Crew return to action against FC Dallas

For Immediate Release: Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Contact: Dave Stephany, 614-447-4190, or Jason Smith, 614-447-4176

COLUMBUS, Ohio – After enjoying a bye week off from MLS play last weekend, the Crew returns to action this Saturday, April 10, as it travels to Texas to face FC Dallas at Pizza Hut Park.

With last week off from league action, the Black & Gold hosted Marshall University and Michigan State University for a pair of exhibition matches at Crew Stadium on Friday (April 2) and came away with decisive 5-0 victories in both matches.
This Saturday’s match, which kicks off at 8:30 p.m. ET, will be televised live regionally on ONN-TV, with Dwight Burgess and Dante Washington calling all the action. The game can also be heard in English on News/Talk 610 WTVN with Neil Sika behind the microphone and on-line at TheCrew.com and MLSsoccer.com, as well as in Spanish on La Mega 103.1-FM, featuring Carlos Cordova and Benny Pietrangelo on the call.
FC Dallas, which currently sits in sixth place in the Western Conference with a 0-0-1 record (1 pt.), enters Saturday’s match after also enjoying a bye week from last weekend’s MLS play. In its home opener on March 27, FC Dallas earned a 1-1 draw with the Houston Dynamo at Pizza Hut Park, thanks to a strike from Atiba Harris in the 38th minute.
The Crew is currently tied for second place in the Eastern Conference with a 1-0-0 record (3 pts.). In its first MLS action of 2010, on March 27, the Crew earned a 2-0 victory over Toronto FC at First Kick 2010 at Crew Stadium. Andy Iro and Guillermo Barros Schelotto scored on either side of halftime to power the Black & Gold to victory over its Trillium Cup rival Toronto. In addition, Schelotto also assisted on Iro’s game-winning goal. Iro put Columbus up in the 29th minute, when Schelotto whipped a free kick near the right sideline into the box, where Iro slipped his marker and headed the ball home from seven yards. Schelotto then iced the game in the 87th minute. A collision between TFC goalkeeper Stefan Frei and Crew defender Danny O’Rourke on the fringe of the Toronto penalty area produced a loose ball and an open net. Toronto defender Nick Garcia tried to clear, but the ball fell to Schelotto, whose deftly placed shot found the open net to ensure the full three points for Columbus.
Reigning MLS Defender of the Year Chad Marshall missed the Crew’s opening match of the MLS regular season due to a right hamstring strain, but could be available for selection to the Crew’s 18-man roster this weekend.

COLUMBUS CREW at FC Dallas

Saturday, April 10 – 8:30 p.m. (ET) at Pizza Hut Park

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

Crew Radio: News/Talk 610 WTVN (English); La Mega 103.1-FM (Spanish)

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

CREW STADIUM TO HOST USA 7’S INAUGURAL RUGBY COLLEGIATE CHAMPIONSHIP JUNE 4-6

Crew Stadium will host the first-ever USA 7’s Rugby Collegiate Championship Invitational, a Rugby Sevens round-robin tournament which will feature 16 teams, including Ohio State and Bowling Green, from June 4-6. The USA 7’s Rugby Collegiate Championship Invitational will be broadcast live nationally on NBC on Saturday, June 5 and Sunday, June 6, from 4-6 p.m. ET, while Universal Sports will air coverage on those days from 2-4 p.m. ET. Rugby Sevens will be an Olympic sport starting in 2016 and the Invitational offers fans a preview of the talent pool available to the U.S. Olympic team. Tickets for the Invitational will go on sale to the general public next Monday, April 12, 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.

FORMER CSA STANDOUTS BARSON AND LUTHY SUIT UP FOR U.S. UNDER-20 SQUAD
Former Crew Soccer Academy standouts Chad Barson and Justin Luthy were both part of the U.S. Under-20 National Team’s 20-man roster for the Dallas Cup March 28 through April 1 at Pizza Hut Park in Frisco, Texas. The U.S. U-20s first faced off against Mexico on March 28, with Barson earning a start on the defensive backline, but were defeated by a score of 1-0. On March 29, the U.S. took on the Vancouver Whitecaps, with Luthy in goal for the Red, White and Blue, and came away with 1-0 win, thanks to a strike from Moises Orozco in the match’s 1st minute. The U.S. wrapped up Dallas Cup action on April 1, with a match-up against Eintracht Frankfurt. Barson again got the start at centerback, but the U.S. dropped the match, 1-0.
CREW SOCCER ACADEMY SQUADS TO RETURN TO THE FIELD THIS WEEKEND IN ST. LOUIS
After the 17/18 squad’s impressive 3-1 win over the U.S. Under-17 squad on March 27, the Crew Soccer Academy squads will return to the field this weekend, April 10-11, when they travel to St. Louis, Mo., to take on St. Louis Scott Gallagher Metro and St. Louis Scott Gallagher Missouri in U.S. Soccer Development Academy action. On Saturday (April 10), both squads will take on SLSG Metro, with the 15/16s kicking off at 5 p.m. and the 17/18s playing at 7 p.m. On Sunday (April 11), the 15/16s will take on SLSG Missouri at 10 a.m., followed by the 17/18s at 12 noon.
REGULAR-SEASON SINGLE-GAME TICKETS ON SALE
Single-game tickets for the Crew’s 2010 regular-season home schedule are currently available 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. 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.
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, Dan Fronczak fills in for Beau Bishop in the host’s chair and will be joined by rookie midfielder Dilly Duka, Crew TV color analyst 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.