The Crew (3-2-4, 13 pts.) returns to the west coast for the second straight week, as it travels to Portland to face MLS expansion Timbers (4-3-2, 14 pts) for the first time in franchise history at JELD-WEN Field this Saturday, May 21, at 11 p.m. The Black & Gold will look to bounce back from the 3-0 loss suffered in San Jose last Saturday (May 14).
The match will be televised live regionally on ONN with Dwight Burgess and Duncan Oughton calling all the action. The game can be heard in English on News/Talk 610 WTVN and on-line at TheCrew.com, with Neil Sika behind the microphone, and in Spanish on La Mega 103.1, with Carlos Cordova and Benny Pietrangelo on the call.
The Crew will look to be the first MLS team to beat the Timbers on their home turf. Portland has looked extremely strong at JELD-WEN, fashioning an unblemished 4-0-0 record.
The Timbers enter the match after a 1-1 draw at Seattle last Saturday (May 14). The Crew will find some familiar faces on the field with Eric Brunner, who was selected in the 2010 Expansion Draft, who along with Timbers captain Jack Jewsbury is the only Timber to have played every minute of every game this season. Former Crew midfielder Adam Moffat will most likely be unavailable for selection due to injury, while the Timers also feature Mansfield, Ohio, native Ryan Pore.
The Crew returns home on May 28 to host Chivas USA at Crew Stadium at 7:30 p.m.
COLUMBUS CREW at Portland Timbers
Saturday, May 21 – 11 p.m. (ET) – JELD-WEN Field
National Television: N/A; Regional Television: ONN
Crew Radio: News/Talk 610 WTVN (English); La Mega 103.1 (Spanish)
Crew Webcast: TheCrew.com (English)
ROCK ON THE RANGE RETURNS THIS WEEKEND
Crew Stadium will host America’s premier rock festival, ROCK ON THE RANGE, this Saturday and Sunday, May 21 and 22, for the fifth straight year. The world-famous festival will feature artists such as headliners Avenged Sevenfold and A Perfect Circle as well as Disturbed, Black Label Society, Alter Bridge and Staind. The ROTR celebration will start early on Friday night, May 20 with a pre-festival Anniversary Party at Crew Stadium, featuring performances from two of the world’s craziest throwback rock artists--Steel Panther and Lez Zeppelin. Tickets for ROTR 2011 are still available at www.rockontherange.com and www.ticketmaster.com, all local Ticketmaster outlets and the Crew Stadium Box Office.
JOIN YOUR FELLOW CREW FANS AT ONE OF THE PUB TOUR STOPS
All of the Crew Pub Tour stops will be showing the match against the Portland Timbers Saturday night. Fans are encouraged to join their fellow Crew supporters at one of the following locations: 4th Street Bar and Grill in Columbus, Fado Irish Pub at Easton, Mellow Mushroom in Dublin, Jimmy V’s in Westerville and the Keystone Pub at Polaris.
CSA’S WIL TRAPP LEAVES FOR PORTUGAL WITH U.S. U18 NATIONAL TEAM ON THURSDAY
Crew Soccer Academy standout Wil Trapp has been called into U.S. U18 National Team camp. Trapp leaves for Portugal on Thursday (May 19) and will participate in a series of matches against the Portugal, Finland and Netherlands U18s.
CREW SOCCER ACADEMY 15/16s AND 17/18s DEFEAT CLASSICS ELITE AND INDIANA UNITED ACADEMY
The CSA 15/16s and 17/18s won all of their respective matches this weekend as they hosted Texas’ Classics Elite at the Crew Training Center at Obetz on Saturday and traveled to Butler University to face Indiana United on Sunday. The 15/16s blanked Classics Elite, 3-0, behind goals by Tom Granot, Jeremy Fernandes and Jared Robinson, and defeated Indiana United Academy, 3-1, with goals by Alex Crognale, Nathan Kohl and Fernandes. The 17/18s shut out Classics Elite, 2-0, with goals by Khai Celestin and Zachary Leedom, while Connor Klekota scored a late game-winner on Sunday against Indian United for the 1-0 win. Next, the CSA 15/16s and 17/18s host Michigan’s Vardar United and Derby County Wolves on Saturday and Sunday, May 21 and 22, at The Crew Training Center at Obetz.
CREW SOCCER ROCKS CONTINUES MAY 24 IN LIBERTY CENTER
Select Crew players will travel to Liberty Center, Ohio, for a Crew Soccer Rocks clinic Tuesday, May 24, at Fireman’s Park (315 County Road 8, Liberty Center, OH 43532). All participants will be able to learn from the pros and interact with Crew players and coaches in the event which will include an autograph session after the clinic. This event was rescheduled from April 26 due to inclement weather
