On the heels of Tuesday’s 3-0 victory over Joe Public of Trinidad in a CONCACAF Champions League match at Crew Stadium, the Crew returns to MLS action vs. Seattle Sounders FC in a preview of next month’s Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Final.
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. It can also be heard in English on News/Talk 610 WTVN, with Neil Sika behind the microphone, as well as in Spanish on La Mega 103.1-FM, featuring Carlos Cordova and Benny Pietrangelo on the call.
The Crew will be looking to “Silence the Sounders” with a Crew megaphone giveaway (while supplies last), $1 Budweiser and Bud Light drafts (until the 45th minute) and post-game kick on the pitch. Crew Value Packs startings at $20 per person include four tickets, four Sugardale hot dogs, four Pepsi's and four orders of popcorn.
Seattle, which is sixth in the Western Conference with a 9-9-6 record (33 pts.), is coming off a 2-0 loss at Saprissa (Costa Rica) in Champions League play on Tuesday. In its most recent league match, the Sounders played Real Salt Lake to a scoreless draw last Thursday (Sept. 9). Coached by former Crew head coach Sigi Schmid, Seattle is led offensively by Fredy Montero’s 10 goals and nine assists and defensively by former U.S. National Team goalkeeper Kasey Keller.
The Crew, which is pursuing its unprecedented third straight MLS Supporters’ Shield, enters the match on the heels of its 3-0 win over Joe Public, in which Leandre Griffit, Jason Garey and Steven Lenhart scored goals. That followed a 3-1 setback at the LA Galaxy on Saturday (Sept. 11) in its last league match, the highlight of which was Andres Mendoza’s first goal. The Black & Gold now leads second-place New York by four points in the Eastern Conference standings.
The teams tied, 1-1, in the first game of the season series on May 1 at Qwest Field. The Crew’s Steven Lenhart and Seattle’s Steve Zakuani scored in that match.
COLUMBUS CREW vs. Seattle Sounders FC
Saturday, Sept. 18 – 7:30 p.m. at Crew Stadium
Regional Television: ONN-TV
Radio: News/Talk 610 WTVN (English); La Mega 103.1 (Spanish)
Buy Tickets
CREW STADIUM TO HOST FOURTH ANNUAL OHIO SOCCER HALL OF FAME INDUCTION CEREMONY SATURDAY
The Columbus Crew, in conjunction with the Southern Ohio Adult Soccer Association (SOASA) and Ohio Soccer Association North (OSAN), will host the Fourth Annual Ohio Soccer Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony and Banquet this Saturday, Sept. 18, in the Upper 90 Club at Crew Stadium. The induction ceremony and banquet – which will be emceed by the “Voice of the Crew” Dwight Burgess and feature Crew technical director Brian Bliss as keynote speaker – will include the enshrinement of nine new members and will take place from 1 to 4:30 p.m., prior to the Crew’s home game against the Seattle Sounders, which kicks off at 7:30 p.m. The inductees will then be honored at midfield during halftime of the game that night. The Ohio Soccer Hall Fame was created to recognize those individuals who, by their sacrifices and extraordinary efforts, have enhanced the sport of soccer to the benefit of all involved. To be considered for induction, candidates may be nominated as players, coaches, referees or administrators, and must meet the criteria for that particular category for which they are nominated. The Ohio Soccer Hall of Fame Class of 2010 is made up of Ken Baldeosingh, Carl Del Corral, Chris Rolfe, Blaz Pesorda, Jay Martin, James McDowell, Al O’Campo, John Gyekenyesi and Kalman Toth.
CREW, SEATTLE TO SQUARE OFF IN LAMAR HUNT U.S. OPEN CUP FINAL OCT. 5 AT QWEST FIELD; RECORD CROWD ASSURED
With its dramatic come-from-behind 2-1 overtime win at D.C. United Sept. 1 in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Semifinals, the Crew returns to the Open Cup Final for the first time since winning the competition in 2002. The Black & Gold will travel to Seattle to face the defending Open Cup-champion Sounders on Oct. 5, in a match that will kick off at 10 p.m. ET and be televised live on Fox Soccer Channel. Advance ticket sales have already surpassed the record attendance for that event, set 81 years ago. More than 22,000 tickets have been sold, surpassing the previous record attendance for an Open Cup Final of 21,583 set in 1929 for a title tilt between the New York Hakoah and Madison Kennel Club of St. Louis. The record in the tournament's modern era, which began in 1996 when Major League Soccer teams joined, is 19,164 for the 2000 final between the Chicago Fire and Miami Fusion. The Sounders earned the opportunity to defend its Open Cup title at home after defeating Chivas USA, 3-1, last week at Starfire Sports Stadium. With its second straight appearance in the Open Cup final, Seattle is looking to become the first team to repeat as champions since the New York Pancyprian-Freedoms accomplished the feat in 1983. The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup is an annual competition open to all amateur and professional soccer teams affiliated with U.S. Soccer and is recognized as the federation’s National Championship. The tournament has crowned a champion for 96 consecutive years dating back to 1914. It is the oldest annual team tournament in U.S. sports history and among the oldest soccer tournaments of its type in the world. In 1999, the competition was renamed to honor long-time soccer pioneer and Crew Founder Lamar Hunt.
MENDOZA MAKES MLS DEBUT SEPT. 4 AT D.C., SCORES SEPT. 11 at L.A.
Peruvian international forward Andres Mendoza made his MLS debut on Saturday, Sept. 4, at D.C., a day after his signing became official. Mendoza entered the Crew’s 1-0 victory at RFK Stadium in the 89th minute, then found the back of the net in his second match. After entering the Crew’s Sept. 11 game at L.A. in the 63rd minute, Mendoza deftly slotted an Andy Iro pass past Donovan Ricketts in the 85th minute.
CREW JUST ONE POINT OUT OF FIRST PLACE IN CHAMPIONS LEAGUE GROUP B
With its 3-0 victory over Joe Public of Trinidad and Municipal (Guatemala) playing group-leader Santos Laguna (Mexico) to a 2-2 draw on Tuesday, the Crew now sits just one point behind Santos in the Group B standings through three games. Santos will bring a 2-0-1 record and 7 points to Crew Stadium Tuesday (Sept. 21) for a showdown with the 2-1-0 Crew (6 pts.). Santos defeated the Crew in dramatic and controversial fashion in Torreon, Mexico, on Aug. 24, when the Crew had an apparent first-half goal disallowed in the first half, then saw Santos score a winner late in second-half stoppage time. The top two teams in the four-team group will advance to the knockout stage next spring.
