The first-place Crew continues its busy July schedule this week with a pair of MLS matches at Crew Stadium, first welcoming the Kansas City Wizards on Wednesday (July 14) before hosting the New York Red Bulls on Saturday (July 17).
Wednesday’s match, which kicks off at 7:30 p.m., 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. It will also be broadcast in high definition exclusively to Time Warner Cable Mid-Ohio customers in Columbus on Ch. 1310. The game can also be heard in English on News/Talk 610 WTVN, with Neil Sika and John Bluem behind the microphone, as well as in Spanish on La Mega 103.1-FM, featuring Carlos Cordova and Benny Pietrangelo on the call.
Wednesday will be the second Bob Evans Buck-a-Brat Night of the season, when juicy, full-size Bob Evans bratwurst will be sold throughout Crew Stadium for just $1 each and Budweiser drafts will also be available for only $1.
Kansas City, which currently sits tied for sixth place (with D.C.) in the Eastern Conference with a 3-8-3 record (12 pts.), enters the match after suffering a 2-0 setback to Chivas USA last Saturday (July 10) at CommunityAmerica Ballpark, thanks to a pair of goals by Chivas’ Justin Bruan. The Wizards attack is led this season by former Crew forward Kei Kamara’s six goals and Ryan Smith’s five assists.
Saturday’s match, which kicks off at 7:30 p.m., will also be televised live regionally on ONN-TV with Dwight Burgess and Bill McDermott calling all the action and Katie Witham reporting from the sidelines. It will also be broadcast in high definition exclusively to Time Warner Cable Mid-Ohio customers in Columbus on Ch. 1311. The game can also be heard in English on News/Talk 610 WTVN, with Neil Sika and John Bluem behind the microphone, as well as in Spanish on La Mega 103.1-FM, featuring Carlos Cordova and Benny Pietrangelo on the call.
New Columbus Blue Jackets head coach Scott Arniel will be on hand Saturday to conduct the ceremonial coin toss prior to the Crew’s match against New York. The Red Bulls, who currently sits in second place in the Eastern Conference with an 8-5-2 record (26 pts.), enter the match after tying with D.C. United, 0-0, last Saturday (July 10) at Red Bull Arena. New York is undefeated in its last five MLS matches (3-0-2) and its attack is led this season by Colombian striker Juan Pablo Angel’s nine goals and Joel Lindpere’s three assists.
The Crew, which currently sits in first place in the Eastern Conference with an 8-2-4 record (28 pts.), enters its slate of matches after a scoreless draw with the Houston Dynamo last Saturday (July 10) at Robertson Stadium. The first half was a physical affair with Crew center backs Chad Marshall and Andy Iro battling Houston forwards Brian Ching and Cam Weaver. Neither team created many first-half opportunities, with only one shot on goal each. The defensive struggle continued into the second half with the best opportunities for both sides falling in a two-minute span. Houston substitute Brian Mullan laid a ball into the path of Weaver in the 80th minute, but the forward’s blast went mere inches wide of goal. Just two minutes later, the Crew almost took the lead itself, when Robbie Rogers fed the ball across the Houston box and found second half substitute forward Steven Lenhart open at the far post. As Lenhart lined up an open shot on goal, Dynamo defender Mike Chabala came out of nowhere and made a sprawling block on Lenhart’s effort.
COLUMBUS CREW vs. Kansas City Wizards
Wednesday, July 14 – 7:30 p.m. (ET) at Crew Stadium
National Television: N/A; Regional Television: ONN-TV (HD on TWC Ch. 1310)
Crew Radio: News/Talk 610 WTVN (English); La Mega 103.1 (Spanish)
COLUMBUS CREW vs. New York Red Bulls
Saturday, July 17 – 7:30 p.m. (ET) at Crew Stadium
National Television: N/A; Regional Television: ONN-TV (HD on TWC Ch. 1311)
Crew Radio: News/Talk 610 WTVN (English); La Mega 103.1 (Spanish)
ONN-TV TO BROADCAST SPECIAL EDITION OF CREW XTRA WEDNESDAY LIVE FROM CREW STADIUM
This Wednesday (July 14), ONN-TV will broadcast a special edition of Crew Xtra from Crew Stadium as a live lead-in to the Crew’s match against the Kansas City Wizards. The show, which will air at 7 p.m., will feature host Beau Bishop, Crew TV analyst Dante Washington and technical director Brian Bliss, among other guests. Then on Thursday (July 15), the regular edition of Crew Xtra will air from the ONN studios, when guest host Dan Fronzcak will be joined by Crew TV analyst Bill McDermott, radio man Neil Sika and Dispatch beat writer Shawn Mitchell at 8 and 11 p.m. CrewXtra is the club’s weekly television show which 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.
HESMER EXTENDS ALL-TIME CLUB LEAD IN SHUTOUTS WITH CLEAN SHEET AT HOUSTON
Crew goalkeeper William Hesmer recorded his sixth shutout of the 2010 season in the Crew’s scoreless draw at Houston last Saturday (July 10), extending his all-time club lead in shutouts to 28. Hesmer currently sits third among MLS goalkeeping leaders in both goals-against-average (0.86 GAA) and shutouts (6), and he sits in fourth place in save percentage (76%) so far this season.
CREW JUNIORS SUPER-20s WRAP UP PLAY IN USL SUPER-20 LEAGUE, ADVANCE TO FINALS
The Crew Juniors Super-20s, coached by Crew technical director Brian Bliss, wrapped up play in the USL Super-20 League last week with matches at Cincinnati United Premier, the Chicago Fire and TKO Premier SC. The squad began Tuesday (July 6) when it traveled to Cincinnati and came away with a 2-1 win, thanks to goals by Brian McGue and John Wargo. The team then traveled to the Windy City on Friday (July 9), where it fell to the Chicago Fire, 1-0, then wrapped up its schedule on Saturday (July 20) in Fort Wayne, Ind., with a 6-0 victory over TKO Premier SC, behind strikes by Wargo, Eric Erb, Conor Fitzpatrick, Justin Luthy, Brandon Silva and Travis Wall. The Crew Juniors Super-20s completed their 10-game schedule with an 8-2-0 record (24 pts.), good for a second place finish in the Midwest Division, which qualified it for the USL Super-20 League Finals July 29-Aug. 1 at Sportscore II in Rockford, Ill. The full tournament schedule will be released once all qualifying teams have been determined.
CREW JUNIORS U19 SQAUD TO PLAY IN US YOUTH SOCCER NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS JULY 21-23
The Crew Juniors U19 men’s team coached by Crew technical director Brian Bliss and Ian Gordona captured the USYSA Region II Championships in late June, propelling the squad to the Under-19 Boys US Youth Soccer National Championships at Overland Park Soccer Complex in Overland Park, Kan. July 21-24, where it will compete for the storied James P. McGuire Cup. The U19 squad begins play on Wednesday, July 21, when it takes on Andromeda 91 Navy (Tex.). The team then faces off against WSM Internationals (Ore.) on Thursday, July 22, before wrapping up on Friday, July 23, against FC Delco Hammerheads (Pa.). The two teams out of four with the most points after three games will then play in the 75th Annual James P. McGuire Cup on Saturday, July 24, which will air live on Fox Soccer Channel at 9 p.m. ET, with Brad Porter and Sasha Victorine calling all the action. Many players on the U19 roster are alumni of the Crew Soccer Academy 15/16 and 17/18 squads from the first two years and are now competing for top universities across the United States.
