Following the first leg last Thursday in Denver, the Crew prepares to host the decisive second leg of the Eastern Conference Semifinals vs. the Colorado Rapids this Saturday, (Nov. 6), on a bonus Bob Evans Buck-a-Brat Night at Crew Stadium. Juicy full-size Bob Evans Bratwursts will be available for just $1 throughout the game.
The match, which kicks off at 4 p.m. ET, will be televised live nationally in Spanish on TeleFutura and regionally in English on ONN-TV and Sports Time Ohio, with Dwight Burgess and Bill McDermott calling all the action. It will be broadcast in high definition to Time Warner Cable Mid-Ohio customers in Columbus on Ch. 1311 and statewide on STO. 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 enters the match on the heels of a 1-0 loss at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park on Thursday, Oct. 28. In that match, Colorado midfielder Pablo Mastroeni put away a cross by forward Conor Casey to give the Rapids the lead. Consequently, the Black & Gold will have to win Saturday’s match by two goals – or through a penalty kick shootout following a one-goal victory – in order to advance to the Conference Championship.
The winner of the Crew-Rapids series will face the winner of the New York-San Jose series in the Eastern Conference Championship between Nov. 11-14. Should the Crew and San Jose advance, the Black & Gold would host that match. Game 2 of the Red Bulls-Quakes series is Thursday night in New York.
Saturday will mark the first time the Crew and Rapids have met at Crew Stadium in the playoffs. The Crew holds the advantage in regular season matches with a record of 7-6-4. The teams last met in Columbus on Aug. 21 and the Black & Gold took the 3-1 win with goals by Guillermo Barros Schelotto, Jason Garey and Steven Lenhart.
COLUMBUS CREW vs. COLORADO RAPIDS
Eastern Conference Semifinals – Second Leg
Saturday, Nov. 6 – 4 p.m. – Crew Stadium
National Television: Telefutura (Spanish) Regional Television: ONN, SportTime Ohio (English)
Radio: News/Talk 610 WTVN (English), La Mega 103.1 (Spanish)
MLS CUP 2010 PLAYOFFS FORMAT
Conference Semifinal series are conducted in a home-and-home, aggregate-goal format. The lower seeded team in the Conference Semifinal hosts the first game. The winners of those four series advance to single-game Conference Championships that will determine the MLS Cup Finalists. The team that scores the most goals in the home-and-home series advances to the single elimination Conference Championship. If the teams are tied after 180 minutes in the Conference Semifinal series, a 30-minute extra time period (divided into two 15-minute periods) will be played followed by kicks from the penalty mark, if necessary. The team with the higher seed between the two Conference finalists will host the Conference Championship game. In the case of ties after 90 minutes of regulation in the Eastern and Western Conference Championship games and MLS Cup, 30 minutes of extra time (divided into two 15-minute periods) would be played followed by kicks from the penalty mark, if necessary, to determine the winners.
CREW AND BLUE JACKETS TEAM UP FOR COLUMBUS DOUBLEHEADER
This Saturday, Nov. 6, is a Columbus Sports Doubleheader! Fans are encouraged to start their day off with the Crew’s MLS Cup Playoffs Eastern Conference Semifinal match at against the Colorado Rapids at 4 p.m., then head to Nationwide Arena to cheer on the Jackets as they take on the Minnesota Wild at 7 p.m. Through a partnership with Fox Sports Ohio, for only $50 fans will receive an Endline Ticket to the Crew’s Playoff game with a limited edition Crew Playoff Scarf and an Upper Level Ticket to the Blue Jackets game with a Jackets 10th Anniversary Puck. Visit TheCrew.com/FSO for more information. Crew players Robbie Rogers and Steven Lenhart appeared at the Blue Jackets game on Tuesday night and took part in a variety of in-stadium entertainment elements. VIEW PHOTOS
CREW CRASHES GAHANNA LINCOLN BOYS SOCCER PEP RALLY ON WEDNESDAY
A Crew contingent, led by technical director Brian Bliss, Duncan Oughton, Jason Garey, Adam Moffat, Shaun Francis and Crew Cat, “crashed” a Gahanna Lincoln High School pep rally celebrating the success of its boys soccer team on Wednesday, Nov. 3 (at the invitation of school officials). Gahanna Lincoln’s roster features 16 members of the Crew’s nationally acclaimed youth development program, and the Crew contingent made a surprise entrance to wish the defending Division I state-champion Lions luck heading into their Regional Final vs. Olentangy Orange Saturday.
STEVEN LENHART, ADAM MOFFAT AND FITNESS COACH MIKE TREMBLE MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN NOVEMBER
Forward Steven Lenhart and midfielder Adam Moffat join Crew strength and fitness coach Mike Tremble this month in raising awareness for men’s health. As part of a “Movember” team, they are growing moustaches through the entire month of November to raise funds and awareness for men’s cancer. Movember challenges men to change their appearance and the face of men’s health by growing a moustache. The rules are simple, start Movember 1st clean-shaven and then grow a moustache for the entire month. The moustache becomes the ribbon for men’s health, the means by which awareness and funds are raised for cancers that affect men. Much like the commitment to run or walk for charity, the men of Movember commit to growing a moustache for 30 days.
CREWZERS JOIN 107.5’S NIA NOELLE BUFFALO WILD WINGS ON THURSDAY
The Crewzers Professional Dance Team will be at Buffalo Wild Wings on the corner of Lane Avenue and High Street on Thursday (Nov. 4), from 7:30-9:30 p.m., giving away scarves and playoff tickets to fans dressed in Black and Gold. Fans are encouraged to stay at Buffalo Wild Wings to watch the match between the New York Red Bulls and San Jose Earthquakes and find out who the Crew would face in the Eastern Conference Championship.
CSF SPONSORS STUDENT-ATHLETE AWARD AT GREATER LINDEN AWARDS AND GRATITUDE CELEBRATION NOV. 9
The Crew Soccer Foundation, the Crew’s charitable arm, will once again sponsor the Student-Athlete of the Year Award and Scholarship at the Sixth Annual Greater Linden Awards and Gratitude Celebration next Tuesday, Nov. 9, at Linden McKinley STEM Academy. The ceremony will highlight 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.
ANDY GRUENEBAUM ON CREWXTRA THIS WEDNESDAY AT 8 AND 11 P.M. ON ONN-TV
This week on CrewXtra, the Crew’s weekly show on ONN-TV, host Beau Bishop will be joined by Crew goalkeeper Andy Gruenebaum, radio man Neil Sika and Dispatch beat writer Shawn Mitchell at 8 and 11 p.m. CrewXtra is broadcast every Wednesday and 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.
