BUSY STRETCH CONTINUES
Following the May 26 test against New York and Wednesday’s U.S. Open Cup clash, the Crew continues a stretch of four matches in 11 days as the club resumes MLS action at Crew Stadium when the Black & Gold host the Houston Dynamo on Saturday, June 1 (7:30 p.m. ET / FOX Sports Ohio) ... that stretch continues through June 5 when the Black & Gold travel to Philadelphia to face the Union before a bye weekend on June 8.
HOUSTON, WE HAVE VERY FEW PROBLEMS
The Crew resumes MLS action this weekend with an Eastern Conference test from the visiting Houston Dynamo ... the Crew has had Houston’s number since 2009 as the Black & Gold are unbeaten (3-0-5) in their last eight contests against the Dynamo ... the last three matches between the two clubs dating back to 2011 have resulted in a draw ... the Crew is unbeaten (3-0-2) in five previous meetings against the Dynamo in Columbus dating back to April 26, 2008.
GLAUBER AND ARRIETA AVAILABLE...
Crew centerback Glauber is available on Saturday after serving a mandatory one- match suspension following his fifth caution of the season that he picked-up on May 18 in Toronto ... Glauber made the start on Wednesday in U.S. Open Cup action ... following an MLS Disciplinary Committee suspension of two matches, Crew striker Jairo Arrieta is also available for selection, as the Costa Rican was away on National Team duty earlier this week and missed the 2-1 win against the Dayton Dutch Lions.
... AND JAIRO FOUND A SCORING TOUCH WITH COSTA RICA
Jairo Arrieta has missed the last two League matches while serving a two-game suspension handed down by the MLS Disciplinary Committee, but the Crew forward remained sharp during his international call-up for Costa Rica against Canada in a friendly in Edmonton on Tuesday ... Arrieta converted a 16th-minute penalty kick to give the Ticos a 1-0 win ... Tuesday’s match was Arrieta’s 10th cap with Costa Rica and third goal after scoring twice during the 2013 Copa Centroamericana.
ODURO GETS HIS SIXTH
The Crew was held scoreless in the first two matches of the month but Dominic Oduro still managed to score in the final two May contests to lead the Black & Gold in scoring with two strikes on the month ... his game-winning goal at Toronto on May 18 was followed by his second-minute goal against the Eastern Conference-leading Red Bulls on May 26, accounting for 66% of the team’s scoring on the month ... Oduro has scored in each month of the season in his first year with the Crew ... the Crew remains unbeaten (3-0-3) in 2013 when Oduro finds the back of the net.
FIRST GOAL IS KEY FOR CREW
The Crew struck first on May 26 at New York and managed to secure a point on the road ... it was the sixth time this season the Black & Gold have gotten on the scoreboard first and in those matches, Columbus is 4-0-2 ... the Crew went 10-4-2 last season when scoring the first goal and went 5-8-3 in 2012 when the club’s opponent got on the board first .
