SANTOS SCORES THIRD REGULAR-SEASON STRIKE OF 2019
Midfielder Pedro Santos scored his third regular-season goal of 2019 in Saturday's road contest against the Colorado Rapids. Santos' goal came in the 28th minute of the contest when he cut into the box from the right side to receive a headed ball by Hector Jimenez, which he then sent to the back of the net, equalizing for the Crew. In addition to scoring a goal – his third of the season – Santos played the entire 90 minutes, registering 53 touches and attempting 30 passes. In 2019, the midfielder has made 14 regular-season appearances (13 starts), while scoring three goals (one game-winning goal) and providing two assists (both game-winning assists). To date, Santos has scored four goals and recorded 11 assists since joining the Black & Gold in 2017.
ZARDES SCORES FIFTH GOAL OF 2019 REGULAR SEASON
Forward Gyasi Zardes recorded his fifth goal of the 2019 regular season during Saturday's road match against the Colorado Rapids. Zardes’ goal came in the 54th minute on a cross from Federico Higuain. The strike marked Zardes' fifth goal in 14 regular-season appearances (all starts) in 2019. Additionally, Zardes has scored 24 regular-season goals and provided one assist in 44 regular-season appearances (all starts) since joining Crew SC ahead of the 2018 season.
TRAPP NOTCHES FIRST ASSIST OF 2019 REGULAR SEASON
Midfielder Wil Trapp recorded his first assist of the 2019 regular-season for Crew SC in Saturday's road contest against the Colorado Rapids. Trapp found Hector Jimenez with a long ball over the top in the 28th minute, allowing Jimenez to head the ball towards Pedro Santos. In addition to notching his first assist of the season, Trapp played the entire 90 minutes, making three tackles, registering 77 touches and attempting 69 passes while finishing the night with a passing percentage of 88.4. In 2019, Trapp has made 14 regular-season appearances (all starts).
JIMENEZ TALLIES ASSIST AGAINST THE COLORADO RAPIDS
Hector Jimenez recorded his second assist of the 2019 regular-season for Crew SC during Saturday's road contest against the Colorado Rapids. Jimenez found Pedro Santos in the 28th minute of the contest, crossing the ball to Santos after receiving a long pass from Wil Trapp. In addition to his assist, Jimenez played 43 minutes, registering 30 touches and attempting 18 passes with a passing accuracy of 83.3 percent. In 2019, Jimenez has made 14 regular-season appearances (11 starts), while scoring one goal and providing two assists.
HIGUAIN TALLIES FIFTH ASSIST OF 2019 REGULAR SEASON
Federico Higuain registered his fifth assist of the 2019 regular season in Saturday's road match against the Colorado Rapids. Higuain’s helper came in the 54th minute, when he crossed a ball to Gyasi Zardes, allowing Zardes to score Crew SC’s second goal of the evening. In addition to tallying his fifth assist of the season, the helper marked Higuain’s 63rd assist in 193 regular-season appearances (184 starts) since joining the Black & Gold in 2012. In 2019, Higuain has made 14 regular-season appearances (13 starts) while scoring one goal and providing five assists.
HANSEN MAKES FIRST REGULAR-SEASON START OF 2019
Midfielder Niko Hansen made his first start of the 2019 regular-season for Crew SC during Saturday's road contest against the Colorado Rapids. Hansen played the entire 90 minutes, recording 67 touches, attempting 45 passes and finishing with a passing percentage of 93.3. In 2019, Hansen has made seven regular-season appearances (one start). To date, Hansen has made 43 regular-season appearances (15 starts), scoring four goals and providing five assists since joining the Black & Gold ahead of the 2017 season.
SANTOS REACHES 50TH REGULAR-SEASON START WITH CREW SC
Midfielder Pedro Santos recorded his 50th regular-season start (53rd appearance) for Crew SC in Saturday's road contest against the Colorado Rapids. Santos marked the occasion by scoring the Crew’s first goal in the 28th minute. Since joining the Crew midway through the 2017 season, Santos has scored four goals and recorded 11 assists to go with his 53 regular-season appearances.
TRAPP: PASSING HIS WAY TO THE TOP
Wil Trapp is among MLS leaders in multiple individual passing categories, according to Opta. Trapp - one of only four players in MLS to have completed 500 or more successful passes in 2019 - is third in the league in attempted passes (1050) behind only the Philadelphia Union's Haris Medunjanin (1143) and Los Angeles FC’s Eduard Atuesta (1192). Trapp is also among the top 10 across the League in passes in the opponents’ half (539), which he is in eighth. Notably, he is in the top five for successful passes in own half (903).
KEITA FEATURES FOR U.S. IN UNDER-20 WORLD CUP
Defender Aboubacar Keita has made three starts for the U.S. Under-20 Men’s National Team at the 2019 FIFA U-20 Men’s World Cup in Poland. Thus far, Keita has started for the U.S. in group matches against Ukraine (May 20), as well as against Nigeria (May 27) and against Qatar (May 30), helping the U.S. to a 2-1-0 record. The U.S. finished in second place in Group B, behind only Ukraine (seven points) and will advance to the Round of 16 where it will play against a yet to be named opponent.
SIX CREW PLAYERS HAVE PREVIOUS UNDER-20 WORLD CUP EXPERIENCE
Crew SC's current roster boasts six players who have previously competed at a FIFA Under-20 World Cup: Ricardo Clark, David Guzman, Jonathan Mensah, Zack Steffen, Wil Trapp and Milton Valenzuela. Clark represented the United States at the 2003 FIFA World Youth Championship (the previous name of the FIFA U-20 World Cup), helping the squad reach the semifinals. Guzman represented Costa Rica at the 2009 edition of the tournament, helping Los Ticos achieve a fourth-place finish. Mensah also featured in the 2009 U-20 World Cup, making six appearances en route to helping the Black Stars win their first U-20 World Cup. Steffen featured for the U.S. at the 2015 edition of the tournament, reaching the quarterfinals with the Stars and Stripes. Trapp represented the American squad at the 2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup, playing every minute of every group stage match for the U.S. Valenzuela represented Argentina in the 2017 edition of the tournament, featuring in two matches at the group stage.
EIGHT CREW SC PLAYERS AMONG THOSE IN THE 2019 MLS ALL-STAR GAME FAN XI BALLOT
Eight Crew SC players are among those nominated to the 2019 MLS All-Star Fan XI, presented by Target. Artur, Harrison Afful, Federico Higuain, Jonathan Mensah, Pedro Santos, Zack Steffen, Wil Trapp and Gyasi Zardes are the eight players who are eligible for selection by fans. Fans can vote for 10 of the 11 players once per day online at MLSSoccer.com/all-star/2019/vote. Voting ends at 11:59 PM Pacific Time on June 13. The 11th player will be determined through EA SPORTS FIFA 19 on PlayStation 4, Xbox One or PC. Every MLS All-Star Ballot player that is in a player's starting lineup of any gameplay mode will count as one vote for the player. The player with the most starts will earn the final spot on the 2019 MLS All-Star Game Fan XI.
