MLS Columbus Crew SC

Ward, Zayner in Spain with 'Generation adidas'

Published on November 27, 2007 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
Columbus Crew SC News Release


COLUMBUS, Ohio - Crew defenders Tim Ward and Jed Zayner are among 16 MLS 'Generation adidas' players in Spain for a 10-day tour that is scheduled to include two matches, the latter against the Real Madrid reserves on Thursday (Nov. 29). The group departed the U.S. for Madrid on Friday, Nov. 23, and will return on Monday (Dec. 3).

It played its first match today, a 1-0 victory over the the Rayo Vallecano reserves at the Ciudad de Futbol Stadium, with Ward going the full 90 minutes and Zayner playing the first 65. Ward, 20, is coming off his third professional season, one with New York and two with the Crew. He has appeared in 30 MLS games and was a member of the U.S. team at the 2007 FIFA Under-20 World Cup. Zayner, who will turn 23 on Dec. 13, appeared in two games in 2007, after sitting out his entire rookie season of 2006 with a torn knee ligament.

The young team, which is being coached by Dominic Kinnear and John Spencer of the MLS Cup-champion Houston Dynamo, is also scheduled to take in three matches as spectators while in Spain. It saw Atletico Madrid's 4-3 victory over Valladolid on Sunday and today's UEFA Champions League match between Sevilla and Arsenal and will attend next Sunday's (Dec. 2) Real Madrid vs. Racing Santandar contest at Madrid's famed Bernabeu Stadium. Former Crew midfielder Danny Szetela now plays for Santander.

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. The youth players who join MLS as part of the Generation adidas program receive unprecedented opportunities to develop their game and hone their skills at the professional level in Major League Soccer. In addition to training and playing on a weekly basis with one of Major League Soccer's 14 professional clubs, Generation adidas players also receive educational grants to further their college education.

ANNUAL GEAR SALE BENEFITING CREW SOCCER FOUNDATION SCHEDULED FOR THIS WEEKEND AT OBETZ

The Crew's annual year-end sale of official team gear will take place this Friday, Nov. 30, from 4-7 p.m., and Saturday, Dec. 1, from 11 a.m.-3 p.m., at the Crew Training Center at Obetz (4153 Alum Creek Drive). All proceeds will benefit the Crew's charitable arm, the Crew Soccer Foundation.

WARZYCHA FOLLOWING SOCCER BUCKS FROM A CONTINENT AWAY

Crew assistant coach Robert Warzycha is on a scouting trip in Poland as son Konrad prepares with his Ohio State University teammates for the Buckeyes' second-round NCAA tournament match vs. Louisville on Wednesday (Nov. 28) at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium. Fifth-seeded Ohio State earned a bye into the second round, while Louisville defeated Duke, 1-0, in the first round. Konrad Warzycha has appeared in 13 games as a true freshman this season and contributed one assist. The 13-3-5 Buckeyes are coached by John Bluem, who also serves as color commentator on Crew home radio broadcasts, as well as Director of Continuing Education for the Crew Juniors youth development club. Ohio State's roster features another Crew connection in senior midfielder Steven Traeger, the younger brother of former Crew midfielder Jake Traeger (2003-04).

OUGHTON, NEW ZEALAND NOTCH TWO VICTORIES OVER VANUATU IN FIFA WORLD CUP QUALIFYING

Duncan Oughton helped the New Zealand Men's National Team to a pair of victories in FIFA World Cup Qualifying action last week. Oughton started and went the full 90 minutes in a 2-1 victory over Vanuatu in Port Vila on Nov. 17. He again started and played the entire game in the All Whites' 4-1 victory over Vanuatu in the return leg in Wellington on Nov. 21. The call-up was Oughton's third of the year, and with the two victories, New Zealand maintains its top spot in the Oceana Region's FIFA World Cup Qualifying. Earlier in qualifying, Oughton and the All Whites defeated Fiji, 2-0, Oct. 17 in Lautoka, Fiji. On May 26 of this year, Oughton went the full 90 minutes and assisted on the first goal in New Zealand's impressive 2-2 draw at Wales in an international friendly. New Zealand will round out the Oceania qualifying process against New Caledonia on September 6 and 10 of next year.

CREW TO HOLD OPEN TRYOUTS AT PREMIER SOCCER ACADEMIES CAMPUS IN LORAIN JAN. 25-26

The Crew will host a tryout for the 2008 season at Brad Friedel's Premier Soccer Academies campus in Lorain, Ohio, on Friday, Jan. 25, and Saturday, Jan. 26. Please note that the tryout originally scheduled for Dec. 8-9 in Sacramento, Calif., has been cancelled. The tryouts will be open to all players regardless of age, with the lone exception being that college players with any eligibility remaining are not allowed to participate due to NCAA rules and regulations. Participants need to arrive at PSA by 8 a.m. on Friday, Jan. 25, for registration and orientation. Players should plan on being there through 5 p.m. on the 25th. Training will begin at 7:30 a.m. on Saturday the 26th and conclude at 4 p.m. Players should plan on attending both days in order to have the coaching staff properly evaluate their skills. It is recommended that players bring both types of cleats (indoor and molded). There will be a fee of $100 that must be paid two weeks prior to the tryout. Individuals are responsible for their own food, accommodations and transportation. Potential prospects can visit www.TheCrew.com to register for either of the two tryout locations and for more details.

CREW OPERATING KIOSK AT POLARIS FASHION PLACE THROUGH HOLIDAYS

A Crew kiosk will be open now through the holidays next to the Food Hall in Polaris Fashion Place. From Crew merchandise to the Holiday Pack, it will have something for every Crew fan. The kiosk is open Monday-Thursday from 10 a.m.-9 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m.-9:30 p.m. and Sunday from Noon-6 p.m.

CREW STADIUM AGAIN A COLLECTION SITE FOR ST. STEPHEN'S COMMUNITY HOUSE CHRISTMAS CARE PROGRAM Columbus Crew Stadium is once again serving as a collection site for the St. Stephen's Community House Christmas Care Program. Crew staff, guests and visitors are invited to drop off donations of non-perishable food until Dec. 14 in the Crew Administrative Offices' main lobby. St. Stephen's Community House has been providing vital community services to the Greater Linden area of Northeast Columbus since 1919. The purpose of the Christmas Care Program is to assist families during the holiday season who find themselves in critical situations, caused or exacerbated by such things as strained fixed incomes, job lay-offs and family illness.

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Major League Soccer Stories from November 27, 2007


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