BACK ON THE ROAD
For the second time in three matches, the Crew takes to the road for an early-season test ... the Black & Gold are looking for their first back-to-back road wins since 2010 when an four-day span in May saw wins at New York (May 20) and Kansas City (May 23).
LOOKING FOR HISTORIC HOT START AWAY FROM HOME
Following the 3-0 win at D.C. United in the first away match of 2014, the Crew has a chance on Saturday to accomplish something the team has been unable to do in more than 10 years: win its first two road games of a campaign ... the last time the club won its first two tilts away from Crew Stadium was in 2003 with April wins at New York (April 12) and at New England (April 19).
STOPPING BY SIGI’S HOUSE...
Saturday marks another match against former Crew boss Sigi Schmid and the man that helped lead the Crew to its first MLS Cup victory in 2008 ... Schmid held a record of 44-33-25 in three seasons in Columbus from 2006-2008.
... AND FAMILIAR FACES IN MARSHALL, EVANS
Saturday marks the first time that Chad Marshall faces his former club ... last December, the Crew traded Marshall to Seattle Sounders FC in exchange for allocation money and a 2015 Third Round SuperDraft selection ... Marshall played in more minutes (22,220), matches (253) and seasons (10) than anyone else in the Black & Gold's 19-year history ... Brad Evans also began his MLS career with the Crew and following his rookie season in 2007, his 26 appearances and five goals helped the Crew to a 2008 MLS Cup title run ... Evans, however, has seen his former club since joining Seattle in 2009.
SHARP PASSES, SMART PASSES OVERALL ...
Through a pair of matches in 2014, the Crew leads MLS in passing accuracy ... Saturday’s opponent -- Seattle -- sits just behind the Crew in sixth among the top third of MLS ... a full breakdown of Opta statistics is below:
Team ............................................... Passing Accuracy
Columbus Crew .............................. 82.94
LA Galaxy ........................................ 80.82
Philadelphia Union ........................ 79.66
Real Salt Lake .................................. 79.33
New York Red Bulls........................ 79.09
Seattle Sounders FC ....................... 78.89
