When the Columbus Crew acquired forward/midfielder Dominic Oduro ahead of the 2013 campaign back in February, the Black & Gold made a calculated investment in the team’s offensive game plan – a move that has certainly paid dividends this season.
Heading into Sunday’s regular-season finale against the New England Revolution, Oduro has put together an impressive 2013 season setting career highs in goals (13) and shots (91).
Adding to his offensive prowess, Oduro has also had a record-tying year dishing assists as his four dimes equal his 2009 output as a member of the Houston Dynamo.
In addition to some of the personal bests Oduro has set in his first year in Black & Gold, his regular-season feats also rank highly on the Crew’s all-time single-season lists.
Through 33 games, Oduro has tied former Crew player Sebastian Miranda for second on the club’s all-time list for regular-season starts and has the opportunity to become only the third player in Black & Gold history to start in all 34 regular-season games with a start Sunday against the Revolution, tying a career best for Oduro in the process.
Oduro’s 13 tallies this season are tied for the most by a player in Black & Gold since 2002 when former Crew great Jeff Cunningham scored 16.
Speaking of Cunningham’s 2002 season, Oduro’s 35 shots on goal are also the most since that ’02 campaign and with three more attempts on target, Oduro could pass Cunningham for fourth on the team’s all-time single-season list in that category.
Moving forward, Oduro currently sits at 2,765 minutes played this season and if he were to play at least 71 minutes on Sunday, he would pass teammate Chad Marshall’s 2011 mark of 2,835 minutes played for fifth all-time in a Black & Gold uniform in one campaign.
As the Crew looks to spoil New England’s playoff chances this weekend, Oduro still has plenty of time to add to what has already been one of the best single-season performances in team history.
And while individual accolades are certainly noteworthy, the Ghanaian looks to continue to put the pressure on the Revs’ backline with his league-renowned speed and offensive ability to send his team off on a winning note to conclude the 2013 Black & Gold campaign.
