As the Crew continues to train at Obetz in preparation for Tuesday’s (Nov. 15) final Reserve League match of the season, vs. D.C. United (details below), three Crew players are away on national team duty.
Midfielder Dilly Duka is in Germany at a 10-day U.S. Under-23 National Team camp, from Nov. 7-16, in preparation for upcoming Olympic tournament qualifiers. A total of 33 players were invited to camp and will be guided under the watchful eye of U.S. Soccer Youth Director Claudio Reyna, as newly-minted U-23 head coach Caleb Porter remains stateside due to prior commitments with the University of Akron.
The U-23 camp is taking place as the senior U.S. National Team gathers in France for friendlies there and in Slovenia. USMNT head coach Jurgen Klinsmann worked with Porter and the rest of the coaching staff in order to structure the program in a similar fashion to the full team, including the approach to style of play, training sessions and fitness testing.
Midfielder Robbie Rogers is among the players who were called in by Klinsmann for the matches against France and Slovenia. Rogers joined his teammates in Paris on Monday morning (Nov. 7) and as they prepare for Friday’s (No. 11) showdown vs. France at Stade de France in Paris. The U.S. will then move on to Ljubljana, Slovenia, for a Tuesday, Nov. 15, rematch of the 2010 World Cup fixture in which the United States came back from a 2-0 deficit to draw the game 2-2.
Defender Julius James left for his native Trinidad & Tobago, where he will participate in the final two matches of the second round of CONCACAF World Cup Qualifying. The Soca Warriors are in a must-win situation as they travel to Providence, Guyana, this Friday, Nov. 11, then host Guyana in Port of Spain, Trinidad, on Nov 15. Guyana leads the Soca Warriors by one point in Group B of the six-group, round-robin phase and only the winner of each group will advance to the next round of qualifiers.
CREW RESERVE LEAGUE MATCH ON TUESDAY, NOV. 15, VS. D.C. UNITED WILL NOW START AT 10:30 A.M.
The Crew’s final match of the 2011 MLS Reserve League season, set for Nov. 15 at Crew Stadium, will start half an hour earlier than previously reported, at 10:30 a.m. The Black & Gold leads D.C. by six points and a win or a draw will give the Crew top honors in the East Division. United faces the New York Red Bulls this Thursday (Nov. 10) in its second-to-last match. With a win on Tuesday, the Crew also has a chance to earn the most points in all divisions as it currently sits at 24 points, one point behind the Seattle Sounders who have already wrapped their Reserve League schedule.
CREW STADIUM TO HOST OHSAA STATE SOCCER FINALS THIS WEEKEND
The 2011 Ohio High School Athletic Association State Soccer Finals are slated for this Friday, Nov. 11, and Saturday, Nov. 12, at Crew Stadium. In all, six champions will be crowned over the two days, with the addition of a third girls division this season. The three boys titles will be decided on Friday and the three girls championship matches will be contested on Saturday, marking the 12th consecutive season that the finals have been played at Crew Stadium.
CREW YOUTH DEVELOPMENT HOLDS NOVEMBER SHOWCASES IN COLUMBUS METRO AREA
The Crew’ Youth Development program held a showcase Nov. 5-6 for the U13-U15 age groups at various fields around town, including Crew Stadium and the Crew Training Center at Obetz. Teams from the Crew Soccer Academy, including the CSA Wolves, and Pre-Academy, as well as Crew Juniors, participated in the event. Another showcase will be held this weekend, Nov. 12-13, for the U16-U18 age groups. For more information, visit TheCrewYouth.com.
WARZYCHA AND OUGHTON RAISE AWARENESS IN “MOVEMBER”
Crew head coach Robert Warzycha and TV analyst Duncan Oughton join forces with “Movember” and MLS W.O.R.K.S. this month to raise 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 Nov. 1 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.
CSF SPONSORS STUDENT-ATHLETE AWARD AT GREATER LINDEN AWARDS AND GRATITUDE CELEBRATION NOV. 10
The Crew Soccer Foundation, the Crew’s charitable arm, will once again sponsor the Student-Athlete of the Year Award and Scholarship at the Eighth Annual Greater Linden Awards and Gratitude Celebration this Thursday, Nov. 10, at Linden McKinley STEM Academy (100 Arcadia Ave, 43202). 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.
