A HOMEGROWN PLAYER RECORD FOR BLACK & GOLD
Chad Barson, Matt Lampson, Ben Speas and Wil Trapp set a Black & Gold record on August 24 against Real Salt Lake by merely being a part of Head Coach Robert Warzycha’s starting lineup ... the quartet of Homegrown Players marked the first time in Crew history that four Homegrowns started a match for the club ... the addition of Ben Speas to the starting lineup trumped a previously set record of three Homegrown Players on July 7 against Portland.
A DIFFERENT CENTRAL MIDFIELD LOOK
With Bernardo Anor out with right hamstring tightness, Head Coach Robert Warzycha made alterations to his central midfield lineup last match at Real Salt Lake ... after using Anor in a central attacking midfielder role on August 10 and August 17, Warzycha placed Danny O’Rourke alongside Wil Trapp ... the start for O’Rourke was his first in central midfield since June 29 at Sporting KC ... O’Rourke made five con- secutive starts from July 4-August 3 at centerback before missing the match against New York (August 10) as a pre-game scratch with back problems ... he returned to action with a substitute appearance in the midfield against Toronto (August 17).
A CHANCE FOR OTHERS TO STEP UP IN THE CAPTAIN’S ABSENCE ...
With Federico Higuain out for two matches, the Crew will rely on other players to step in to fill the void left by the club captain ... should rookie Ryan Finley get the nod, the forward would be ready for his first MLS start following a hat-trick performance in Tuesday’s Reserve League match in a 3-1 win over FC Dallas ... other options include bringing Dominic Oduro back up top after a recent stretch of matches on the right wing ... of course, the club could also leave Jairo Arrieta up front and employ another midfielder in the attack ... with plenty of options for Head Coach Robert Warzcyha, the Crew looks to find its first goal not scored by Higuain since July 27 -- a Dominic Oduro tally at Toronto.
