he Crew closes out its regular season this week with a trip to Bridgeview, Ill., to face the Chicago Fire at TOYOTA Park on Saturday, Oct. 22. The match comes on the heels of a spectacular 3-0 win at New England last Saturday (Oct. 15) that clinched the Crew’s fourth consecutive postseason berth.
The match will kick off at 8:30 p.m. (ET) and 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, and in Spanish on La Mega 103.1, with Neil Sika and Carlos Cordova handling play-by-play responsibilities, respectively.
The Crew (13-12-8, 47 pts.) entered the week in third place in the Eastern Conference and would finish first – securing home-field advantage through the Conference Championship – if it defeats the Fire and both Sporting KC and Philadelphia tie or lose their respective matches. The Black & Gold can finish atop the East with a draw, as well, if Sporting KC and Philadelphia both lose, and Houston ties or loses this weekend.
In Saturday’s win at New England, Andres Mendoza scored twice – giving him a team-leading 13 on the season and a spot on MLSSoccer.com’s Team of the Week – and midfielder Dilly Duka netted the first goal of his MLS career. Goalkeeper William Hesmer earned his eighth shutout of the season. The Crew’s fourth straight playoff berth matches the club record, first achieved from 1996-99.
The Fire (8-9-16, 40 pts.), which is coming off a dramatic 2-1 win over D.C. in which it scored twice in stoppage time, is in a must-win situation if it hopes to earn a berth into the playoffs. Led by Dominic Oduro, who has 12 goals on the season, Chicago is three points behind New York for that final playoff spot and needs a combination of things to happen, including a win against the Crew, a loss by New York against Philadelphia on Thursday (Oct. 20), and to overcome a goal difference with New York of five goals.
Chicago leads the all-time series against the Crew with a 19-11-13 record. The Black & Gold lost 1-0 to the Fire in stoppage time earlier this season at Crew Stadium (June 12), and the last time the Crew visited TOYOTA Park, it fell 2-0 on Oct. 10, 2010.
COLUMBUS CREW at Chicago Fire
Saturday, Oct. 22 – 8:30 p.m. (ET) – TOYOTA Park, Bridgeview, Ill.
Regional Television: ONN
Crew Radio: News/Talk 610 WTVN (English); La Mega 103.1 (Spanish)
Crew Webcast: TheCrew.com (English)
CREW PUB TOUR, PRESENTED BY BUDWEISER, CONTINUES THIS SATURDAY AT 4TH STREET BAR & GRILL
Join your fellow fans at 4th Street Bar & Grill (1810 N. 4th Street, 43201) to cheer on the Crew as it takes on the Chicago Fire this Saturday, Oct. 22, at 8:30 p.m. There will be prizes and giveaways, including a chance to win tickets to future Crew home games.
TOMMY HEINEMANN SCORES HAT TRICK IN 5-1 ROUT OF REVOLUTION RESERVES
The Crew continued its march towards the East Division crown in the MLS Reserve League by defeating the New England Revolution 5-1 on Sunday (Oct. 16). Crew forward Tommy Heinemann netted a hat trick, while Justin Meram and Kevin Burns added tallies. The Crew is now 8-1-0 (24 pts.), six points ahead of D.C. United, which has a game in hand. The Crew could clinch the Reserve League East title should D.C. lose or tie against the New York Red Bulls in a match to be played at a later date. Should D.C. win against New York, it will all come down to the final Reserve League match at Crew Stadium between United and the Black & Gold. That match, originally scheduled for Oct. 2, was postponed and has yet to be re-scheduled.
2011 PLAYOFF TICKETS NOW ON SALE
With its fourth consecutive postseason berth clinched, Crew playoff tickets are now on sale. Both potential individual games, as well as two-game packages that include a limited edition “Dare to Be Massive” scarf (quantities are limited) will be available. Prices start at $20 for individual games and $38 for two-game packages, all of which are available to the general public at the Crew Stadium Box Office, all central Ohio Ticketmaster retail locations, via Ticketmaster phone at 800-745-3000 and on-line at TheCrew.com and Ticketmaster.com.
MLS ANNOUNCES 2012 EXPANSION DRAFT DATE AND PROCEDURE
Major League Soccer will hold the 2012 MLS Expansion Draft via conference call on Wednesday, Nov. 23, at 2 p.m. ET. The league’s 19th team, the Montreal Impact, will select 10 players during the 10-round draft. Each current MLS club will have the opportunity to protect 11 players from their 2011 roster. Generation adidas players (who will not graduate at the end of the 2011 season) and Homegrown Players on the team’s Off-budget Roster are automatically protected and do not count against each team’s 11 protected roster spots. Designated Players do not have to be protected unless the player has a no trade clause in his contract. Clubs must submit their protected roster to MLS on Monday, Nov. 21. The protected rosters will be made public later that day. A complete list of the Expansion Draft Rules can be found by CLICKING HERE
EMILIO RENTERIA AND ASSISTANT COACH RICARDO IRIBARREN ON CREWXTRA THIS WEEK
CrewXtra, the weekly show on ONN Wednesdays at 8, 8:30, 11 and 11:30 p.m., this week will feature Crew forward Emilio Renteria, who was named the club’s Fans’ Choice award winner on Tuesday, alongside assistant coach Ricardo Iribarren, “The Voice of the Crew” Dwight Burgess, and host Beau Bishop, as they discuss the Crew’s big win in New England and the regular-season finale in Chicago.
