to earn a point on the road against El Salvador. Moreno came on as a substitute in the 50th minute of Venezuela's 4-0 World Cup Qualifying loss at Argentina, while Oughton started in New Zealand's 3-1 loss to Thailand in an international friendly.

CREW RESERVES TO FACE MARSHALL UNIVERSITY ON APRIL 15

The Crew reserves will host Marshall University in a friendly match on Wednesday, April 15, at 9:30 a.m. at the Crew Training Facility at Obetz (4153 Alum Creek Drive). The match is free and open to the public.

MORENO VISITS OHIO STATE FOREIGN LANGUAGE CENTER WEDNESDAY

Forward Alejandro Moreno visited the Ohio State University Foreign Language Center on Wednesday afternoon, April 8. As a native Spanish speaker from Venezuela, Moreno helped OSU students develop their Spanish-language skills by conversing and interacting with the group in his native tongue.

CREW, OHIO STATE TO SQUARE OFF MAY 5 IN EIGHTH ANNUAL CONNOR SENN MEMORIAL MATCH

The Crew and Ohio State Buckeyes will once again meet on the field Tuesday, May 5, in the eighth annual Connor Senn Memorial Match. Game time is set for 7 p.m. at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium on the campus of Ohio State. The first seven exhibition matches in the annual series have raised more than $125,000 for the Connor Senn Memorial Scholarship Fund, which is now nearly fully endowed.

CHECK OUT CREWXTRA WEDNESDAYS AT 8 P.M. ON ONN-TV

CrewXtra, the Crew's new weekly show, airs every Wednesday at 8 p.m. (and again at 11 p.m.) on ONN-TV. This week, host Dan Fronczak, filling in for Beau Bishop, will be joined by Crew goalkeeper William Hesmer and "Voice of the Crew" Dwight Burgess. 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.

CREW SOCCER ACADEMY TEAMS HOST PAIR OF SQUADS FROM ST. LOUIS SCOTT GALLAGHER

The Crew Soccer Academy squads hosted matches against a pair of teams from St. Louis Scott Gallagher Soccer Club at the Crew Training Center at Obetz last weekend as they continued play in the U.S. Soccer Development Academy league. On Saturday (April 4), they took on SLSG Metro, with the U-15/16s winning by a score of 1-0, thanks to a goal by Brett Elder, and the U-17/18s falling by a score of 2-0. On Sunday (April 5), both teams faced SLSG Missouri, with the 15/16s earning a 1-0 victory behind Jack Thompson's tally and the 17/18s recording a 3-2 win, with two goals coming from Tyler Pollock and the third from Drew Edler. The 15/16s record to date is now 7-2-6, while the 17/18s currently sit at 9-3-3 on the season. Both squads will enjoy a bye week this weekend before returning to action on the road against Carmel (Ind.) United on Saturday, April 18, with the 15/16s kicking off at 3 p.m., followed by the 17/18s at 5 p.m. Both matches will take place at Westfield High School in Westfield, Ind.

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Major League Soccer Stories from April 8, 2009


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