MLS Columbus Crew SC

Warzycha To Lead Ga Tour To South Africa, Crew Draws Toluca In Champions League Quarterfinals

November 17, 2009 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Columbus Crew SC News Release


COLUMBUS - Major League Soccer and adidas announced today that Crew head coach Robert Warzycha has been selected to lead 18 MLS 'Generation adidas' players to South Africa - site of the 2010 FIFA World Cup - for a two-week tour that will include a trio of friendly matches. The group is scheduled to depart Friday, Nov. 27 and will return stateside Tuesday, Dec. 8.

The squad will first take on the Orlando Pirates reserve squad on Monday, Nov. 30, then will take on a yet-to-be-determined opponent on Thursday, Dec. 3. The schedule of friendlies will then conclude with a match against the AJAX Cape Town reserves on Sunday, Dec. 6.

The group will also enjoy sightseeing and take part in several appearances while in South Africa, 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.

Warzycha, who will be joined on the trip by Crew assistant coach Mike Lapper, head athletic trainer Jason Mathews and equipment manager Rusty Wummel, leads the group of rising MLS stars after recently completing his first full season at the helm of the Black & Gold. In it the Crew won its second consecutive MLS Supporters' Shield with a 13-7-10 regular season record (49 pts.) and advanced to the quarterfinals of the CONCACAF Champions League, while earning recognition as a top-three finalist for the 2009 MLS Coach of the Year award.

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.

CREW TO PLAY TOLUCA IN QUARTERFINALS OF 2009-10 CONCACAF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

The 2009-10 CONCACAF Champions League Championship Round Draw was held at confederation headquarters in New York Tuesday (Nov. 17) and the Crew was drawn to face Mexican club Toluca in the quarterfinals. The Black & Gold will host the first leg of the home-and-home series at Crew Stadium on March 9, 10 or 11, before traveling to Mexico for the road leg of the series on March 16, 17 or 18. The finalized dates for both matches will be announced in the coming weeks. Should the Crew advance past Toluca, it will face either Comunicaciones (Guatemala) or Pachuca (Mexico) in the semifinals. 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.

CREW YOUTH PLAYERS SHINE IN OHSAA STATE SOCCER FINALS AT CREW STADIUM

Crew Stadium hosted the OHSAA State Soccer Finals for the 11th straight year last Friday and Saturday (Nov. 13 and 14). On Friday, the boys took to the field for a trio of championship matches, in which a total of 20 Crew Youth Development Program players participated. Worthington Christian kicked things off with a victory over Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy in the Division III final, followed by the Division II final which saw DeSales defeat Bay Village. In the evening's final match-up, Crew Soccer Academy midfielder Wil Trapp led Gahanna to a thrilling win over Cleveland St. Ignatius in the Division I championship after a penalty kick shootout, giving central Ohio schools the sweep of all three boys division titles. On Saturday, the girls took to the field, with Hathaway Brown defeating Bexley in the Division II final, followed by the Division I championship with Medina earning a victory over Dublin Coffman. In all, over 11,100 people attended Crew Stadium for the five championship matches, setting a new record for the two-day event.

CSA PLAYER COLLEGE ACCOLADES

With 2009 NCAA soccer season beginning to wind down, several 2009 graduates of the Crew Soccer Academy have made their mark across the country during their respective freshman seasons. The list is highlighted by Ohio State's Matt Lampson who was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year, and was named to the Big Ten All-Freshman Team and was a second team All-Big Ten selection. He was joined on the Big Ten All-Freshman Team by Indiana's Matt Wiet. Meanwhile, Justin Luthy enjoyed a successful first season with Boston College, where he earned second team All-ACC honors and was selected to the ACC All-Freshman Team, where he was joined by former CSA teammate Andy Lubahn of Wake Forest. In the Horizon League, Tyler Pollock of Butler was named to the conference's Newcomer (Freshman) Team and in the Southern Conference, Brian McGue of Davidson was named to the All-Freshman squad. In addition to the various CSA players who earned accolades during the 2009 college season, Ohio State head coach and CSA technical staff member John Bluem was named the Big Ten Coach of the Year.

CSF SPONSORS STUDENT-ATHLETE AWARD AT GREATER LINDEN AWARDS AND GRATITUDE CELEBRATION

The Crew Soccer Foundation, the Crew's charitable arm, sponsored and presented the Student-Athlete of the Year Award and Scholarship at the Fifth Annual Greater Linden Awards and Gratitude Celebration Nov. 10 at the Ohio Historical Society. The ceremony highlighted some of the exceptional achievements of Linden community members, recognizing individuals or organizations in several categories based on nominations for each award which were solicited from the Linden community. The Student-Athlete of the Year Award and Scholarship was presented to Anthony Shaw, a senior and multi-sport athlete who carries a 3.5 GPA at Linden McKinley STEM Academy.

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.

"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 140 pro 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!

WATCH CREWXTRA WEDNESDAY 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 midfielder Duncan Oughton, former Crew forward Dante Washington 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.

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Major League Soccer Stories from November 17, 2009


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