LAST MATCH: #HOUvCLB

KAMARA SCORES IN 3-1 LOSS AGAINST THE HOUSTON DYNAMO

On Saturday, March 11, Columbus Crew SC played its second match of the season against the Houston Dynamo at BBVA Compass Stadium. The road contest saw Brazilian midfielder Artur make his first starting appearance for Crew SC. Houston scored two goals in the first half, with goals by Romell Quioto (2’) and Alberth Ellis (34’). Erick Torres added a third goal for Houston in the second half (64’) before forward Ola Kamara pulled a goal back for the Black & Gold near the end of the match (90+3’). Kamara was assisted by midfielder Justin Meram, who now has two assists in as many matches this season.

CREW SC & D.C. UNITED AT A GLANCE

Columbus Crew SC regular-season record vs. D.C. United: 26-27-11 (11 GF, 14 GA)
Home games: 17-7-7 (50 GF, 26 GA)
Road games: 9-20-4 (43 GF, 63 GA)

LAST THREE REGULAR-SEASON MEETINGS

CREW SC MEETS D.C. FOR 1ST OF 2 IN 2017

This weekend’s match marks the 65th all-time regular-season meeting between the two clubs, with the Black & Gold holding a 26-27-11 all-time record against D.C. Last season, Crew SC tied with D.C. United 1-1 at MAPFRE Stadium on July 16 before losing on the road 3-0 at RFK Stadium. The Black & Gold have a record of 1-1-1 in their last three contests against D.C. United.

LAST REGULAR-SEASON MEETING

On September 28, 2016, Crew SC played D.C. United at RFK Stadium. Although the Black & Gold tested D.C. goalkeepr Bill Hamid in the first half, three second-half goals by Lloyd Sam (71’), Lamar Neagle (86’), and Alvaro Saborio (90’) gave the Black-and-Red the win.

COACHES

Gregg Berhalter (37-36-31, Columbus Crew SC: ‘14 - Present)
vs.
Ben Olsen (43-32-27, D.C. United: ‘10 - Present)

WHERE TO WATCH/LISTEN

Saturday’s contest kicks-off at 7 p.m. ET and is set to be televised regionally on The CW Columbus, Spectrum Sports and BCSN2, with Neil Sika and Dwight Burgess on the call. Coverage on e CW Columbus begins at 7 p.m. ET. Exclusively on Spectrum Sports and BCSN2, “Crew SC Matchday,” the pre-match show, begins at 6:30 p.m. ET, with “Crew SC Post-Match” immediately following the action. Saturday’s match will air on Spectrum Sports channels 314/1314. While former Insight customers will not have access to those channels, they may watch it on WWHO (Channel 27). Locally, the contest is available via the radio in English on CD102.5 FM and in Spanish on La Mega 103.1 FM. The English radio broadcast also is set to stream live on ColumbusCrewSC.com. The Spanish radio calls are also set to be streamed in Spanish on the LaMega1 App and via Tunein Radio as WVKO- FM. The game can be watched internationally via the following: Abu Dhabi Sports and BeIN Sports Australia.

OLD SCHOOL: A MEETING BETWEEN CHARTER CLUBS

Saturday’s match between Crew SC and D.C. United features two of Major League Soccer’s charter clubs. Crew SC - the first club in MLS - has a long history against D.C. United - the League’s second team. In fact, the Black& Gold’s first-ever MLS match was against D.C. United. Altogether, the two have faced off a total of 64 times during the regular season, creating what has become a closely contested series. The Black-and-Red holds a very slight edge, having won only one more match (27) than the Black & Gold (26), with the two having tied a total of 11 times. With one win a piece and a draw in the last three matches between the two clubs, the series continues to be hotly contested.

ARTUR MAKES 1ST MLS START 

Brazilian midfielder Artur made his first MLS start for Crew SC this past weekend against Houston. The 21-year-old played for 58 minutes and had two shots. He has now made two appearances (one start) for the Black & Gold during the regular season.

KAMARA OPENS 2017 SCORING ACCOUNT

Forward Ola Kamara - who scored 16 goals last season for Crew SC - opened up his 2017 scoring account this past Saturday against Houston. The forward scored his first goal of the season in the third minute of added time, putting away a low cross from Justin Meram. Kamara had four shots on the night, with two of those being on target.

MERAM CONTINUES ASSIST STREAK...

Justin Meram, who recently signed a multi-year contract extension with the Black & Gold, continues his run of good play. On Saturday, the midfielder provided his second assist of the season, and his sixth assist in the last six regular-season matches. Meram had previously assisted Ethan Finlay’s goal against Chicago on March 4. This past weekend, he provided the assist on Ola Kamara’s goal. Meram’s run of six consecutive games with assists is tied for third best in MLS history with Carlos Valderrama, Brad Davis, and former Crew SC player Jeff Cunningham. He is behind Martin Machon (8) and Andy Williams (7). the midfielder is also in ninth place on the Black & Gold all-time assist list with 28 assists. 

...COULD JOIN 25/25 CLUB

To date, Meram has scored 24 goals and needs only one more goal to be one of only seven players to score 25 goals and provide 25 assists for the club. Other players on this list include Jeff Cunningham, Brian McBride, Eddie Gaven, Guillermo Barros-Schelotto, as well as teammates Federico Higuain and Ethan Finlay.

MALONEY MAKES CREW SC & MLS DEBUT

Defender Connor Maloney made his MLS and Crew SC debut on Saturday night against the Houston Dynamo. He came on as a substitute for Harrison Afful at half-time and played 45 minutes, creating one scoring chance.

MERAM & FINLAY: CHANCE CREATORS

Two matches in to the 2017 MLS season, the Black & Gold have created 16 scoring chances from open play this season. Leading the pack in chances created for the club are Justin Meram with four and Ethan Finlay with three. Trailing behind them are Ghanaian players Mohammed Abu and Harrison Afful, with two chances each.

TACKLING, BY THE NUMBERS

Crew SC players have totaled 36 tackles over the first two matches this season. Defender Jonathan Mensah currently leads the club with seven tackles. Behind him are defender Jukka Raitala and midfielder Wil Trapp, with five tackles each. Out of players who have had three or more attempted tackles, defender Nico Naess has a success rate of 100 percent, having won each of his three attempted tackles.

THOUGHTS ON THE MATCH AGAINST HOUSTON

“By and large, we dealt with the counterattack in the way we imagined. We wanted to balance it o with our fullbacks not going forward every single time. I think we did that to a certain extent. In the second half as we are pushing even more, we did give up more counter opportunities but I think that’s normal based on the game today.”

►Sporting Director and Head Coach Gregg Berhalter

“I feel like Houston got the game in their hands because they like the coun- terattack and they’re physical. I think they won the physical battle and that’s actually what made us lose this game.”

►Forward Ola Kamara

TRAPP SIGNS MULTI-YEAR EXTENSION

This week, Crew SC announced that midfielder Wil Trapp signed a multi-year contract extension with the club. The 24-year-old is in his fifth season with the Black & Gold and was named captain of the club ahead of the 2017 Major League Soccer Season. Trapp has made 95 regular-season appearances (92 starts) for Crew SC. Per Opta, Trapp was one of only two players to successfully complete over 1,600 passes (1,734) during the 2016 MLS regular season.

“I’m excited to stay here in Columbus and build this club and its brand on and off the field. It’s a wonderful opportunity with a great group of players to continue to push this club, style of soccer and my career forward. Playing in Columbus means a great deal to me and my family and I am humbled to remain a Crew SC player.”

►Midfielder Wil Trapp

TRAPP LEADS THE WAY

Out of the 93 MLS players to attempt at least 1,000 passes in 2016, Trapp ranked second in passing accuracy with a rate of 88.06 percent. Currently, he ranks fourth in number of total passes (159) and fifth in number of successful passes (136) among all MLS players in 2017, according to Opta. With an accuracy percentage of 85.53 percent, he ranks fifth among players who have attempted 150 passes or more. A product of the Crew SC Academy, Trapp served as the team captain for the U-16 and U-18 Crew SC Academy squads, twice winning the Crew SC Player of the Year Award (2009, 2010).

“Wil was raised in Gahanna and is a product of the Crew SC Academy. He played at the University of Akron, has represented our country at the international level and now is the captain of Columbus Crew SC. Wil has illuminated a path for any young players in Ohio who are hungry for success in this sport.”

►Sporting Director and Head Coach Gregg Berhalter 

THOUGHTS ON D.C. UNITED

“I think their top four - how they work - is interesting. I think they pose alot of problems with their variation and their movement o the ball.”

►Sporting Director and Head Coach Gregg Berhalter

Crew SC next faces D.C. United on March 18 at 7 p.m. ET at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C. The Black & Gold return home on March 25 to host the Portland Timbers for a 7:30 p.m. ET kickoff at MAPFRE Stadium.