The results are in and Columbus Crew SC will be featured in Group E alongside Atlanta United, New York Red Bulls, and FC Cincinnati following the official MLS is Back Tournament draw on Thursday afternoon.
President & General Manager Tim Bezbatchenkomade it a point of emphasis to view this tournament as not just a set of re-introductory games, but an exciting showcase with significant implications for the Club and Front Office.
"My reaction, not unlike a lot of the other presidents and CSO’s and leaders of the team, was one of excitement about the certainty around playing games, and I think this is what it’s about," Bezbatchenko said. "The ability for the MLS to get off the ground and be one of the first leagues to do so is very important because there are opportunities for us to compete, and to have the attention of all of our fans ... So, that’s what we can be, and I think it’s what we’re trying to do."
The Crew looks to re-ignite its form from the first two weeks after going unbeaten against two of the top teams in MLS.
Opening Match witnessed the Black & Gold defeat NYCFC, the reigning Eastern Conference regular-season champion, 1-0 at home, while Week 2 featured the Crew drawing the defending MLS Cup champion Seattle Sounders FC in a 1-1 final on the road.
Key acquisitions in Darlington Nagbeand Lucas Zelarayan have shown their importance for Head Coach Caleb Porter's tactical style, with Zelarayan scoring the game-winner in the home opener while Nagbe continued to show his prowess as one of the most efficient passers in the league.
As for the format, the tournament will feature 54 total matches over 26 days, with a set-up akin to a World Cup -- another reason as to why this tournament will provide an added sense of drama, Bezbatchenko said.
"What happens is you just start to get interested in what’s happening with the other teams in the group and the accumulation of points and how you get to the knockout phase, but to the point earlier, you want to win this," continued Bezbatchenko.
"Each game matters, because they are counted in our regular-season standings ... so that’s really important for the fans to understand that they are regular-season games, too. We’re competitors. The players want to win. There’s a significant prize award, over a million dollars for the players and a spot in CONCACAF Champions League on the line, so these are meaningful matches and to be able to be one of the first [leagues to resume play] is critical."
An experienced Front-Office figure with championship experience, Bezbatchenko knows firsthand what is at stake in this tournament.
"The fact that the games count in the standing matters. The prize money clearly matters. Then, the CCL spot for me is personal because I’ve experienced what it means to make a deep run in the tournament and what it can do for your fan base, what it does for the league, credibility globally, what it can do for the community to participate in an international tournament and go down to Mexico and play a Club America or Tigres, which is where we got Lucas Zelarayan.
"So that’s on the line with this tournament, so I think they’ve done a really good job working together to provide this berth, and again, kudos to the league for working with CONCACAF and both the U.S. Soccer Federation and the Canada Soccer Association in order to achieve this result."
Details regarding the full schedule and broadcast information will be announced at a later date, with the tournament set to commence on July 8 in Orlando, Fla.
